“I Just Held Their Hands”: The Heart Behind Victim Support with Jen

When you ask Jen what she does, she’ll give you a straightforward answer: she’s a victim support specialist. But spend even a few minutes hearing about her work, and it becomes clear that her role is anything but simple. Jen has been with Friends of the Family for nearly four years, walking alongside people in some of the most uncertain moments of their lives. She meets guests as they arrive in shelteroften after fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or other

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Across Waterloo, several outdoor encampments exist at any given time. These sites reflect a deeper need for stable housing and coordinated support. The Encampment to Housed project is a new approach designed to meet that need, bringing together multiple agencies and partners to help people transition from encampments into permanent housing. We are proud to announce that we’ve recently kicked off the program by housing 3 individuals formerly living outside in encampments. This work is

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I am excited to officially introduce myself as the new Director of Development at Friends of the Family.   I’ve spent much of my career building relationships, leading teams, and creating meaningful connections within our community through both small business and nonprofit leadership. What drew me to Friends of the Family was the organization’s belief that everyone deserves safety, dignity, and a place to call home.   As

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Housing Help & Coordinated Entry: What to Expect We know trying to figure out housing support can feel overwhelming - especially when you’re dealing with a lot already. Below are answers to some of the most common questions we get about Coordinated Entry, housing assessments, and how our partnership with Waypoint helps make this process more accessible. We hope this helps you feel more informed and a little less stressed about what comes next. Frequently Asked Questions What

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Hi, my name is Rich, and I’m the new Communications and Events Manager. I’m also a past program participant. My path here was a long and winding one. Just three years ago, a cycle of addiction had stripped away everything good in my life: a loving family, a promising career, and a sense of purpose. A moment of desperation and a forgiving family member led me to substance abuse treatment in Iowa, where I learned about Friends of the Family’s housing services. After completing

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Meet Brandy! She joined us in Mason City to help with the PIT Census. We sat down with her to learn more about her and her experience volunteering with Friends of the Family. Why did you choose to volunteer for FOF, and what makes you to continue to volunteer? I first learned about FOF when someone reached out to ask if I would be interested in volunteering for the PIT Census. Although I had always wanted to become more involved in volunteer work, I hadn’t yet made the time to do so—this

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At Friends of the Family, we provide a low barrier emergency shelter service. A Low barrier shelter service eliminates many of the obstacles that shelters often impose. By doing this we are able to help more people, despite possible obstacles they are currently facing.    We believe in the housing first approach. This means that we want to make sure survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault have a safe space to escape to without worrying about passing

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Friends of the Family has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by Iowa Top Workplaces. This list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage,LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures the employee experience and its component themes, including employees feeling Respected & Supported, Enabled to Grow, and Empowered to Execute, to name a few. At the recent awards ceremony for Top Workplaces, Friends

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Monique, office manager, shares a bit about her role. Describe your role.  My role is a complicated one, I wear a lot of hats. I am here to ensure everything is going how it's supposed to be going. I am here to support our full-time and part-time staff in their day-to-day work. It can be making sure they have the folders they need to make client files; it can be making sure shelter vehicles are running properly to get staff and clients from point A to point B safely, it can be fixing

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Athena, housing navigator, talks about her role. Describe your role.  As the Housing Navigator My main role is to Connect with landlords and work on our relationships with them to continue to grow our relationships and help house our clients. With this I also work with Case managers to help get their clients into available rentals within the relationships we have built with landlords in the counties we serve.   What led you to become a Housing Navigator?  I was in

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