Polk County public assistance — Iowa HHS programs guide
Polk County is Iowa's most populous county and home to Des Moines, the state capital. Roughly one in seven Des Moines residents lives below the poverty line, a rate that climbs higher in some city neighborhoods. The gap between what work pays and what it costs to live in Polk County — rent, child care, food, health insurance — is challenging for a significant share of the county's households. This page explains what the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services offers Polk County residents, who qualifies for each program, and how to apply.
Food assistance programs — SNAP / EBT
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides a monthly food benefit loaded onto an EBT card that works like a debit card at most grocery stores in Des Moines and throughout Iowa. The card covers a wide range of food — produce, meat, dairy, bread, canned goods, and most staples.
Working does not disqualify a household. Many Polk County residents employed in warehouses, hospitals, restaurants, and other service jobs still qualify based on their wages. A household with almost no money for food right now can request expedited processing — designed to move within seven days — by telling the caseworker the need is immediate when applying.
FIP / TANF - Monthly cash to help pay bills
Iowa's Family Investment Program provides monthly cash payments to low-income families with children. The money is not restricted to specific uses and can go toward rent, utilities, groceries, clothing, transportation, or whatever the household needs most. FIP can be combined with other charitable resources too, including around rental assistance - see the Polk County Iowa rent assistance page. Single parents, two-parent households, and relatives raising children who are not their own are all eligible to apply. Pregnant women approaching their due date may also qualify.
FIP is a short term cash assistance programs for qualified people, not permanent support. Benefits are limited to 60 months over a lifetime, and most adults in the county who are able to work are required to participate in employment or training activities as a condition of receiving them. Benefit amounts are based on household income and size. An Iowa HHS caseworker connects FIP households with the employment services described below.
County-level emergency help — General Assistance
Polk County administers its own General Assistance program for residents who don't qualify for FIP or other state cash programs but have an immediate need. The program can help with food, clothing, temporary housing-related costs, and other basic needs on a case-by-case basis. It is not an entitlement program and funding is limited, but it exists specifically to catch people the state programs don't reach. Apply online, by paper application, or by phone at 515-286-2088. The General Assistance office is part of Polk County's Community, Family & Youth Services department, also at River Place, 2309 Euclid Ave.
PROMISE JOBS - Employment assistance including transportation help
Adults receiving FIP who are able to work are connected with PROMISE JOBS, Iowa's employment and training program for FIP participants. Iowa HHS coordinates these services with Iowa Workforce Development, and each participant works with a case manager to build a personal employment plan. That plan is specific to the individual — it might mean job readiness workshops, GED or adult education, short-term vocational training, or direct job placement help.
A monthly transportation payment is available to help with commuting costs during participation. In addition, child care assistance can be arranged at the same time for participants with children, since having care lined up is often what makes it possible to show up for work or training consistently. Your Iowa HHS caseworker handles the connection to PROMISE JOBS when you apply for FIP.
Family support and home visits — Family Enrichment Center
Polk County's Family Enrichment Center is the county-operated grantee for Iowa's Family Development and Self-Sufficiency program, and it works directly alongside PROMISE JOBS. Families receiving FIP who need more than a job placement plan — households dealing with multiple barriers to stability at once — can be referred to the FEC for intensive case management delivered through regular home visits.
A case manager works with the family using a strengths-based approach: assessing the situation, setting goals, connecting to resources, and staying with the family as they work through those goals. Referrals come primarily through PROMISE JOBS, but families can also be referred by other agencies or refer themselves. To qualify, households need a dependent child in the home and income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty level. Reach the Family Enrichment Center at 515-286-3600.
Child care for income qualified working parents — Child Care Assistance
Iowa HHS's Child Care Assistance program helps income-eligible families pay for licensed child care when a parent or caretaker is working, in school, or in job training. The program covers part or all of the provider's fee depending on household income, hours worked or in training, and the number of children needing care. Eligible providers include licensed child care centers and registered family home providers in Polk County.
Demand regularly exceeds available funding, and most applicants are placed on a waiting list. Priority as slots open goes to the lowest-income households, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. Families in PROMISE JOBS have a direct path to child care support during their employment activities. To search for licensed child care options in the Des Moines area, visit https://search.iachildcareconnect.org/.
Health insurance coverage — Medicaid and Hawk-i
Iowa expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, so the program covers a broader range of Polk County residents than many people expect. Low-income adults between 19 and 64 who meet income requirements qualify through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, alongside the traditional groups of children, pregnant women, parents and caretaker relatives, elderly individuals, and people with disabilities. Most Iowa Medicaid members receive coverage through Iowa Health Link, a managed care program through which members choose from available health plans.
Iowa HHS screens applicants for Medicaid, and in most cases that screening happens at the same intake appointment as SNAP or FIP — one visit covers all three. Hawk-i, Iowa's health coverage program for uninsured children in families with incomes too high for Medicaid, is also screened through Iowa HHS. For Hawk-i questions, call 800-257-8563.
Refugee Cash Assistance
Des Moines has been resettling refugees since 1975, when Iowa's governor welcomed Tai Dam refugees fleeing Vietnam, and the city has maintained that role ever since. Today the community includes people from Burma, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere — long-established populations alongside families who arrived recently. For newly arrived refugees who don't qualify for FIP, Iowa HHS administers a separate program: Refugee Cash Assistance, which provides short-term cash support during the difficult early stretch when a family has legal status but hasn't yet reached stable employment.
The program runs alongside employment services designed to move participants into the workforce as quickly as possible, and recipients are required to cooperate with those work and training requirements as a condition of receiving assistance. The Polk County Iowa HHS office handles this program for central Iowa's resettlement area. For more information, call 800-972-2017.
How and where to apply
The Iowa HHS River Place Office at 2309 Euclid Ave in Des Moines handles applications for SNAP, FIP, PROMISE JOBS, Child Care Assistance, Medicaid, and Refugee Cash Assistance for Polk County residents. The office number is 515-725-2600.
For income maintenance questions by phone, call the Eligibility Determinations Customer Service Center at 877-347-5678. To apply online, check case status, or report a change at any hour, visit https://hhsservices.iowa.gov/apspssp/ssp.portal. Call ahead before making a trip to the office in person.
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