poverty

Since its inception in 1965 in President Lyndon B. Johnson's "war on poverty," the federal Head Start program has served nearly 40 million children and their families in preparing to succeed in school and life. Head Start has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including flat funding, new mandates, attacks from the Trump Administration and a proposal to eliminate the program entirely. On this episode, we here from different Head Start stakeholders in Iowa about the services this program provides to young children and their families, how they are managing this changing landscape and what the future may hold for this program.

Refugees in Iowa are learning they are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits. The federal government has ordered states to start enforcing a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill that cuts off food assistance for refugees and many other types of immigrants with legal status.

Across the country, low-income households that rely on federal assistance to help pay for food are now turning to food pantries. With money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program temporarily paused due to the government shutdown, some Iowans said they are unsure how they will feed themselves and their families.

Hundreds of low-income families will need to choose between working or taking care of their kids because two federally funded child care programs are about to run out of money. As the federal shutdown starts affecting social services, families also have to consider the impending loss of SNAP benefits.

A new community land trust aims to help more low-income families become homeowners by providing affordable housing options in the Des Moines metro. The Central Iowa Community Land Trust will be the state's only one of its kind.

A new report shows Linn County has higher cancer rates than both the state and national averages. Public health officials say it’s hard to pin down exactly which culprits are responsible for the high rates.