ALLEN COLLEGE

ACE-SAP Free Clinic

Since 2008, the ACE-SAP Free Clinic has provided no-cost convenient health care to over 4,600 low-income, uninsured, and under-insured individuals throughout Waterloo and the Cedar Valley. The clinic operates out of space in the Waterloo Salvation Army and is primarily staffed by Allen College Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) students, supervised by licensed faculty. Routine services include physicals, screenings, immunizations, prescriptions, health education, and community referrals.

Summer Nurse Camp

Summer Nurse & Health Careers Camp (SNHCC) is a free six-week career exploration and college preparation program that supports up to 30 area high school students interested in nursing and health sciences. Programming features classroom and immersion activities (math, science, study skills, admissions, financial aid, healthcare, interactive tours of local healthcare facilities, and career sessions with health professionals) designed to increase access to educational and employment opportunities.

ALLEN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Allen Child Protection Center

The Allen Child Protection Center (ACPC) assists children and dependent adults who are suspected victims of sexual or physical abuse, or who have witnessed violence. The ACPC offers a safe, neutral place to talk to a forensic interviewer, undergo a medical exam, and receive family advocacy services. Clients can also access Mental Health Therapists that follow evidence-based treatment protocols including Adlerian Play Therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

Enhanced Maternal Health

Allen Women’s Health promotes health equity by providing Enhanced Maternal Health Services for pregnant women in its service area. Services include assistance in completing Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility forms, prenatal education, psychosocial/depression screening, oral health education, and community referrals for improved birth outcomes and preparation for the role of parenting.

AMERICAN RED CROSS

Disaster Services - Preparedness, Response and Recovery

The American Red Cross disaster services program helps people prepare for, respond to, and recover from local home fires, floods, tornadoes, and other disaster emergencies. Trained Red Cross workers stand ready 24/7 - every day of the year - to help people during their darkest hours; and help them find hope, healing and a path to recovery.

BLACK HAWK-GRUNDY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

Care Coordination

Care coordination is crucial in today’s health care system given the costs associated with treatment noncompliance, duplication of services, emergency department visits and inpatient treatment. In order to address these ongoing problems and improve outcomes for patients, families, payors and our community, this program will coordinate care more systematically with local hospitals, the court system, EMS personnel and law enforcement and ensure that patients are appropriately served.

School-Based Mental Health

Black Hawk-Grundy’s School Based Mental Health program is crucial to meeting the mental health needs of hundreds of youth in our community. The on-site evaluations, treatment, and care coordination reduce barriers to care and help youth succeed at school and in the community. Many youth and their families would not otherwise be able to access such services due to social determinants of health such as transportation barriers, financial limitations, stigma and limited social supports.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF THE CEDAR VALLEY

Project Learn

Project Learn reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Club. Students do much better in school when they spend their non-school hours engaged in fun, but academically beneficial, activities. Through Project Learn, Club staff use all the areas and programs in the Club to create opportunities for these high-yield learning activities, including leisure reading, writing activities, discussions with knowledgeable adults, helping others, homework help, tutoring and games that develop young people’s cognitive skills. Project Learn also emphasizes parent involvement as well as collaboration between Club and school professionals.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE

Immigration Legal Services

Catholic Charities’ immigration attorneys provide affordable and quality legal services to enrich the lives of immigrants in the Cedar Valley. The goal is to help immigrants understand their legal options, such as qualifying for green cards, work authorizations, and citizenship that they may otherwise not be able to afford. Immigration attorneys help immigrants gain lawful status in order to eliminate barriers so they can reach financial stability and become contributing members of the community.

Poverty Reduction Services

Catholic Charities’ mission is to reduce poverty. We help limited-income families with their immediate needs and empower them with the guidance and tools for a successful future. We assist individuals and families with a strengths-based approach to establishing goals, determining their eligibility for assistance, and then helping them with getting connected to much-needed services.

CEDAR VALLEY FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY

Northeast Iowa Shelter Services

Friends of the Family provides safe shelter, housing assistance, case management, and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The operation of a 24-hour crisis hotline and safe shelter assures survivors’ access to safety at all times. Our array of housing assistance options can help reduce the length of homelessness for survivors, and in some cases, can prevent homelessness altogether.

