Central Iowa Shelter & Services has announced a partnership with Iowa Total Care, a Medicaid health care coverage provider in the state and a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corp., to create an on-the-ground housing command center and a mobile app designed to address certain challenges that people and communities face as a result of social determinants of health. Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corp., and Iowa Total Care are funding the initiatives with a $2.55 million investment over a two-year period. The housing command center is expected to launch in spring 2025 and will house and support unsheltered individuals in downtown Des Moines with two additional locations in Grinnell and Ottumwa. The app, expected to launch in spring 2024, will offer real-time information such as directions to housing, food, medical care and other resources.