For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Arzberger (563) 445-3243
Printer Friendly PDF Version
Iowa’s Welfare Reform Program Continues to Serve Clients
Davenport, Iowa - PROMISE JOBS, or “Promoting Independence and Self-Sufficiency through Employment”, is Iowa’s welfare reform program. Designed to assist Family Investment Program (FIP) recipients to become self-sufficient, PROMISE JOBS is a participation requirement for most FIP recipients. No jobs are promised, but participants develop an individualized Family Investment Agreement (FIA) outlining what steps they will take to leave public assistance and find a job. There are consequences to not participating in PROMISE JOBS as persons who fail to participate or comply with the program are considered to have chosen a Limited Benefit Plan (LBP) and may lose their monetary benefits.
A number of activities are available to PROMISE JOBS participants to help them succeed in finding a job:
• Workplace Essentials – A Workshop covering money management, home and car repair, housing and parenting information, nutrition, etc.
• Job Seeking and Skills Training – A workshop covering proper interviewing techniques, résumés, how to fill out a job application, and other work search information.
• Activity Searching – Skills for finding employment.
• Monitored Employment – Full-time or part-time unsubsidized employment.
• Basic Education – Assistance with high school completion, GED, adult basic education, and English-as-a-Second-Language.
• Post-Secondary Classroom Training – Assistance with academic and vocational training that prepares participants for a specific area of employment. Assistance is dependent on abilities and aptitudes, available funding, and other requirements.
• Parenting Skills – Training that helps participants become a better parent.
• Family Development Services – Help overcoming significant family barriers.
• Family Planning Services – An option for everyone referred to PROMISE JOBS. Participants can find out how additional children can affect a family’s finances.
• Entrepreneurial Training – Training for participants interested in self-employment.
Not all PROMISE JOBS centers provide all of the items listed above, but certain groups are required to complete certain activities in order to maintain FIP eligibility. Some financial assistance for transportation and childcare is available for PROMISE JOBS participants, depending on the activity. Limited funding for car repairs, work clothing, and other approvable costs are also available to help participants who are job ready or already employed.
For more information, please contact these Eastern Iowa/Quad-City area PROMISE JOBS centers:
| SCOTT COUNTY 902 West Kimberly Road Davenport, Iowa 52806 (563) 386-8878 |
SCOTT COUNTY 326 West 3rd Street, Suite 910 Davenport, Iowa 52801 (563) 336-3499 |
CLINTON COUNTY 315 5th Avenue South Clinton, Iowa 52732 (563) 243-9060 |
| JACKSON COUNTY 714 West Platt Street Maquoketa, Iowa 52060 (563) 652-5000 |
MUSCATINE COUNTY 154 Colorado Muscatine, Iowa 52761 (563) 288-6170 |