CEDAR VALLEY PRESCHOOL AND CHILD CARE CENTER

Childcare Support

The first 2000 days are the most critical and magical days of your child’s life! Cedar Valley Preschool and Child Care Center provides services for children ages 18 months to 11 years engaging them in exciting classroom “hands on” learning experiences, as well as a unique outdoor classroom to explore nature’s wonders, and a consistent, nurturing staff. Children grow and flourish, each in their own unique manner, make friends, and become life-long learners!

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

House of Hope

House of Hope can help you empower single mothers and give them and their children a chance at self sufficiency. Breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness by providing a home, a transformation and a community. House of Hope provides many services for homeless mothers and women aging out of foster care to regain their independence. Some services include: case management and life skills education, childcare and mentoring for children and a two year permanent residency.

COMMONBOND COMMUNITIES

Adult Education and Advancement

CommonBond’s Adult Education and Advancement program seeks to promote stability and independence for low- income residents who live at Unity Square through: 1) on-site employment services, 2) financial coaching and counseling, and 3) maximizing income supports. The program is provided free and on-site at Unity Square, eliminating barriers to participation for this under-served population.

COMMUNITY HOUSING INITIATIVES

Permanent Housing

The Permanent Housing program supplies 13 rental units and comprehensive supportive services to the disabled homeless population in Black Hawk County. The program participants are provided with an individualized program which will assist them in securing suitable permanent housing, along with a comprehensive network of support services designed to improve the quality of life for the program participant as well as reduce their tendency to become homeless on a recurring basis.

SOAR Program

SOAR is an initiative started by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA) that is intended for those who are disabled and experience homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless. Community Housing Initiatives (CHI) is assisting homeless disabled individuals in completing the application and applying to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

FAMILY & CHILDREN’S COUNCIL OF BLACK HAWK COUNTY

Parent Education: Parent Connection and Empowering Parents Programming

Parent Connection and Empowering Parents provide parent education, access to community resources and formal social support to parents or caregivers residing in Black Hawk County with children birth to twelve utilizing an evidence-based curriculum and assessments. Parent Connection provides in-home services while Empowering Parents is group-based. All programming is available with minimal eligibility guidelines and at no cost to participants.

Sexual Abuse Prevention Programming

Family & Children’s Council offers sexual abuse prevention programming in Black Hawk County. The “Take Charge of Your Body (TCOYB) program provides education to children in preschool through sixth grades on how to stay safe from child sexual abuse and features a three-step safety plan that is the cornerstone of the curriculum. “Stewards of Children” (SOC) is an evidence-based program that provides adults the opportunity to learn how to recognize and keep children safe from child sexual abuse.

FRIENDS OF IOWA CASA AND ICFCRB

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)

CASAs, as trained volunteers, advocate for abused and neglected children who have been removed from their family homes and whose families have entered the juvenile court system. Appointed by the court, CASAs investigate, make independent assessments, and report findings and recommendations in the children’s best interests. CASAs continue to monitor and “be there” for the children until they live in a safe, nurturing and permanent homes.

GRIN AND GROW LTD.

Grin and Grow General Child Care Services

Research shows that the first five years of life are crucial to a child’s brain development and ability to acquire the skills needed for their future educational, social and economic success. Grin and Grow seeks to ensure that all children, especially low-income and at-risk children, receive an early childhood experience that develops the child’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical developmental skills, thereby increasing their success upon entering school and in later life.

Grin and Grow - Removing Childcare as a Barrier to Work for Low-Income Families

Childcare is cited as one of the main barriers to low-income families in pursuing work or training goals that will enable them to escape poverty. With the assistance of the Cedar Valley United Way, Grin and Grow is able to offer childcare scholarships based on the family size and income that removes this barrier by providing the family with affordable child care. This in turn allows the parent(s) to pursue work or training goals that will provide their family with greater financial security.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Homebuyer Education and Financial Counseling

Habitat for Humanity’s Homebuyer Education and Financial Counseling program provides free case management services to families working towards homeownership. This program helps families achieve homeownership through traditional means and provides 24 months of consistent case management. The program partners with Family Management Financial Solutions and the goal is to have participants approved for an affordable conventional home loan at the end of the program.

HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Family Literacy Program

Adults participating in Hawkeye’s Family Literacy Program progress toward family self-sufficiency while obtaining the educational skills necessary to fill a critical role in their children’s educational development. Participants model lifelong learning for their children by attending High School Completion or English Language Learning classes, setting and achieving educational goals, and transitioning to higher education.

