WISCONSIN WORKS (W-2) Provides employment and training opportunities for unemployed individuals. Medicaid and Food Stamps are also available to eligible households.

CHILD CARE: Wisconsin Works (W-2) Child Care provides a subsidy to low-income families who require child day care to obtain or retain employment, teen parents in school or an equivalent program and working families who need training to improve their employment status. Families are eligible for child day care subsidies if they are a parent of or provide care and maintenance to a child under the age of 13 or a child under the age of 19 who has special needs when the parent works in an unsubsidized job or are participating in a Food Stamp Employment and Training (FSET) Job Search or Work Experience Program.

Providers must be licensed or certified, depending on the circumstances and payments are made directly to the childcare provider.

CHILDREN FIRST: Provides unemployed and underemployed non-custodial parents an opportunity to contribute to the support of their dependent children. It also provides them with the opportunity to access employment and training resources that are designed to increase their employability. A non-custodial parent is ordered by the Iowa County Circuit Court to participate in the Children First Program.

Another target group is the unemployed non-custodial parent. They are immediately assigned job search activities. Assistance is given to that parent to increase their ability to successfully search for and secure a job.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE/HEALTHY START/BADGER CARE: Medical Assistance is available for people with disabilities, people 65 years and older, children and their caretakers, and pregnant women who meet the program's financial requirements.

The program provides payment to health care providers for most medical expenses that are incurred. Recipients of Medical Assistance have a choice of being covered by an HMO or "fee for service" plan. There is a co-payment of 50¢ to $3.00 depending on the service that is received.

Healthy Start and Badger Care are components of Medical Assistance. These programs provide medical coverage to children, pregnant women and uninsured working families.

The Medicaid Purchase Plan (MAPP) is a new sub-program of the Medicaid program that provides medical benefits to persons who are disabled and who are either working or participating in a health and employment counseling program. The Medicaid Purchase Plan encourages people with disabilities to earn more income without risking loss of health and long-term care coverage if they meet the financial eligibility requirements.

FOOD SHARE (FOOD STAMPS): The Food Share Program helps people and families who have little or no money or savings to buy the food they need for good health. Food Shares are only used to pay for food, they cannot be used to buy alcoholic beverages, tobacco or cigarettes, soap and paper products, pet food or any other non-food item. The shares are issued in the form of a plastic Wisconsin Quest electronic benefit card that is issued to each Food Share eligible household. It works like a bank debit card. Each time you buy a food item, the amount you spend is taken out of your Food Share benefit account.

IOWA COUNTY RELIEF: The Iowa County Relief Program is a program of financial assistance to meet the basic needs of Iowa County residents on a temporary basis for those people whose needs cannot be met in any other way. The primary responsibility of the Iowa County Relief Program is to meet the critical and emergency needs of the recipient in a proper and responsible manner consistent with the resources provided by the local taxpayers.

Iowa County Relief applicants must have resided in Iowa County for at least 60 days. Recipients are eligible for this assistance for three months during a calendar year, if they are found eligible.

WISCONSIN HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program provides a money payment to assist eligible persons to maintain heat and electricity in their homes.

Persons found eligible for this program must have an energy burden and be found financially eligible.

Crisis assistance is provided, during the heating season, to households that are experiencing actual or imminent loss of essential home heating. Requests for crisis assistance must be responded to within 48 hours. If the situation is life threatening, the Agency must respond within 18 hours. Furnace replacements and repairs are a component of the crisis program.

Emergency shelter must be available for those instances where restoration or continuation of heat is impossible.

Applications for Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program are taken at the Iowa County Department of Social Services as well as at meal sites and individual residences.