Iowa Homeless Youth Centers - IHYC

We provide so many services! So here are a few that our clients need often.

Our Staff Spotlight this week is…………..

Jess Stout! Jess has been working at IHYC for 10 months now and done great things with our youth! She has shown great interest in clients development and is working on a basic life skills,first aid/Narcan, and knowing your rights workshops. Their favorite thing about IHYC is “Watching youth succeed and figuring out how to be self sufficient while working with them.”

Would you like to donate to IHYC? Here are some ways how!

Link to donate is in our bio!

Happy Juneteenth!!!! ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻

Our Staff Spotlight this week is...........

Katie Slauson! Katie has been with IHYC since June 2022. She started as a part-time youth advocate and is now the Emergency Bed and Street Outreach Corrdinator! She has done great things for our youth at IHYC Youth Opportunity Center. In her free time, she coaches 16U club softball, and she also played D1 softball in college, where she received her bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

According to the National Network for Youth, youth have a 120% higher risk of experiencing some form of homelessness in the United States. Which also increases if you are BIPOC and LGBTQ+ by 83% compared to their non-BIPOC counterparts. So,choose love and kindness not just this month but every month like IHYC. Happy Pride Month!

According to the National Network for Youth, LGBTQ+ youth have a 120% higher risk of experiencing some form of homelessness in the United States. Which also increases if you are BIPOC and LGBTQ+ by 83% compared to their non-BIPOC counterparts. So ,choose love and kindness not just this month but every month like IHYC. Happy Pride Month!

We apologize for the inconvenience but we are still open for drop in until 6pm!

Our first Staff Spotlight is...........

Nicole Eckhart! Nicole has been at IHYC since October of 2022. She has been part-time with us while completing her Masters in Social Work. She has been a great asset to our IHYC Youth Opportunity Center staff, and we wish her luck on her future career as a Mental Health Therapist.

We are excited to invite you to a glamorous evening at Casino Night in the Gardens, hosted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, Iowa Chapter! This event, combined elegance, excitement and philanthropy for an unforgettable night of fun and fundraising! Invite your friends and buy your tickets today!

We all love a good travel size hygiene product, but we don’t always use them. If you have any taking up space in your home, please donate your travel size toiletries to Iowa Homeless Youth Centers! We use these to make hygiene kits for our Street Outreach team! We mainly need •shampoo •conditioner •body wash •lotion

🎶Nationwide is on your side🎶
Kelly Reynolds and her team from out of state are definitely on OUR side! They took time out of their busy work schedule to make sure they did some team building volunteer work and Iowa Homeless Youth Centers were the lucky recipients. They packed up everything in the kitchen and moved it out so we can move ahead with our kitchen project. Can’t wait for this team to be back in town to give y’all a tour!

Our staff at IHYC are so lucky to have the support of the Des Moines community. We have gotten many clothes hangers donated, but now we really need adjustable/pinch clip pants hangers for all the pants and shorts we have. It’s much harder for our young adults to see each item and put together an outfit if it’s folded on a table. If you have extras you can part ways with or if you have a connection to department stores and big box stores, please let us know!

December was a great month of businesses supporting IHYC through clothing donation drives! So much support that we actually have to pause taking donations. For the time being, please take your donations to any of the following places in the photo. You can call ahead of time to make sure you’re donating items they actually need. We’ll post again when we’re ready for more donations!

Christmas came early to Iowa Homeless Youth Center, a organization! Thank you to Forth and Moore Enterprises for donating over 40 boxes of toys for kids 12 years old and younger. This Christmas, children in the Des Moines area will be able to enjoy slime, puzzles, dolls, toy cars and more!

We absolutely love having service learning students volunteer at IHYC! Today we had the chance to host 5 students from during the lunch hour! Every person that walks through our doors has the ability to champion our cause once they leave. Can’t wait to have you again!

Thank you to Iowa State Bank for coming in to volunteer! They helped with organizing materials after Reggie’s Sleep Out, loading up a bunch of donations, and even helped down in our donation center. We couldn’t do the work we do without amazing volunteers. We’re very grateful for our friends in Urbandale!