IJAG

Creating Inclusive Career Pathways for Underserved Youth

iJAG assists students facing multiple barriers to success to graduate from high school and transition to continued education and careers through provision of counseling, mentoring, tutoring, career exploration and post-secondary planning. Our program, provided during the school day, combines classroom learning with student enrichment activities and work-based learning experiences to nurture career and leadership development skills, oral and written communication skills and community service.

IOWA LEGAL AID

Solutions to Systemic Poverty through Legal Assistance

Iowa Legal Aid uses free legal services to help low-income individuals and families overcome barriers and challenges to financial stability. Direct legal services are one of the most effective means of addressing barriers and challenges to obtain favorable outcomes. A successful legal case can lead to a cascade of positive outcomes that improve the financial well-being of Iowa Legal Aid’s clients and their families.

JESSE COSBY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER

No One Without A Home 2

No One Without A Home (NOWAH) is a self-sufficiency program designed to educate and provide tools to strengthen family structure; the Victim of Crime Act program (which includes the Later-In-Life Elder Abuse program) designed to assist individuals and families who have been directly/indirectly affected by a crime and who may be experiencing trauma in their lives and the Youth Empowerment Services (Y.E.S.) which is an education, employment and career development program designed for youth ages 12 to 16.

JOB FOUNDATION

Financial Stewardship Mentoring Program

The Job Foundation walks with children and their families as they achieve financial and life goals. Children gain financial and leadership knowledge, skills, and tools to help them attain financial stability in adulthood. The Job Foundation works with the community to elevate the financial position of all children.

LEADER VALLEY FOUNDATION

Leader in Me

Leader in Me is an evidence-based, comprehensive model that builds leadership and life skills in students, creates a high-trusted school culture and lays the foundation for sustained academic achievement. There are over 5,000 Leader in Me schools in all 50 states and in over 50 countries. Our mission is to unleash the greatness in students, educators and school communities everywhere.

LUTHERAN SERVICES IN IOWA

Healthy Families America - HOPES

LSI’s Health Families America (HFA)-HOPES program is a nationally recognized evidence-based home-visiting program model designed to work with families at-risk for child abuse/neglect. Services are available to Black Hawk County families and are offered voluntarily, intensively and over the long-term. Families are enrolled prenatally or within three months of birth; services are offered until the child’s fifth birthday. In FY 18, 96% of families remained free from abuse while in the program.

MERCYONE WATERLOO MEDICAL CENTER

SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program)

SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program) is a free service provided by trained volunteers to help resolve Medicare-related issues. There are no income restrictions for this service. MercyOne hosts monthly Welcome to Medicare seminars for those reaching the age of 65 to provide information and assistance in learning more about Medicare.

NAMI BLACK HAWK COUNTY

Services for People with Mental Illness, Their Families, Partners and Friends

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Black Hawk County works to improve the quality of life for all people affected by mental illness. We engage in advocacy, education, and mutual support for people with mental illness, their families, partners, and friends through free programs and services.

NORTH STAR COMMUNITY SERVICES

Supported Community Living

Supported Community Living (SCL) is a one-on-one community-based program designed to support and encourage adults with disabilities to live as independently as possible. Services are individualized and are offered to ensure the person being served can learn daily living skills, participate in social and leisure opportunities, live safely and successfully in their own homes, and navigate community life. It facilitates the achievement of personal goals and can improve mental and physical health.

NORTHEAST IOWA AREA AGENCY ON AGING

Assisted Transportation

The Elderly Transportation Program provides transit service for older persons with rides to medical appointments, pharmacies, weekly shopping, nursing homes, and senior centers to help them remain independent in the community. This program provides seniors with the opportunity to maintain their personal health care and independence in addition to providing socialization opportunities.

Special Assistance

The Special Assistance Program purchases one-time, low cost goods and services for financially challenged seniors and persons with disabilities not covered by other funding sources. This helps seniors stay safe and independent by assisting them with unforeseen short-term expenses such as household repairs and accessibility modifications, appliances, prescription drugs, snow removal, and utility assistance as a means to remove immediate barriers to their safety.

