Central Iowa Shelter & Services

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

Note: The organization did not respond to this question.

The CISS leadership team recently attended an executive retreat. The time allowed leaders to focus on the CISS mission statement, strategic planning, and focused time to discuss future opportunities for the organization. During the retreat, leaders attended The Element of Choice, with insight that has been brought back to support the CISS team and guests.

As the largest homeless shelter in the state of Iowa, CISS leaders focus heavily on the mission statement and how we can identify proactive ways to support the Des Moines Metro as well as rural communities. To do so, we engage in strategic partnership with other organizations, work collaboratively to raise awareness and educate our communities, and participate in committees with shared goals.

During 2020, CISS found that homelessness was on the rise in rural Iowa. With the intent to be proactive in supporting rural Iowan's CISS developed the Rolling Hills Coalition. Over the last four years, Rolling Hills has been a support to rural communities, partnered with local non-profits and served Iowan's who are experiencing housing and food insecurity. In the last 12-18 months, after extensive research and discussions with the communities, CISS has committed to expanding physical locations to Grinnell and Ottumwa Iowa to provide Housing Command Centers, affordable housing options and support services. The Housing Command Center is an approach to quickly house individuals experiencing homelessness, and provide tailored support based on each individual.