Building Hope: Lisa's story

Executive Director, Ben Brustkern, joins Habitat for Humanity's Ali and J'Kalein on their podcast, Bringing Down the House.    

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In episode 32, Genie Berst, Outreach and Diversion Specialist with Friends of the Family, visits with Becky to talk about the Friends of the Family community table at the Waterloo Public Library.      

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FOR RELEASE ON 3.1.2021 Contact: Friends of the Family, Ben Brustkern   Phone: 319-352-1108, Ext. 207 Email: [email protected] Safely Home & Home Free New program options available for families experiencing housing instability in Northeast/Northcentral Iowa counties.   Effective January 1, 2021 – Safely Home – This Continuum of Care funded program is for survivors of domestic violence,

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FOR RELEASE ON 9.1.2020 Contact: Friends of the Family, Ben Brustkern   Phone: 319-352-1108 Email: [email protected] Service Expansion Additional funding increases service area   Effective September 1, 2020 – Additional funding has allowed for the expansion of services in our existing counties and the additional coverage of several new counties. The Federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief,

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Written by one of Friends of the Family's Housing Support Specialists Growing up, I didn’t know what it was like to go hungry. I always had enough to eat and had options. We had supper every night at six o’clock on the dot, and that was when we sat down as a family and shared about our day. My mom usually made casseroles or meat, potatoes, a vegetable and bread. She also made sure we had fruit or cottage cheese to go along with it, as well as a dessert and ALWAYS a full glass of

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Written by a one of Friends of the Family's Housing Support Specialists   Every day. Every single day.  We drive to and from work, we go to the park with our kids, and we watch television. Throughout those seemingly normal tasks, we drive by fast food restaurants, walk past grocery stores, and see commercials about mouthwatering food. Food seems to be so available to us everywhere that we go, that it is almost impossible to think that hunger might be impacting those around

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At a young age, it was clear that Keys was gifted. When starting piano lessons at the age of seven, she floored  her mother and piano instructor with her talent. She was later accepted into the highly selective Professional Performance Arts School of Manhattan. She graduated as valedictorian at the age of 16. She started her career in music in 1998, and it quickly blossomed from there.       It wasn’t until a friend of hers, after hearing the news of the

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In celebration of Black History Month, Friends of the Family is highlighting one African American individual per week that has contributed to our mission of serving people who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and/or homelessness. This week's spotlight is on Vanessa McNeal. Vanessa grew up in a very abusive household. She was neglected, sexually abused, and exposed to other trauma, such as domestic violence. She was placed in her grandmother’s care

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