NORTHEAST IOWA FOOD BANK

Cedar Valley Food Pantry

The Cedar Valley Food Pantry provides emergency and supplemental food to people in need in Black Hawk County. This is done by reusing perishable and nonperishable food and distributing it through the onsite Pantry, the weekly Perishable Pantry, the Hawkeye Community Perishable Pantry and to Elderly Nutrition sites in Black Hawk County.

ONE CITY UNITED

One City Momentum

Momentum is a six-week workforce development and life skills program that mines talent in Waterloo. Through this program, valuable individuals who have employment barriers will be connected to high-level training and careers. The goal of Momentum is to help the participants become employed, but the focus of the program is to help each person become a whole person again. Relationships are a key element in Momentum and we believe education is a great means to develop a sincere relationship with those who desire change. Through our research, we discovered that gaps existed in both services and opportunities to underserved and traditionally minority neighborhoods. While the overall unemployment rate is hovering around 3.5%, there are segments of our population and neighborhoods in Waterloo where the unemployment rate is 40%. As we worked in the community, we found a talented and willing workforce who desire to experience their dreams, have successful lives and secure quality full-time employment that will pay a living wage.

OPERATION THRESHOLD

Crisis Utility Assistance

Operation Threshold’s Crisis Utility Assistance (CUA) program provides crisis utility assistance to low-income families. The program provides emergency funding  to assist with preventing utility disconnection, re-connection of utilities, and/or costs associated with fuel delivery.

Home Visitation Program

The OT Home Visitation Programming provides family support and parent education programming for 
low-income, at-risk families. The goal of the programming is to increase parent knowledge of early childhood development, improve parent practices, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse/neglect, and ensure children enter school ready to learn and succeed.

Nest

The Nest program is an education for incentives based program for parents and their children in Black Hawk, Buchanan and Grundy counties. The program offers at-risk families education and support that promotes healthy pregnancies, children, families and adults, accomplished by teaching fundamental parenting skills, life skills, and healthy behaviors.

Pocket Change

Pocket Change is designed to fill a gap in crisis funding. Pocket Change provides households with one-time assistance of up to $500 for help with maintaining financial stability or increasing income opportunities. In some instances, Pocket Change supports families with family stability needs, when no other alternatives are available.

Refugee Services

OT Refugee Services welcomes those who came as refugees or were granted asylum, orienting them to the Cedar Valley and our culture and norms, improving their employment options, enhancing their financial knowledge and independence, and preparing them for the self-sufficiency and confidence they desire for themselves and their families.

Safe and Stable Housing

Operation Threshold’s Safe and Stable Housing program is short-term emergency assistance that meets a basic need as well as addresses barriers that prevent low-income families from accessing safe, affordable housing. One time assistance includes a full security deposit and, in some cases, 70% of the first month’s rent for inspected/ approved units.

PATHWAYS BEHAVIORAL SERVICES

Junkman-Knoebel Transitional Housing

The Junkman/Knoebel Center provides supervised transitional housing for persons in recovery from alcohol and/or drug addictions where residents develop living skills needed to independently maintain their sobriety. The program requires that residents: commit to sobriety, demonstrate employment, and meet financial obligations.

On-Site Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment

This program’s purpose is to provide early intervention, and treatment to minimize substance use consequences for adolescents and the community. This program eliminates transportation and time restraint barriers by providing services at schools in Black Hawk County. The On-Site Adolescent program directly affects the future success of participants.

PEOPLES COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC

Access to Dental Care Relating to Missing Teeth

Access to Dental Care Related to Missing Teeth Program assists low-income adults to receive procedures related to restorative dental care and/or missing teeth including tooth extractions, dentures or other services that improve overall oral health and self-esteem. Many patients in need of these procedures do not have dental insurance and find extractions, dentures, denture adjustments, denture repairs, or other services related to missing teeth unaffordable.

Access to Health Services Through Interpretation Assistance

Access to Health Services through Interpretation Assistance allows patients to receive medical care in their native or preferred language. In 2019, the clinic provided interpretation for 27 languages besides English, Spanish and Bosnian. These included: Achi, Akan, Arabic, Burmese, Cantonese, Chin, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Hakha Chin, Hebrew, Hindi, Karen, Karenni, Kirundi, Lingala, Macedonian, Mandarin, Marshallese, Mizo, Pashto, Pohnpeiar, Portugese, Swahili, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Zomi.

RIVERVIEW CENTER, INC.

