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This summer, we had the opportunity to meet Jolee*. Because of circumstances beyond her control, Jolee found herself abandoned and alone in Council Bluffs. After being alone with nowhere to go for 2 nights, Jolee met someone who was staying at New Visions, who brought her to our campus to get some help. Within one hour of arriving on our campus, our Shelter Advocate, Rachel, helped Jolee get some food and a bus ticket to get her back home. Even more importantly, Rachel helped to calm and stabilize Jolee so that she felt equipped, encouraged, and safe. After making it home, Jolee reached out to us through our website and said: "I just wanted to say thank you so much for buying me a bus ticket to get back home and feeding me while I was hungry, lost, and with no where else to go in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I made it home safe and sound thank you again." Rachel and our entire staff team work tirelessly every day to fulfill our mission of providing help, hope, and opportunity to those experiencing hunger and homelessness. Their work is a true example of living out this quote from Edward Everett: "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something." *Jolee's name was changed to protect her privacy.

Have you ever wondered what it looks like in real life to provide help, hope, and opportunity to those experiencing homelessness and hunger? This is our mission, and we try to live this out each day in the way we engage with our guests at New Visions. Last week, our CEO, Brandy Wallar, had the chance to visit with a woman who found herself homeless and in the midst of an abusive relationship with nowhere to turn. Because of resources provided by our generous community, our team was able to quickly get food and a bus ticket to help get our friend on a path towards a new beginning. We’re honored to be a part of stories like these as we continue to provide help, hope, and opportunity to those experiencing hunger and homelessness in Council Bluffs and Omaha.

You may have noticed that in our mission statement and other information that we share, we’re always sure to state that someone is “experiencing homelessness” rather than stating that they are homeless. Why do we do this? In part, it’s because of our commitment to trauma-informed care and services. Being “trauma-informed” means that we try to see people through the lens of trauma they may have experienced in their lives, and that we understand many people’s situations in life are not because of things they’ve done, but because of things that have happened to them. We also believe that homelessness is not an identity, but rather a situation that people find themselves in during a time of their life. It’s always our hope that we can help prevent people from experiencing homelessness through prevention and diversion, but we are committed to meeting basic human needs for those who do experience homelessness. So now you know! One of the best ways you can support New Visions during Homelessness Awareness Month (November) and all year long is to advocate for your neighbors experiencing homelessness right here in our community. To thank you for your ongoing advocacy and support, we are giving away a few copies of the book “Evicted.” This book has helped frame our outlook as we care for those experiencing homelessness every day. If you’d like to receive a copy of this book, simply share this or ANY of our posts during the month of November, and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to receive one. Thank you for being a friend of New Visions, and for all that you do to provide help, hope, and opportunity for those experiencing hunger and homelessness!