HISTORY & MISSION
HISTORY
New Visions Homeless Services, formerly known as “Mohm’s Place” and “Christian Worship Center,” was founded in 1995 in Council Bluffs by Reverend Harry and Ginny Wallar, with a mission of eliminating hunger and homelessness in Council Bluffs and surrounding communities. They provided nightly meals to the hungry from a bus under the Council Bluffs viaduct until 1996, when it moved to its first brick and mortar location.
(Rev. Harry H. Wallar Sr. and
the mobile kitchen, circa 1995.)
In September 2008, the "New Visions Complex" was built in Council Bluffs, the first facility in Southwest Iowa that provided a men's emergency shelter, a permanent supportive housing facility for single men and women, a meal site that would seat 250, and a support services building for the homeless and near-homeless. In 2012, we built New Visions Omaha, a facility dedicated to serving the needs of US Veterans experiencing hunger and homelessness. This facility is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and provides food, housing, and wraparound services."
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In 2016, the organization officially changed its name to New Visions Homeless Services to better reflect the breadth of the agency’s work and the impact it has on the community.
Today, New Visions Homeless Services programs include Emergency Shelter, Permanent Supportive Housing, Street Outreach, Prevention Services, Food Security, Education Services, and services for US Veterans experiencing homelessness.
"Feed the hungry, heal the hurting, and touch the hearts of the people in any way that you can, by any means that you can, as long as you can."
-Rev. Harry H. Wallar Sr.
Founder
OUR MISSION
New Visions exists with the
mission to “provide help, hope, and opportunity for those experiencing hunger and homelessness in the Council Bluffs and Omaha metro.”
OUR VISION
New Visions is a leader in ending homelessness and hunger in our community.