Sexual Assault Intervention Services

Riverview Center’s crisis intervention program provides 24-hour trauma-informed support to help survivors of sexual assault/abuse return to their previous level of functioning and increase healthy coping skills and daily functionality to improve their quality of living. Through 24-hour and ongoing client-driven crisis interventions, survivors have the potential to overcome chronic mental, physical, and social issues resulting from the abuse.

THE SALVATION ARMY

All-Purpose Financial Assistance

The Salvation Army’s All-Purpose Aid helps individuals and families overcome barriers to healthy lives through assistance with basic needs such as prescription medicine co-pays, transportation vouchers to medical appointments, costs associated with GED testing, and replacement of government identification documents.

Food Assistance

The Salvation Army Food Assistance program provides individuals and families access to nutritious meals and emergency food boxes at no cost, helping the homeless, low and limited income households, and seniors meet their most basic need for sustenance in an environment that is supportive, encouraging, and welcoming to all.

Housing Services

The Salvation Army is the largest provider of emergency shelter services in Northeast Iowa, operating a Women & Children’s shelter, Men’s shelter, and Family shelter with a combined total of 55 beds for individuals and families facing homelessness. During their stay, residents of the shelters are afforded complete access to trained care managers and the full bear of The Salvation Army’s resources so as to exit the shelter successfully into stable, secure, and safe independent housing.

Pathway of Hope

The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope initiative serves as an intercessory program for families in poverty, helping break the cycle of generational poverty through an intense, strengths-based, comprehensive approach that acknowledges and addresses the different forms poverty takes. Participants become active partners in the service-provision process, engaging in their need resolution in a way that builds skills, confidence and new ways of identifying and addressing issues.

Rent/Utility Assistance

The Salvation Army’s Rent and Utilities Financial Assistance program helps those facing the immediate crisis of eviction or utility disconnection remain in their home with vital gas, electric and water services intact.

SUCCESSLINK

Success Street

Success Street is made up of friendly and caring people from the community who work directly in all Waterloo and Cedar Falls Community schools. They are charged with helping to keep youth healthy by providing health, mental health, parenting, substance abuse and many other services where students can access them: at school. The success of youth is important, and the Success Street Staff is dedicated to making sure youth are mentally and physically able to concentrate on school and their future.

SUCCESSLINK/TOGETHER FOR YOUTH

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

Together for Youth (TFY) prevention programs include Health Education, Individual Health & Pregnancy Prevention Education (IHPPE), and Girls Circle & SiHLE (Sistas Informing, Healing, Living & Empowering). The purpose of TFY adolescent sexual health programming is to increase adolescent’s knowledge about their sexual health by providing education on healthy & responsible sexuality through proven, effective, comprehensive education.

Young Parents Together (YPT)

YPT provides adolescent parent education & support collaboratively for pregnant/parenting teens, or first time young parents & their children. YPT increases knowledge during pregnancy, childbirth, & parenting so children have healthy outcomes. YPT has met the needs of families for three decades utilizing evidence informed curricula, and has also earned the distinction of being accredited, earning the Iowa Family Support Credential in 2012 and earning our re-credential in June of 2017.

VOLUNTEER CENTER OF CEDAR VALLEY

RSVP Primetime Reading Buddies

The focus of the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley’s RSVP Primetime Reading Buddy program through the Waterloo Community School District is to provide volunteers to assist elementary age youth who are not reading at age/grade level proficiency improve their reading skills. Reading Buddies work with students who have been identified by Literacy Coaches on a one-on-one basis at their schools.

WATERLOO VISITING NURSING ASSOCIATION

Maintaining Independence - Access to Home Healthcare

The Waterloo Visiting Nursing Association has been providing in-home healthcare support in our community for over 85 years. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, the mission of the VNA includes providing health services for our community’s most vulnerable. As people age, and choose to remain in their own homes, the VNA offers physician-directed health services and medical education to individuals and their families.

WAYPOINT SERVICES

Domestic Violence Victim Services Program

Waypoint’s Domestic Violence Victim Services program provides comprehensive services to individuals who have experienced violence and/or coercive control from an intimate partner. The goal of the program is to decrease the instance and impact of domestic violence by increasing participants’ overall health and wellbeing through supportive services that include: peer counseling, legal and medical advocacy, financial literacy education, housing support, safety planning, and support groups.