Help a family take their next step toward stability and independence by preparing their new home.
- We will email you location / address of the home after you sign up.
What You'll Do: As a Welcome Home Preparation Volunteer, you'll clean and prepare a home before a family moves in through The Home Connection housing program. This might include sweeping, mopping, wiping down surfaces, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, and ensuring the space feels fresh and welcoming. You'll be doing the hands-on work that helps a family walk into a clean, dignified home as they begin rebuilding their lives.
Why It Matters: Families in our housing program are working hard to achieve self-sufficiency after experiencing homelessness. When a family walks into a clean, move-in ready home home on moving day, it sends a powerful message: you matter, and your community is invested in your success. It's about dignity and hope. By handling the cleaning, you free up families to pour their energy into employment, getting kids settled in school, and building the foundation for long-term stability.
What to Expect:
- Physical work including bending, lifting, and being on your feet
- Working with a group of volunteers
Supplies: All cleaning supplies will be provided.
Requirements: Volunteers should be 13 years of age or older to volunteer.
Who Should Volunteer: Anyone who wants to make a tangible difference and doesn't mind rolling up their sleeves. No experience necessary—just a willingness to help and a belief that everyone deserves a clean, safe place to call home.
The Families Forward Home Connection program provides supportive housing for families with children experiencing homelessness. The Home Connection’s goal is to move families from homelessness to permanent housing with an emphasis on financial independence.
Questions: Contact Missy Reams at missy@familiesforward.org or by phone at 515-989-8404 or by text at 515-346-8895.
About volunteering: A volunteer orientation is provided when you first arrive to help.
About Families Forward: Families Forward (previously Bidwell Riverside Center and Hawthorn Hill) has four main programs: Bidwell Pantry, Child Development Center, New Directions Shelter (emergency housing), and The Home Connection (long-term housing). For over 100 years, our mission has been to provide compassionate, life-changing assistance to families and their path to self-sufficiency.
