HOMELESS SERVICES
EMERGENCY SHELTER
Our 24-hour emergency shelter meets the needs of men experiencing homelessness in and around the Council Bluffs and Omaha area. Each year, the program shelters 800+ men who are experiencing homelessness. New Visions provides the only men’s shelter in southwest Iowa, offering the following services:
-
Safe environment with access to shower and meal services
-
Case management
-
Counseling/Therapy referrals
-
Housing resources and referrals
-
Income/Employment resources
-
Workforce development and training opportunities
-
Transportation
-
On-site health services provided by All Care Health Center
​
​
STREET OUTREACH
The Covid-19 pandemic and the recent affordable housing crisis has caused an uptick in street-level homelessness in our community. “Street-level” simply means that individuals are unhoused and not staying in a shelter, so they may be living in their vehicle, under bridges, in campsites, etc. We estimate there are nearly 300 individuals experiencing street-level homelessness in Council Bluffs alone.
Our heart for these individuals is to meet them where they are, assess their needs, connect them with housing and resources, and provide for their basic needs until they can become housed or get into a shelter. Our team regularly visits street outreach sites around Council Bluffs, and we provide Street Outreach casework services for many nonprofit partners in our community. Through our outreach efforts and consistent presence in the community, we provide case management, housing assessments, mainstream benefits, outdoor supplies, and basic needs support.
​
​
"If you cannot help one hundred people,
help just one..."
-Mother Theresa
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
At New Visions, we recognize that we must first meet basic needs in order to help individuals take the next steps in life, but once a guest is stable, we work to provide resources to help them get to that next step. These wrap-around services empower and provide avenues to lift our guests out of their current situation and put them on the road to better and more sustainable long term outcomes.
One of our strong community partners in this endeavor is Iowa Western Community College, who partners with us to provide education services so that our guests can quickly attain the necessary certifications to get out into the workforce.
