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Polk County launches reentry resource kiosk at county jail
Summary
Polk County, the sheriff’s office and Saint Vincent de Paul opened a reentry resource kiosk at the Polk County Jail to connect people leaving custody with services; the kiosk will be open weekdays and was funded in part with opioid settlement dollars.
Polk County on Thursday celebrated a ribbon-cutting for a new reentry resource kiosk at the Polk County Jail, a partnership among the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County Board of Supervisors, Saint Vincent de Paul and Polk County Mental Health designed to connect people leaving custody with community services.
Sheriff Kevin J. Schneider said the kiosk will serve as "a virtual and a vital hub for the reentry services" and told attendees, "Kiosk will be open from, Monday through Friday from 10AM to 6PM." He said the program is intended to give people a second chance by linking them to housing, food and treatment resources.
Steve Havman, CEO of Saint Vincent de Paul, said the project has taken two years to develop and that county officials used opioid settlement funds to support the kiosk’s launch. "In order to get folks back on track, incarcerating someone for a year costs roughly $65,000," Havman said, adding that keeping people in the community and employed creates what he described as "over a $73,000 a year swing to the taxpayers." Havman said Saint Vincent de Paul has provided reentry services in Central Iowa for about 101 years.
Officials described the kiosk as a hybrid model: virtual access for continuous coverage, with nearby private offices so people can conduct business without exposing sensitive information. Sheriff Schneider credited Saint Vincent de Paul’s existing programs—food pantry access, financial assistance, clothing and hygiene products, and harm-reduction resources—as services that will now be more readily available to people exiting the jail.
The event included acknowledgements of the Polk County Board of Supervisors and Supervisor McCoy, whom officials credited with championing the effort. Sheriff Schneider invited McCoy to the stage to participate in the ceremonial scissors-cutting. No formal votes or policy changes were recorded at the event; county and nonprofit representatives said they will continue to run and evaluate the kiosk in coordination with existing reentry services.
The partners said the kiosk aims to reduce recidivism by improving access to community services; officials emphasized the operational hours and private offices as immediate next steps for how people leaving custody can access help.
