Todd came to Des Moines looking for work because he had trouble getting work in Rochester, MN. For the last year he took care of his dying mother and kept looking for work, but to no avail. After his mother passed, he wanted to move to a bigger city in hopes he would find work. Having nothing, in mid-August he came to Central Iowa Shelter; leaving his home of 15 years to start anew in Des Moines.

Shortly upon entering the Shelter, Todd took the Community Kitchen’s 6-week training opportunity to learn food preparation skills. While he leans new skills, he also helps the program prepare the more than 350 meals a day to seven community meal sites including the shelter. Upon graduating, Todd is now the assistant to the kitchen manager.

He will soon move out into his own apartment where he plans to continue to pursue his lifelong passion of making art. Todd has been drawing for as long as he can remember—avidly drawing as a young child, a mere five years old and selling his first piece of work at the age of seventeen.

He was accepted into the recent art show “Out Your Artist” sponsored by the Des Moines Social Club, Salisbury House & Gardens and Central Iowa Shelter & Services. The show featured unknown local artists that were encouraged by family and friends to “come out” as an artist and expose their talents to the world.

Fantasy & Science Fiction realms are Todd’s greatest passion, and his art contains an M. C. Esher-like quality to make the viewer look at the images’ various intricacies of pictures within pictures and the foreground versus the background. His greatest influences are the artists Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo. Todd specializes in the drawing, painting and sculpture subsets of art—drawing being his primary focal point. Through his art, Todd strives to awaken people to the world around them and their creativity.

Todd said he was thankful for the Shelter providing food, shelter, peace of mind as well as time to get on his feet and start a new life in Des Moines. He hopes to one day have his own art studio and gallery.

The sweetest words Kristina heard came from her son, “I’m not going to let you go again.” Kristina hadn’t seen her son since he was two years old. Now he’s 22 and ready to build a relationship with his mother. He went so far as to come to Central Iowa Shelter & Services and lived with Kristina for a while. Now’s he’s settling in with his wife and expected child.

It hasn’t been an easy road for Kristina to get to this point in her life. Actually, it’s been a winding, twisting journey. There has been a relationship which turned ugly with rape and sexual abuse. She’s had to escape from the abuse. More than once. Kristina grew up in Iowa, but found herself in Denver with no work and no place to live. In March 2008 she came back to Des Moines and landed at the White House.

A former acquaintance told her about CISS and she made her way over to the shelter. That’s when things began to turn for her. The staff at CISS became her family and through the services at CISS she once again had an ID. For Kristina, CISS was a place for her to become someone again. Someone who counted. She also found faith in God and knew that He cared for her.

Homelessness is a complicated issue. It’s usually not just one thing that creates it. For Kristina it was a lifetime of unfortunate choices. But now she believes that CISS is where she needs to be. “The shelter is not just a place to sleep,” she said. “It is an entire program for success. But you have to take advantage of it.

”Kristina is taking advan-tage of the services offered at CISS. This spring she hopes to begin classes at DMACC. Kristina has eight children and CISS has helped her get in contact with five of them. Two of them live with Kristina’s parents and she has met with all of them. She is grateful for the amazing turning in her life. She is trying to focus on what she has – faith, family and a future.

Tom grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where many in his family still reside. He remembers visiting the east coast from time-to-time as a child to see where his father grew up. While still in high school, Tom enlisted in the Navy and was later discharged because he quit high school two weeks prior to graduation. This is when he learned he wouldn’t be able to get his diploma as he was one- half credit short. However, two decades later Tom eventually earned his GED.

Since those days, life has taken Tom to various places. Panama City, Fort Lauderdale, and the Miami area are places he called home for a period of time. Each place, however, proved to be too tempting for Tom when it came to alcohol. So, two months ago Tom decided it was time to leave temptation behind and “head north.” Why north? Something just told him to, despite his dislike of cold weather. Tom started walking, and while he caught a few rides here and there, for the most part he kept walking until he arrived in Des Moines. He hopes to stay for a while.

Tom is currently involved in the shelter’s first work program, thus he is able to stay out of Iowa’s frigid temperatures during the day. Tom works with about ten other clients performing various jobs at the shelter such as laundry, cleaning, etc. Although he isn’t working in the kitchen, Tom enjoys cooking and helped prepare food for approximately two hundred clients at a rescue mission in Panama City. When asked what his favorite recipe is, Tom quickly answered, “salmon,” adding that it’s great when marinated in Italian dressing with onions, mushrooms, carrots, etc., and then thrown on the grill.

Today Tom is committed to turning his life around and following the path that he said God is leading him on. As for the future, Tom hopes to remain in Iowa, despite the cold winters. He looks forward to someday getting a job, owning his own place, and “living like he is supposed to.” He said he knows now what he has to do. As for ideal jobs, Tom would like any job at this point, but if he had a choice, he’d like a job that involves driving.

Some of his past jobs have included driving a wrecker, woodworking, cabinet making, and welding overhead cranes, even though he is afraid of heights. In the meantime, Tom enjoys playing cards with other clients, especially rummy, commenting that he’s met some really great people at the shelter. “We help each other out,” he said.

What’s Tom sure of? While he is currently estranged from his family in Alabama, he is confident he will reconnect with them some day.

Laura, a bright 18-year-old, is shy at first but opens up when talking about her great love – reading.

Laura reads 5-6 books a day on average. When I asked her what she likes to read she stated, “Everything.” Her favorite authors are what she calls “the L’s” – Lora Leigh, Lori Foster, Laurel K. Hamilton and Stephanie Meyer. She was never that into reading until 5th grade at Southeast Polk in Altoona when she really learned how to read well – she picked up a book that she loved and it changed her life. She’s been reading ever since.

What is this GED graduate’s dream job? You may have guessed it – working at a library. She almost got a job at a library this summer but it didn’t work out. That’s not going to stop her from trying. She feels she has something special to offer as she can recommend books and authors to library visitors since she has read so many!

Laura ended up at the shelter because she “wanted a new start to her life.” If you’re not sure where to find Laura during the day, you’ll find this independent, self-motivated and popular teen at the library reading or applying for jobs online. She may also be out and about applying for numerous jobs around the city.

Her goals? To get a job and to get an apartment of her own. There is no doubt she’ll achieve this and much more.