Thank you to for taking the time to make tie blankets for our young adults! Cold weather is here, so these warm, cozy, and handmade blankets will be flying off our shelves. All the love and thanks goes to

The 18th installment of Reggie’s Sleepout was one for the books! We had 135 attendees enter the gates of Drake Stadium and we raised $77,984.21! None of this would’ve been possible if it weren’t for the help of many people working behind the scenes. helped spread the word on campus and got many Drake students to attend. They also brought great ideas during the planning and ways to improve next year. always brings an exceptional group of international students that raise money like no other! Each student represents their home country admirably. We can’t wait to see everybody again!

A big thank you to , the Civic Engagement Team, and Emma Ware for including us in their Service Day! We were 1 of 51 project sites that partnered with Central College for this amazing event. And thank you to Jordan Crooks and Caden Parkerton for representing the cheer/dance team and the football team. You’re both great stewards for your organizations!

Huge shout out to Corteva Agriscience! The Trait Characterization and Development group came out to tour Rooftop Gardens last week and then made a home cooked meal for the young adults we serve at 612 Locust Street. Thank you Jenelle for reaching out to set up this opportunity. We love it when community partners want to learn more about the impact YSS has in Iowa!

It’s a few days late, but it’s necessary to spotlight and congratulate the winners of the Nationwide Boxed-In Contest! The winners built very creative and cozy shelters. This year 1st place went to the ladies of Rolling Hills Farm and 2nd place went to the gentlemen of Ohio Pirates!

It’s nothing but an honor to have elected officials visit us at 612 Locust Street. But it’s even more heart warming when officials like set aside time to make a home cooked meal for the youth and young adults we serve. Thank you for all you do for Polk County and championing the mission of . Being the recipients of the Community Betterment Grant wouldn’t have been possible without you!

Lifting Up Futures Partners with Iowa Homeless Youth Centers - Ahmed Musa, founder of Lifting Up Futures, started the community organization in 2020. Originally named Laced Up Family, it started out by donating pairs of shoes to different homeless shelters throughout the Des Moines area, in one year donating around 8,000 to 10,000 pairs. This year the organizat...

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL REGGIE'S SLEEPOUT!

Here's a timeline for when you arrive at Drake Stadium tomorrow:

5:00-7:00 pm: Check-In
5:00-8:00 pm: Design and set-up cardboard enclosures
6:00-8:00 pm: Dinner (Pizza)
8:00 pm: Welcome message
8:15-10:00 pm: Social activities, Drake University student athletes, Announce winners, DJ entertainment
10:00-11:00 pm: Snack Shack
Midnight: Lights out

After Reggie's Sleepout: All campers must be picked up no later than 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 1st. Prior to leaving, please tear down your boxes, and take cardboard to the edge of the turf and throw away all trash.

For more information, go to: yss.org/rso/

TWO DAYS UNTIL REGGIE'S SLEEPOUT!

We can't stop thinking about some of our favorites from the Nationwide Boxed-In Design Contest. Get creative with the following materials: Cardboard, paper, props, tape, string or rope, small staples, crayons, chalk, water-based markers, and battery powered lighting may be used for effect.

For more info: yss.org/rso/

A HUGE THANK YOU to F&G for coming in today and volunteering their time!! Having an extra 9 sets of hands helped tremendously in preparation for YSS’s 18th annual Reggie’s Sleepout! All our volunteers and attendees will get goodie bags. Again, thank you so much for your help today. We wouldn’t be able to do our work without amazing volunteers like you. I can’t wait for another opportunity to work with you again❤️

THREE DAYS UNTIL REGGIE'S SLEEPOUT!

Did you see IHYC Director Lisa Behrends (center) on Hello Iowa promoting Reggie's Sleepout last week? She was joined by board member Amy Peters as they displayed a 'smaller' cardboard house. Let's see your enclosure. Get creative with the Nationwide Boxed-In Design Contest. Plan the design using only the allowed materials. Awards will be given for creativity and overall design.

More info: yss.org/rso/

FOUR DAYS UNTIL REGGIE'S SLEEPOUT!

It's not every day you get to meet the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball player of the year ... but if you sign up for Reggie's Sleepout, you'll have your chance. YSS Ambassador Tucker DeVries will be there along with other Drake student athletes and leaders. See you there!

Get more information on Reggie's Sleepout at: yss.org/rso/