Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Legislature has approved up to eight million dollars for the new Thrive Iowa program Governor Kim Reynolds proposed, to link people in need with faith-based and private sector groups that can help. It’s modeled after a similar program in Florida.
In January, Reynolds said community support is just as important as government programs in helping Iowans get back and their feet and become self-sufficient.
Republican Senator Mark Costello of Imogene says he’s not sure if the Iowa Department of Human Services will hire a company to run the Thrive Iowa program, although he says some of the eight million dollars is for staff and developing an online system for requests and referrals.
Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Waukee, says the United Way already operates the 2-1-1 referral service for two million dollars.
Trone Garriott says the extra eight million dollars would have been better used to feed needy Iowa children this summer.
