Iowa looks at Florida program connecting needy with nonprofits, churches

DES MOINES — Iowa officials are looking into a Florida program that connects people who need assistance with food, housing and other essentials to nonprofits and faith groups after Gov. Kim Reynolds expressed interest in it at a campaign event earlier this year.

Kelly Garcia, director of Iowa Health and Human Services, and a representative from Reynolds’ office attended a Florida conference this week focused on Hope Florida.

The state program uses online tools and state "navigators" to help people who need assistance connect with nonprofits and churches with the goal of getting then off government assistance programs. Members of the conservative Christian advocacy group The Family Leader from Iowa also attended the event.

The program, spearheaded by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, uses a service called CarePortal, which allows people to submit requests for assistance. Nonprofits and faith groups can see those requests and respond. CarePortal is used in similar programs in other states.

Hope Florida also works with employers to help single parents find schedules that allow them to care for their kids and also with employers who can hire people with developmental disabilities.

Reynolds praise

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running for the Republican nomination for president, and Casey DeSantis has taken a prominent role in his campaign, often appearing alongside him and campaigning on his behalf in Iowa.

In one appearance in July, the Florida first lady discussed Hope Florida with Reynolds, who praised the initiative. Reynolds, also a Republican, said she would “take some notes” and wanted to enact a similar program in Iowa.

“The partnership between the faith community, the private sector and government and what you've been able to do with that, I think is really phenomenal,” Reynolds told DeSantis at the event. “... And I got my legislators here because we want to implement something very similar.”

In a statement, Reynolds’ spokesperson Kollin Crompton did not specify whether Reynolds plans to introduce legislation to bring a similar program to Iowa, but he said she is interested in learning more about the initiative.

“Overall, (Hope Florida) saves taxpayer dollars and creates a meaningful impact in people’s lives,” Crompton said. “The governor is inspired by the program.”

Speaking at the conference this week, Casey DeSantis described the program as a different “philosophical approach to government” and an alternative to state-funded assistance programs. Because people using the program have transitioned off government assistance programs, she said it would save Florida taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

Lawmaker response

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Iowa state Rep. Jon Dunwell, a Republican from Newton who has endorsed Ron DeSantis and was at the Casey DeSantis campaign event, said the idea of using government resources to connect nonprofits with people who need assistance is exciting.

He said he's spoken with other lawmakers who are interested in bringing something like Hope Florida to Iowa.

“It seems to kind of scratch where there’s an itch with my colleagues, to where we’re providing services that are really equipping, and encouraging, and really allowing people to find success rather than just merely saying we’re going to write checks,” Dunwell said.

Iowa Republican lawmakers this year enacted stricter requirements to qualify for Medicaid and supplemental nutrition benefits, a move that is expected to make thousands ineligible for the assistance programs.

Dunwell, who was one of five House Republicans who voted against that bill, said he does not think a program like Hope Florida would replace government assistance programs but could supplement them and provide residents with social workers who can help them navigate complex state programs.

"This is a program that's saying, “We're going to try to use all the resources we have,’ ” Dunwell said. “Business, government, nonprofit, religious, whatever it may be, with a navigator to help them get every resource they need, and encouragement they need, and support they need.”

Greg Baker, the executive director of the Family Leader’s Church Ambassador Network, attended the Florida conference and said the organization has been in talks with state officials about how religious groups can work more closely with the state to respond to community needs.

The group has been influential in lobbying the state on policy changes in the past, including a recent six-week abortion ban, currently blocked in the courts, that Reynolds signed into law at the group's annual conference in July.

Comments: cmccullough@qctimes.com