May 25, 2018 (Columbus Junction, Iowa) – State officials announced today that Louisa County has received the designation as a Home Base Iowa Community, demonstrating its commitment to connecting veterans and transitioning service members to businesses and cities in the county.
Momentum for the program continues to gain support from more and more communities according to Home Base Iowa program manager Jason Kemp, who participated in the Louisa County celebration.
“This program continues to grow and gain support because of wonderful communities that embrace veterans and their families,” Kemp said. “Thankfully we live in a state where people help people, and that’s what this program is all about. With our state’s low unemployment rate and tight labor market, businesses are finding value in hiring veterans.”
Home Base Iowa is a non-profit, public-private partnership that aims to connect veterans along with transitioning and retiring service members to opportunities in Iowa. As veterans seek civilian careers, Home Base Iowa connects them to actively recruiting GI Bill apprenticeship programs and employers statewide. In addition to welcoming communities and excellent jobs, the program also includes veteran-focused educational institutions and opportunities for continued service along with countless resources for veterans and their families.
The one-of-a-kind program is a collaborative effort by the entire state of Iowa to connect veterans and their families to a state that values, honors and repays their service. State and local leaders remain active champions for the program. Home Base Iowa includes almost 2,000 HBI businesses which have pledged more than 10,000 jobs over the next three to five years.
The Find a Veteran website feature is one of the unique features of Home Base Iowa. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities to log-in anytime and search veteran profiles. They are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and outreach to veterans by providing a user-friendly platform to find and attract veterans with the skills they need.
Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.
Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:
- Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
- Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
- Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
- Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body
The Louisa County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.
For more information contact:
Jason Kemp
515.822.8951
Home Base Iowa Program Manager
jason.kemp@iwd.iowa.gov