The Family Investment Program (FIP) is Iowa's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. FIP provides cash assistance to needy families as they become self-supporting so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives. More information is available in the following brochures:
- 60-Month Limit on FIP (Comm 137)
- Requirements of Child Support Enforcement (470-0169 & 470-0169(S))
- FIP Electronic Access Card (Comm 377 & 377(S))
- One-Time Payments (Comm 24 & 24(S))
- FIP for Minor Parents (Comm 133 & 133(S))
- How Earnings May Change Your FIP (470-2471 & 470-2471(S))
Family Self Sufficiency Grants (FSSG)
The purpose of FSSG is to provide immediate and short-term assistance to PROMISE JOBS participant families which will remove specific barriers related to obtaining or retaining employment. Removing these barriers to self-sufficiency might reduce the length of time a family is dependent on the Family Investment Program (FIP).
Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA)
Refugee Cash Assistance provides cash assistance for up to eight months to needy families, including single adults, who enter the United States as refugees who are not eligible for the Family Investment Program. Unless determined exempt, refugees must cooperate with work and training requirements of the RCA programs.
What if I Have Questions?
Any local DHS office can answer questions about the programs and services described here. Contact the local DHS office serving the county where you live (County DHS Office Locations).
The local DHS office serving your county is also listed in the State or County Government section of your local phone book, under "Department of Human Services" or just "Human Services".
You may also contact the DHS Division of Field Operations by calling 1-800- 972-2017.
Related Links
A brief summary of a report by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. that describes how Iowa families who left FIP in the spring of 1999 were doing two years later, with a link to the full report on Mathematica's website.