Central Iowa Shelter & Services

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Heroes for Homeless 2021

Be a part of Central Iowa Shelter & Services' annual signature fundraising event! This year, participate from wherever you are with family, friends and co-workers as we recognize heroes in our community who have helped and supported our homeless population.

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Donation Update!

Thank you for the abundance of donations we have recieved! As we have fully stocked our clothing closet, we need food pantry items and miscellaneous cold weather items (ie: hats, gloves, etc). All donations MUST be by appointment for the foreseeable future. Please contact Melissa G at 515-564-5752 to schedule a time for donation drop-off.
The Other Side

Eric just started in our job training program after only being at CISS for a handful of days.

Read His Story
New Staff Alert!

Carissa Bailey is our newest staff member at CISS! She’s a Housing Navigator for the Rolling Hills Coalition, working on engaging landlords and building relationships between them and the people that Rolling Hills serves in the surrounding 15 counties. She graduated from the University of Iowa majoring in ethics, public policy and sociology. She also has a certificate in nonprofit management. Carissa worked as an Americorps Vista leader, ran the University of Iowa food pantry, worked in student health & wellness and was a Volunteer Coordinator at Shelter House in Iowa City. After seeing the job description, Carissa was immediately interested in Rolling Hills. She has a special connection to it, with her hometown of Ottumwa being in one of the counties they serve and the increased need they have for affordable housing. Carissa has two older siblings and a twin brother. She also has two dogs that she loves to explore parks with in her free time. Her favorite quote is, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

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Our Impact This Year

Number of People Served This Year

2,323
Volunteer Hours This Year

18,664
Lbs harvested from Mulberry Farms & Food This Year

10,228

News & Events

February 10, 2021

Shelters reach capacity as temperatures in Iowa continue to drop

Central Iowa Shelter and Services said the amount of people staying with them overnight is growing.

Up until now, many people were choosing to sleep elsewhere because of COVID-19 concerns.

Staff members said they have worked to keep their numbers low and are working to make sure the homeless are safe from the cold.

January 6, 2021

Des Moines shelter ramps up help, creates new program to assist the homeless

DES MOINES, Iowa — In 2020, many Iowans faced uncertainty about keeping a roof over their heads due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Iowa Shelter & Services in Des Moines helped many out who were facing homelessness, or just became homeless, by finding them places to live.

To make sure the shelter did not become a virus hotspot, officials started moving some occupants into public or private housing.

December 30, 2020

Organization says number of homeless in need of shelter is down in DSM

About 130 people are in the Central Iowa Shelter and Services Center downtown right now. Normally this time of year that number is around 200.

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