New Visions site director urges community support for Dec. 13 Christmas event and highlights homelessness services

Brandy Waller, Council Bluffs site director for New Visions Homeless Services, told the board about the nonprofit’s range of services and encouraged community involvement in its December 13 Christmas prevention event at the Iowa Sportsplex. Waller said New Visions serves roughly 15,000 people annually across programs, with about 800 people contacted by street outreach in Council Bluffs last year and 26 individuals living in permanent supportive housing on the organization’s campus.

Waller described the Christmas event as part of a prevention program that helps families with utilities, eviction notices and first-month rent assistance; she said New Visions spends about $300,000 a year to pay first-month rent and deposit costs for households moving out of homelessness and that ‘‘91¢ of every dollar goes straight to impact’’ for the nonprofit. The in-person Sportsplex event is capped at 800 families for logistical reasons, though New Visions supports about 1,000 families regionally; the organization screens signups with partner agencies and coordinates volunteers and nonprofit partners, including Toys for Tots and the Lincoln Foundation.

Waller recounted a moment during the event when staff used petty cash to buy $200 for a woman to repair a flat tire so she could safely return home — an example Waller used to demonstrate how the program preserves dignity and prevents worse outcomes for families in crisis. "Here's $200 to fix your tire," Waller said during the anecdote.

Supervisors thanked Waller for the presentation. No formal county action followed the item, but the board used the presentation to hear from a local service provider about community needs during the holidays.