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The Polk County Health Department partnered with Hawthorn Hill to offer a free flu shot clinic at Libertad Apartments yesterday! Thank you to the Polk County Public Health nurses that provide such a vital service for our community!
Today we had Iowa National Guard Warrior & Family Services Branch from Camp Dodge drop off donations of bedding at the shelter. Thank you so much to these ladies for this much needed donation!
We are running very low on bleach at New Directions Shelter - if you are doing some weekend shopping, we would be very thankful if you could pick some up for us!
Who is eligible for services at The Home Connection?
The Home Connection pioneered supportive housing in the Des Moines area, and has been providing supportive housing for Iowa families transitioning from homelessness since 1986. The Home Connection’s goal is to move families with children from homelessness to permanent housing with an emphasis on financial independence. We strive to provide as much normalcy as possible for the families we serve. Families stay in The Home Connection program for approximately 2-4 years. All families moving into The Home Connection come from emergency shelter and are referred by Primary Healthcare’s Centralized Intake. Families pay $500 per month in rent or 30% of their income, whichever is greater. It is the only supportive housing program in the Des Moines area to own the 30 properties that are rented to the families we serve. The Home Connection currently serves single mother and single father families, two parent households, blended families, multi-generational families as well as LGBTQ+ households. We do not discriminate or deny services to families based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, or previous place of residence (i.e. recently relocated to Des Moines, just left a homeless shelter, ect.). The Home Connection program served 45 families in 2019, which included 132 children (under 18 years old) and 64 adults. Of those families, 55% are single mothers, 7% are single fathers and 38% are two-parent households. The families served in 2019 saw an almost 40% increase in their annual income during this time.
Kelsie Pinegar is celebrating her 6th year at Hawthorn Hill this week!
Her favorite thing about the job is building relationships and feeling a sense of community. "Whether it’s the families we’re serving, other Polk County homeless service providers, or our numerous volunteers and donors. Our space allows us to see the most traumatic and vulnerable parts of our society, but we also get to see the best parts too."
Over the past 6 years, Kelsie says she's learned that things are always changing. "The way we do our work now is not the same way we did our work 6 years ago, but it’s better. I look forward to continuing to learn and make improvements to the way we provide services to our families."
Thank you Kelsie for everything you do for Hawthorn Hill and the families we serve!
She does an AMAZING job for our clients!!!
The city of Des Moines is a better place because of you and the work you do!
Kelsie is amazing!!
Kelsie Pinegar is awesome
She is one of the people that helped my life most!! 💖
Happy work anniversary!!! Thank you for all you do!!
Happy work-iversary! You are amazing! 💞
This woman right here! AMAZING!
Congrats Kelsie!
Happy Anniversary Kelsie!
Kelsie you are incredible!!!! Happy 6 years!!! What a blessing you are ❤🧡💛💚
You are amazing, congrats on the 6 years...I'll bring you some candy 😉
Happy Anniversary Kelsie! We are so grateful for all of the help you have given us. We love you❤️
Happy work anniversary Kelsey I miss you can't wait till I can come back for some time
Kelsie has always done a great job
Thank you Kelsie for all you do!
Rent assistance is available for tenants facing eviction due to hardship from COVID-19. This video outlines the programs available for those who may be facing eviction and the steps that should be taken to keep renters in their homes.
If COVID-19 affected your ability to pay your electric, natural gas, and water bills, you may be eligible for Iowa Finance Authority's Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program. The provides eligible households with up to $2,000 to go towards utility bills. Applications are due November 20th.
You can review eligibility and frequently asked questions here: www.iowafinance.com/iowa-residential-utility-disruption-prevention-program/Just Announced: New Residential Utility Disruption Prevention Program to provide eligible households up to $2,000 for utility debt relief. Learn more here: www.iowafinance.com/iowa-residential-utility-disruption-prevention-program/
Happy #AmazonPrimeDay! Please consider adding a couple items from our Amazon Lists to your cart to help out the families and children staying at New Directions Shelter.
Shopping List (These items are specific to the current needs of the families): www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2V15NADS0TAL4?ref_=wl_share
Reorder List (These items are things we will always need at the shelter, and can never have enough of!): www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QV95I7Z6T43Y?ref_=wl_share
Order placed for some boys and girls underwear. Expect delivery around oct 20-22. ❤️
Today’s topic of the United Way of Central Iowa’s Equity Challenge addresses housing and redlining. The system of redlining embodied a process that turned explicit racism into structural racism, and we can still see its effects today. In 2019, 49% of individuals served at New Directions Shelter identified as African American. In comparison, African Americans make up only 7.2% of Polk County’s population, according to the United States Census. In order to solve homelessness, we must also address systemic racism in the housing industry and beyond.
How do families qualify, request, or enter services at New Directions Shelter?
New Directions Shelter serves any family with at least one child who is under the age of 18 years old that is facing immediate or imminent homelessness. To stay at the shelter a family must contact Primary Healthcare Centralized Intake (PHCI) as a first step. PHCI is staffed with Case Managers that will meet with the family to identify and address barriers. Once an intake is complete, PHCI determines if the family is eligible for shelter services. The family will schedule a time to come to NDS, meet with one of our staff and move their personal belongings in to the shelter. Once a family has entered NDS they are offered Case Management services to identify and address barriers through our community supports and partners. Our key focus remains securing affordable housing by establishing financial stability and supports. We also recognize that homelessness is the result of many personal and systemic barriers to the families in our communities.
All guests at NDS must complete their intake through PHCI prior to moving in. We do not accept walk-ins.
Primary Healthcare Centralized Intake is located at 1200 University Ave #110A, Des Moines, IA and their phone number is (515) 248-1850. PHCI Homeless Support Services is open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. For more information on Primary Healthcare Homeless Support Services, please click the link below:
phciowa.org/homeless-support-services/
If you know a family in need of emergency housing assistance, and PHCI is closed for the night/weekend, please call 2-1-1 or check out their website for possible assistance: www.211iowa.org/
