New Visions partners with VA on transitional housing for veterans in Council Bluffs

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — A Council Bluffs homeless services organization is partnering with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide transitional housing for veterans, offering 10 apartments to neighbors who have served.

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New Visions Homeless Services is preparing to move veterans into the new units as soon as next week.

Veterans make up about 5% of the homeless population overall and 20% of the population of unsheltered men; data from the VA shows suicide among homeless veterans is 146% higher than other veterans.

Michael Pitt, a Navy veteran who grew up in Logan, currently helps in the New Visions kitchen and sleeps in a dormitory bunk. He says saving enough to secure his own apartment has been a struggle.

"Oh, I haven't been able to get an apartment yet. Right now, I'm saving up for it, but I haven't been able to do it yet," he said.

The difficulty supporting himself after serving his country for six years hardly seem fair.

"Kinda disappointing. I gave a tenth of my life to the military," he said.

Pitt, who has worked in technology and in the cafeteria at Iowa Western, could be among the first veterans to move into one of the new apartments.

Brandy Wallar, CEO of New Visions Homeless Services, says the program is designed to restore dignity for veterans while they work toward permanent housing.

"This opens up an opportunity where our veterans are able to stay in our own backyard and give them a place where they can have dignity until we can get them back into permanent, supportive housing," Wallar said.

Many southwest Iowa veterans, adds Wallar, want to stay in their community.

"Working with the veterans population, there's a lot of pride that goes with it. I had a veteran here that was here for a year-and-a-half and I had no clue he was a veteran," she said.

Although New Visions operates a men's shelter, one of the 10 apartments will be designated specifically for a female veteran. Wallar says the need became clear over the last few years.

"When we started our street outreach team in 2022, we found female veterans living in their car in the Walmart parking lot and lots behind our campus in tents," she said.

While the VA grant covers most of the program's costs, Wallar says community donations are still needed to support the effort.

Pitt looks forward to the prospect of having his own space: "I served my country and, you know, it's coming back now."

MORE INFORMATION | NewVisionsHS.org

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