T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY -- Mid-Iowa Community Action, known by its acronym MICA, is moving all of its Marshall County operations under one roof at 1001 S. 18th Ave. in Marshalltown (pictured) effective Monday.
MICA (Mid-Iowa Community Action) is a private non-profit that serves children and families in Marshall, Hardin, Poweshiek, Story and Tama counties. It has operated two offices in Marshalltown for several years, but effective Monday, all services will move to its central office at 1001 S. 18th Avenue.
"We closed down our 6 S. 2nd St. office to the public on Thursday and it was never open on Fridays anyway -- but we are still answering the phone during the transition," said Abra Dougherty, resource development and communications coordinator.
The 2nd Street locale will be utilized as office space for its home visit staff.
"Marshall is our last county to be co-located -- all of our other offices have all the services together -- and we have offices in every county we serve, so we're really excited to get this last one all at the 18th Avenue office," Dougherty said.
She said MICA is committed to the "whole family approach."
"Part of that is making things easier, more efficient for families, and kind of eliminating some of the barriers to receiving services with us," she added. "So one of those ways is to not have two locations -- have all of our services housed here at our main office, so that a family is able to access every service that they are eligible for in one place, like a one stop shop."
The 18th Avenue location is considerably larger than the other office.
"We were already seeing families out here for WIC appointments and other health services that we have, and so we just think it will really streamline things for families and hopefully make it easier for them to access all of our services in one location," Dougherty said. "We know it's a big change, but I think it will really help families out and just be all around easier."
She said clients would often go to the wrong office, not knowing which offered what services.
"Staff at each office did very different things, and so if they're unable to help the family they have to be sent to the other office, so it's going to be nice to have it all here together," she noted.
Previously, WIC and maternal health and child health had been at the second street office, but were relocated to the main office after the July 2018 tornado.
"Energy assistance, Head Start, Legal Aid (Third Thursday of every month) -- all of that will be new to this office," Dougherty said.
LIHEAP (Energy Assistance) allows people access to heat and energy, even if you're behind on your bill. This can look like assistance with paying bills and/or ensuring your heat isn't shut off in the winter. Its Head Start program and extended childcare, located at 206 W. High St., will stay the same. It houses preschoolers, infants and toddlers.
"Our sole focus as a network is to really help families who are experiencing poverty and then alleviate poverty," she said.
Maternal health services supplement doctors visits and can include dental screenings, birth planning, and more, while children get screened for lead, developmental delays, nutrition and more. All programs are free to the public and have some income requirements to qualify.
"Each program has different eligibility requirements, but we don't want to discourage anybody from reaching out because there could be a way to help them," Dougherty said.
English and Spanish speaking staff is available in every program, with access to a translation line for other languages.
"We want to make sure families are getting information in their home language," Dougherty said.
She said the need for MICA's services keeps increasing. For instance, record-breaking numbers are showing up at its food pantries -- many folks who haven't received services before.
"We saw 100 more pregnant people and kids in WIC this August versus last August," she said. "We have also provided more food assistance in the form of grocery cards and formula thanks to support from Marshall County Community Foundation and the high school philanthropy groups...We have given out 130 $100 gift cards to families, and those went quickly. We also have been giving out more diapers, formula and wipes to help ease the need."
MICA is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, Dougherty may be reached at: 641-752-7162, ext 305. People can also send a message via Facebook or at [email protected].