NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Page Humphrey, left, and Melissa Capuano, right, were the two main presenters during a Thrive Iowa kickoff meeting held at the Tama Civic Center on Wednesday afternoon.

A new initiative known as Thrive Iowa is taking root in Marshall and Tama counties, and on Wednesday, the professionals behind the program met with civic leaders, social workers and law enforcement to map out how it will look locally and plan the next steps.

In Tama County, that collective impact meeting was held at the Tama Civic Center from about 2 to 3 p.m. with Thrive Iowa Coordinator for Marshall and Tama counties Araceli Roberts kicking things off and reading prepared remarks from Tama Mayor Danny Robinson, who was unable to attend due to illness. Thrive Iowa is being administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA).

In his statement, Robinson called the occasion “momentous” and hoped the initiative would help to connect individuals and families with the resources they need and remove barriers to success along the way.

“The values that Thrive Iowa presents not only are outstanding but will be a critical and valuable asset within the community and the rebuilding of not only the city of Tama but Tama County’s family and individual foundation as well,” he wrote. “In closing, I am looking forward to all the great things to come with this initiative — the building, the stability and the growth for our communities. To be honest, folks, I’m tired of surviving. Let’s thrive with Thrive Iowa.”

Page Humphrey of Iowa HHS then shared some background on collective impact, noting that it is the best pathway toward creating long-term positive change and sharing stories of how similar models had previously been applied in Arkansas amidst a severe opioid epidemic. Marshall and Tama counties were identified as targets within Iowa, she said, due to data regarding disproportionate numbers of kids in foster care, families on public assistance and abuse and neglect reports indicating higher poverty rates.

Humphrey likened the process of coordinating services and resources to building a house with all of the different contractors and subcontractors working together, and she said that going forward, the leaders involved with Thrive Iowa in Tama County will meet on a monthly basis, including a full-day asset mapping session next month.

She went on to explain the referral and qualification process.

Families need to meet certain requirements before they can enroll in Thrive Iowa. Humphrey said there needs to be a parent or someone pregnant, have income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and citizenship.

After being referred on the hopehub.io website, families will undergo an assessment to identify which areas need help. That way, help can be provided across the spectrum and there is a better chance to produce positive long-term outcomes.

Families will be able to receive help in the following 13 care areas: Housing, Recovery, Employment, Transportation, Education, Mental health, Physical health, Safety, Dental, Financial stability, Food, Childcare and Legal assistance.

Finally, Melissa Capuano, the community success manager with Restore Hope, performed a demonstration of the Hope Hub tool, which she described as “Facebook for social services.”

“We are very excited to bring Thrive to Tama County, and the work that you’re already doing, this is just a way to coordinate that work,” she said.

To learn more about Thrive Iowa, visit https://hhs.iowa.gov/family-community/thrive-iowa.