Iowa's government programs offer hope

When I was growing up and working as a cashier on the east side of Des Moines, Iowa, I looked down on some people who used food stamps.

Now I am one.

I struggle through each day because of rising gas and food prices, and medical problems only compound my problems. I consider it a successful day if I have eaten and have electricity by bedtime.

But things recently have taken a positive turn since I've accepted help.

I joined the state-sponsored food stamp program out of sheer hunger. This was the last place I wanted to end up. It took several days of eating pancakes and toast to sign up for this program. I'm glad I did; I now have the energy to work longer and think more clearly.

I've found help for my medical problems through the IowaCare program. It provides free medical services to low-income families at Broadlawns Medical Center and the University of Iowa.

I understand the concern over government debt. But these programs saved my life. Beginning in early 2007, the struggling economy halted business at my small pet shop in Des Moines. That same year, my medical problems increased when I became partially disabled. I closed the shop's doors in October 2007 to avoid home foreclosure. It did not work.

My home remains in my name because it's not worth the paperwork necessary for a foreclosure. However, I am behind in house payments and taxes. My home has holes in the roof and no siding on the front. It's quite an eyesore. I feel for my neighbors, who have improved their homes.

With no money to hire a contractor to repair the damages and a pending foreclosure, I have done what I can to "fix" the most extreme problems. I found some scrap wood to patch the holes in the roof from the inside. It's unsightly, but it keeps out critters and weather. I still can't afford any siding, so I went to the Habitat for Humanity shop and found some housewrap for winter insulation. If it helps to keep the power bill down, that's all I ask.

I managed to keep the power on all winter, though it has been a very cool spring. I signed up for the emergency energy assistance program, preventing the power company from disconnecting me. Unfortunately, this only protected me through April 1. With the cold spring, I had to apply for a one-time energy-assistance payment from the state. It's another thing I thought I would never do.

There are hoops to jump through -- a lot of them. But the care I have received has been good for the most part.