November 21, 2017 (Denison, Iowa) – Momentum for the Home Base Iowa program continues to grow with state officials announcing today that Crawford County received the designation as the 76th Home Base Iowa Community.
The designation was unveiled at the Crawford County Courthouse and was attended by local veterans, business leaders and elected officials from local and state government, including Gov. Kim Reynolds.
“It's been a true honor to be part of this program from the beginning. I'm proud of how much it continues to grow,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Crawford County has put in a lot of effort to achieve this designation. Becoming a Home Base Iowa Community is no easy task.”
Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program that assists veterans and transitioning service members by connecting them with over 1,700 businesses, 21 college and university partners and 75 other Home Base Iowa communities statewide. The collaborative program links veterans and their families to resources and benefits in a state that values and honors their service. These benefits include no state taxes on military pensions, in-state tuition, and down payment and closing cost assistance toward a qualifying home purchase. Iowa also offers a cost of living below the national average and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, currently 3 percent.
A unique feature of the Home Base Iowa website is “Find a Veteran,” which provides Home Base Iowa partners around-the-clock access to resumes veterans have submitted through the website. Users can sort job seeker(s) based upon location and/or primary industry to enable direct contact and marketing to the veterans. The user-friendly platform helps businesses find veterans with the skills they need and allows communities to attract veterans and their families.
Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:
- Within a designated community, 10 percent of the businesses must become Home Base Iowa businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
- Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
- Community prominently displays Home Base Iowa Community designation, and
- Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body
Crawford County has met or exceeded these requirements. To learn more about Home Base Iowa, visit HomeBaseIowa.gov.
For more information contact:
Jason Kemp
515-822-8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov