JCLC January 2023 Newsletter
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MLK Jr. Day
Every year, organizations throughout the Iowa City area organize a series of events that celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. These events help remember his legacy while also working toward expanding human rights today. Check the website for updates.
Below are a few events in celebration of MLK Jr. Day for a full list of community events, visit mlk.uiowa.edu.
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'Martin's Big Words' Storytime with the African American Museum of Iowa
10:30-11 a.m., Thursday, January 12, 2023, at Iowa City Public Library's Storytime Room
Who was Dr. King? Why do people today still think his words are so important? Join us for a special Storytime with the book "Martin's Big Words," about Martin Luther King, and then work together to create a project to keep Dr. King’s dream alive while learning cooperation and service with Jenny from the African American Museum of Iowa.
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Day of Service
Various times Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, at Mercer Park and Aquatic Center
Iowa City's Day of Service will start with a Unity Rally and March at 9:45 a.m. (starting from UAY at Eastdale Plaza and walking to Mercer Park Gym). After the Unity Rally and March there will be a celebratory program at the Mercer Park Gym, including entertainment performances, a keynote speaker, and free lunch.
Several service-based activities for participants along with some other activities for children and families will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 pm. Parking is available on-site. Individuals of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend! Activities include:
- Creation of 150 care kits for unhoused in our community; will be received by Shelter House.
- Seeds of Diversity: kids and families can decorate a pot and plant seeds!
- Creation of a community art project that will be hung at Mercer through February.
- Team building activities, creation of encouraging notes for 150 care kits, and a lot more.
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Senior Volunteer Fair
2-4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, Iowa City Senior Center's Assembly Room
The start of a new year is a great time to get acquainted with some of the many outstanding organizations that serve our community, learn about volunteer opportunities, and get involved in something new! The Senior Center is hosting a senior-focused volunteer fair. It will highlight both organizations that directly serve older adults and those that specifically recruit seniors to fulfill their volunteer needs. Join us for an afternoon of lively conversation, enlightening exploration, and community engagement. All are welcome to attend; no registration is needed!
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Iowa Rent Reimbursement
Administration of the Program
Beginning January 1, 2023, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will manage the Rent Reimbursement program.
Changes to How You Will Apply
We are excited to announce that applicants will now apply for Rent Reimbursement online! We worked hard to make this new process easier for you and anticipate you will receive your payment faster.
You can apply for reimbursement for 2022 and 2021 claims starting Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 8 a.m. using any device that connects to the internet.
Income Limits
- To be eligible for Rent Reimbursement for claim year 2021, your total annual household income must be less than $24,354.
- To be eligible for Rent Reimbursement for claim year 2022, your total annual household income must be less than $25,328
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Cultivating Digital Safety Event
Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel will present on protecting the community with Cyber Awareness: Perspectives from Law Enforcement on Saturday, January 14th from 1:30-3:30PM. This free event is presented by Iowa Matrix.
All are welcome to attend and sign in at the door. If you prefer to attend virtually please email stacia@iowamatrix.com
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Unlocking Brain Fitness: Keys to Dementia Prevention | | | |
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Medicaid 101 for Caregivers
Heritage is hosting a Medicaid 101 Caregiver Event on January 23rd from 9:30-11:00. For details please see the flyer below. We ask that you register in advance. This will help ensure that we have the right number of materials for each site and mailed to those attending via zoom. It will also help us keep track of those that are attending those attending satellite locations since space is limited.
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League of Women Voters 2023 Legislative Forum
The LWVJC is hosting three legislative forums this winter. We are inviting partner organizations to spread the word to their membership in order to get as many people to attend as possible.
All legislators have been invited. We have not heard back from all of them yet. We hope that you feel that the legislative forums are an important place to ask questions and to hear directly from our legislators about what is happening in Des Moines.
The forum will open with legislators sharing important information about what they are working on in Des Moines. The LWVJC will then ask a question to get things started. The floor will then be opened up to anyone in attendance to ask a question. Questions are limited to one minute in length.
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The Alzheimers Association is hosting a Winter Education Series in partnership with LeadingAge Iowa, AARP, Dementia Friends and the Unlocking Brain Fitness: Keys to Dementia Prevention program
ALL PROGRAMS ARE VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM AT 12 PM CST
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Jan. 18 – Understanding Alzheimer’s & Dementia (30 min) and Dementia Friends with Megan Zimmerman (30 min)
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Jan. 25 – 10 Warning Signs (30 min) and Unlocking Brain Fitness: Keys to Dementia Prevention Program (30 min)
- Feb. 1 – Advancing the Science at Any Given Moment: The Latest in Dementia Research (Lisa Groon)
- Feb. 6 – Managing Money - A Caregivers Guide to Finances
- Feb. 15 – Effective Communication Strategies
- Feb. 22 – Dementia Conversations
- Mar. 1 – Understanding & Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors
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Accessory Dwelling Unit
An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is defined as a separate habitable living unit with full kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities that’s associated with a primary single-family dwelling. The main house and the ADU together make up a single piece of real estate. ADUs must be permanently affixed to the land, function as wholly self-sustaining units, and have an entrance that doesn’t require the resident to go through the main house.
ADUs can be attached or detached. It can be on top of a garage. It can be repurposed space, so you can take a 2,000 square-foot house and cut out 400 square feet. An ADU can be a basement or attic apartment, an addition to the main house that can either change the exterior envelope or use only existing space, a living space over a garage, or a detached unit in a backyard.
Since an ADU is “accessory”, it usually is smaller than the primary house. Otherwise, it would probably be considered a duplex. Whereas ADUs are often studios or one-bedrooms, duplexes can have two or more bedrooms.
- ADUs can be configured in multiple ways depending on state, county, and municipal land use and zoning laws.
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The ABCs of ADUs
The Housing Action Team of the Johnson County Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board, in collaboration with the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors and the Greater Iowa City Area Home Builders Association, held a training on November 2nd regarding the benefits of Accessory Dwelling Units. The training was underwritten by Hills Bank. The featured speaker was Brad Anderson, Executive Director of AARP Iowa. Mr. Anderson provided a historical perspective for the need for ADUs as one strategy to support aging in place as well as to provide affordable housing in our communities. He also shared the various forms of ADUs. Andy Martin with Martin Construction shared his experience with building an ADU within the area. The Housing Action Team also shared examples of code requirements for ADUs from several cities within Johnson County and across the state. Thirty-three realtors, homebuilders and representatives/staff of city and county governments attended the training. Of the eleven jurisdictions within Johnson County, five cities have code allowing ADUs, three cities currently do not allow ADUs and three cities have no code addressing ADUs. As a result of the training, there was an interest expressed to do the following: 1. increase the number of cities that allow ADUs;
2. develop ADU code that is more supportive of home owners and homebuilders to encourage ADU development; and,
3. work to encourage greater consistency of ADU code across jurisdictions.
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Medicaid’s Continuous Coverage Requirement is Ending this Spring
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 was signed and ends the Medicaid program’s continuous coverage requirement as of April 1, 2023. This means that beginning April 1, Iowa Medicaid will no longer be required to maintain member’s health coverage if they are found to be ineligible after an evaluation of their eligibility status.
From March of 2020 until April 1, 2023, Iowa Medicaid was required to maintain continuous health care coverage for members. This means if a member’s situation changed, such as an income change, that would normally disqualify them from the program, Iowa Medicaid was required to maintain coverage for the person during the public health emergency (PHE).
In addition to the continuous coverage unwind, Iowa Medicaid is actively onboarding a new Managed Care Organization and scheduling mailings for members who may want to choose a different MCO. It is critical that Iowa Medicaid members have up to date contact information, watch for mail from Iowa Medicaid, and respond to requests for information. If members do not respond to renewal letters or requests for information, they could lose their Medicaid coverage.
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Free At-Home COVID Tests
Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests.
The tests available for order:
- Are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR
- Can be taken anywhere
- Give results within 30 minutes (no lab drop-off required)
- Work whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms
- Work whether or not you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines
- Are also referred to as self-tests or over-the-counter (OTC) tests
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