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PROVIDED BY COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCIES - Programs offered vary from agency to agency.

Iowa's community action agencies provide a variety of programs and services to low-income Iowans that will help them towards achieving self-sufficiency. All agency programs and services can be classified in one or more of the following 10 categories:

Securing & Maintaining Employment
Employment services include job counseling, job placement and development, job training, skills training, senior placement, and other employment services.

Securing Adequate Education
Education services include educational counseling and guidance, enrollment in Head Start and Early Head Start, day care, child development, ABE/GED classes, Head Start literacy classes, self-help classes, child care resources and referrals, and other educational programs.

Improving Income Management
Income management services include household financial counseling, income tax counseling, tax and rent rebate assistance, energy assistance (Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program), weatherization, and other income management projects.

Securing Adequate Housing
Housing services include home ownership and loan assistance, housing advocacy, home repair, home rehabilitation services, CHORE services, transitional housing, and other housing projects.

Providing Emergency Services
Non-food emergency assistance services include cash assistance and loans, emergency energy programs, crisis intervention, donated goods and services, homeless aid, and other emergency programs.

Improving Nutrition
Nutrition services include surplus food, food pantries and shelves, gardening, farmer's market, nutrition counseling, WIC, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and other nutrition program.

Creating Linkages Among Anti-Poverty Initiatives
Linkages include family and individual counseling, transportation, neighborhood and community development projects, and other linkages.

Achieving Self-Sufficiency
Fourteen community action agencies provide self-sufficiency development services through their Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) program. Some agencies offer other or additional self-sufficiency development programs.

Improving Health Care
Health services include transportation to medical services, maternal and infant health programs, immunization programs, family planning services, drug and alcohol programs, rehabilitation treatments and support, dental screenings, lead screenings, prescription medications, and other health programs.

Providing Youth & Senior Services
Services include youth recreation, youth work experience, youth counseling and guidance, fatherhood involvement programs, I-Card programs, elderly activities, and other youth and senior programs.

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