Staff Spotlight: Robert

Meet Robert! Robert is serving in a new role at New Visions as our Night Desk Manager and also providing security on our Council Bluffs campus. While Robert’s role is new, he is no stranger to New Visions. Robert’s first experience with our campus came 16 years ago, when a bad relationship left him with nothing but a backpack and the clothes on his back. Having nowhere to go, he walked through the doors of the Joshua House. Robert even remembers the namesake of the Joshua House. “Joshua was Harry’s black dog,” says Robert, “and he was our mascot. He roamed freely around the shelter and gave people a lot of comfort back then.” Soon after arriving at the Joshua House, Robert began volunteering at the Mohm’s Place Thrift Store, where he quickly proved himself to be a hard worker and earned many other responsibilities around campus. Robert soon joined the church of our Founder, Harry Wallar. There he met his wife, and together they quickly grew stable and secure as they started a new life together. Robert went on to work in the car business and even served on the New Visions Board of Directors for several years before taking his current position earlier in 2025.  

Before he first walked into our homeless shelter 16 years ago, Robert served in the US Army, and there he learned several valuable skills that he still uses today in his role at New Visions. Robert is an excellent observer and de-escalator, skills that are essential as he leads and secures our campus in the evening hours. Robert’s leadership has already made a difference in our community by providing a sense of safety and accountability during the evening hours, something that has been noticed by the Council Bluffs Police Department and by the neighborhood surrounding our campus.

Faith, family, and finances are 3 things that Robert has always considered to be important in his life. “Everyone knows these are non-negotiables for me,” says Robert. With these things guiding his life, Robert has found peace, comfort, and success that he’s more than willing to share with our guests. “I tell the guys that I’m no better than them,” says Robert, “that I’ve been where they are. But I also tell them how I was able to get out of it, and they respect that.”

When he’s not at work, Robert enjoys all kinds of music, hunting, and eating all kinds of foods. He also continues to serve in his church as an usher and lead security officer. Robert is proud of his wife and 5 children and the stability and success that they’ve achieved together. At New Visions, we’re proud to have Robert on our team, and we’re grateful that he’s using his skills to further our mission of providing help, hope, and opportunity for our neighbors experiencing hunger and homelessness.