Day on the Hill 2026

Have you ever wondered how a Day on the Hill or meeting with legislators works? Earlier this week our Community Engagement Manager, Sierra, participated in the Iowa Homeless Coalition's (IHC) Day on the Hill at our state capital in Des Moines. A Day on the Hill is a scheduled day where a group of people gather at their state or federal congressional building to meet with their legislators and discuss introduced bills and policies.  

Ahead of the event, Sierra emailed her legislators and asked if they would have time to meet on the day of the event. Both responded! You can find your legislators and their emails here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find.  

To meet with any Iowa House of Representatives or Senators, send in a slip of paper with your name and brief message on it to the "chamber" with a staff member. They then tell you if the legislator is in or not available. If they are not in or not available, you can choose to leave a message or leave any educational handouts to be placed at their desk.  

After Sierra sent in a slip, her Senator came out to meet with her and her group! Since there are usually many people attempting to meet with their legislators, her Senator brought them into a Senate meeting room where it was quieter to chat about introduced bills in this legislative session. She missed her Representative in the chamber, but they connected afterwards in the rotunda! Other legislators stopped by to meet with their constituents and agency representatives throughout the day in the rotunda by the table set up by IHC. Sierra reflected that even though the day was busy and loud in the rotunda at the capital, she saw just how many legislators made time to connect with Day on the Hill participants. “They truly want to hear from you!”  

When her direct legislator meetings were complete, Sierra joined partner agencies in talking with other legislators about Willis Dady’s work and how we can work together to prevent and end homelessness. In particular, they discussed an introduced bill called Iowa House File 2584 and its potential negative impacts on homeless services if passed.  

House File 2584 is described as, “An Act establishing drug-free homeless service zones, and providing penalties.” You can read the bill here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=HF%202584  

Here are the problems we see with the bill: 

• Shelters like Willis Dady already do not allow illegal substances on property. We believe that people navigating substance use or recovery deserve safe shelter and compassionate support in achieving stable housing. Willis Dady remains steadfast in our commitment to serving all who are experiencing homelessness. 

• This bill penalizes something that is already illegal and includes the activities on the surrounding 300 feet of a property. Willis Dady does not control the surrounding areas and should not be held responsible for activities that occur there. 

  • Service providers, including individual staff members, can be charged if substances are found on property.  

  • If substances are found on property that is NOT ours, we would still be charged. 

  • If service providers are charged, they lose the ability to apply for state funding for 3 years. 

• The bill is also vague about signage requirements that should declare the property as a “Drug-Free Homeless Service Zone”. Signs would need to be posted at all WD properties, including PSH properties and transitional housing units. These units in the community are otherwise “normal” rental properties, and required signage could stigmatize the people living in them. 

While taking a trip to Des Moines to meet with legislators or participating in a Day on a Hill in person may not work for everyone, we encourage you to reach out to your legislators about this bill. You can find your legislators and their contact information here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find.