Executive Director of The Bridge Home Jodi Stumbo performs this exercise when she speaks to groups about her organization, which provides support and shelter for the homeless in Iowa including Marshall County.

Many picture a man who is scruffy, dirty, scary and smells of alcohol.

Of the clients The Bridge Homes serves, 32 percent are children under the age of 18, meaning the number one demographic served is families. The second biggest demographic served is women.

“Folks just have a hard time wrapping their head around that,” Stumbo said. “I will say to them, ‘Well that’s because you’re looking in the wrong place and for the wrong people. Look at some of the vans in the big parking lots that are full with things. There is a family living in a van. Look in houses that maybe don’t have heat or running water. Do you see people and stuff around there? There’s a family that’s living someplace uninhabitable.'”

contributed photo Executive Director of The Bridge Home, Jodi Stumbo, explains that of the clients The Bridge Homes serves, 32 percent are children under the age of 18, meaning the number one demographic served is families.

While the United States and Iowa as a whole sees more individual adults experiencing homelessness, The Bridge Home’s coverage area, which includes headquarters in Story County with support in the broader Two Rivers Region of Marshall County, Boone County, Greene County, and Hardin County, uniquely sees more homeless families than individual adults.

“Homelessness does not discriminate. It can impact anyone,” Stumbo said. “A lot of people are a medical emergency or a car breakdown away from homelessness.”

The Bridge Home began in 1985 as the Emergency Residence Project, and was renamed to The Bridge Home in 2020. The organization was originally started to provide shelter for single men, and as more families and women began to seek help a rebranding felt in order.

“We help walk alongside folks and help them navigate their obstacles to get home, so that they have a home,” Stumbo said.

As many homeless shelters in communities of sizes like Marshalltown were shutting down about five years ago, The Bridge Home began to expand when named the lead agency for the region. But it wasn’t until last year until The Bridge Home really began to support the counties outside of Story County.

“Especially with the derecho and COVID, we knew we had to get out as full force as we could into those other counties, especially in Marshall County and Boone County,” Stumbo said.

The 2018 tornado and loss of housing was also a factor in why The Bridge Home is focusing on Marshall County. Getting on the ground in Marshall County, Stumbo said they saw an abundance of need.

As of 2020, there were more than 754 individuals experiencing homeless on any given night in The Bridge Home’s coverage area with 153 in Marshall County.

Now The Bridge Home is starting to see some growth in Marshall County, becoming a United Way member and has served 94 individuals in the area in the first two months of this year. Stumbo said when looking at the numbers of people served, Marshall County is the fastest growing county next to Story County in their region.

The Bridge Home isn’t like a traditional homeless shelter. Instead of taking people in for the night and releasing them the next day, their goal is to break the cycle of homelessness one individual and one family at a time by offering both short-term and long-term programs.

The first thing The Bridge Home does when a client walks through the door is get them assigned a caseworker, who will help develop a housing plan which includes identifying what obstacles are preventing the client from housing and helping the client overcome those financial barriers to achieve self-sufficiency. The Bridge Home continually meets with their clients to ensure they follow the housing plan and guide them along the way, providing financial aid and shelter when appropriate. The time it takes to bring a client from shelter to housing is typically 30 to 60 days.

Currently The Bridge Home has staff in Marshalltown at least two days a week and are operating out of the YSS of Marshall County office space. Without an actual shelter facility yet, The Bridge Home is providing shelter with hotel rooms for clients.

Stumbo said The Bridge Home is really hoping to have an office space or shelter facility in Marshalltown in the next two years, with at least eight staff members purely focused on serving Marshall County.

Part of The Bridge Home’s mission is to re-shape the perception around the homeless and break the stigma of seeking assistance.

“The reason I do what I do is because everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance. It’s okay to ask for help. People need help. There’s a time in everybody’s life when you need that helping hand,” Stumbo said. “It is the best job I ever had and it’s also the most heartbreaking job. Seeing some of the situations that folks are in can just rip your heart right out. But, when one of my staff members goes to a family in shelter and says, ‘Hey, we found you an apartment,’ and the little kids start screaming and cheering, it’s all worth it.”

——

Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.