The statewide telephone service 2-1-1 is being swamped with calls from people who are looking for help paying their utility bills. Shawna Forsberg is spokeswoman for the United Way of the Midlands and says the brutal winter is taking a significant toll on many Iowans’ finances. “A lot of calls are coming in around folks needing help covering their heat bills,” Forsberg says. “Maybe they’ve run into health issues in their family or loss of a job and are looking for some help in that.”

She says they’re seeing a 43-percent increase from last year in calls from people needing assistance with utility bills. Of those who called during January, 81-percent either had received a utility shutoff notice or had already been shut off. Forsberg says dialing 2-1-1 is a free, confidential call that provides information and referrals to a variety of public and non-profit programs.  “It could range from anyone that needs heat assistance or needs help in finding services for health care,” Forsberg says. “Right now, a really popular call is helping with taxes. There are free tax services available to people.”

As further evidence of the tough times, she says there’s also been a boost in people calling 2-1-1 looking for a hot meal.  She says, “Food and meals for example or finding out where pantries are at or congregate meal centers.” You can also reach the 2-1-1 information line online at the website: 211iowa.org.

(Radio Iowa)

A couple from Adel went to the statehouse Wednesday to urge legislators to pass a bill that would require more in-home day care providers to register with the state and undergo regular inspections. Travis Hoover told lawmakers of the 2012 death of his baby. “We lost our little daughter, Annie,” Travis Hoover said. “She was six months old. We actually buried her on her six-month birthday and she was at an in-home…day care center that was unregistered.”

Under current state law, an in-home day care that serves five or fewer kids is exempt from all state oversight. Some home day care providers are backing a bill that would require even those smaller day cares to be inspected. Kay Strayhorn, who cares for children in her Urbandale home, wonders if unregistered homes are meeting safety standards. “We wouldn’t know, because there’s no inspections being done,” Strayhorn says. In the past, Democrats have pushed to expand state oversight of small in-home day cares, but Republicans have resisted.

But this year, Peter Cownie — a Republican from West Des Moines — is backing the bill to boost regulation, after hearing the Hoover’s story. “You know, my wife and I have a 20-month-old and it certainly hits home with me and I think it’s something that we should take a look at,” Cownie says. But Cownie warns legislators have to figure out how to pay for more state inspections of day cares before his bill has a chance of advancing. Child care centers in Iowa pay a licensing fee, but Danielle Oswald-Thole with the Iowa Child and Family Policy Center cautions against assessing new fees to in-home day cares.

“Home providers are some of the lowest paid professionals in the state,” Oswald-Thole says. “Many of them barely make minimum wage.” The bill to expand registration requirements for small in-home day cares passed an initial hurdle in the House Wednesday. A three-member panel signed off, sending the bill to the House Commerce Committee.

(Radio Iowa)