Shelter House - Iowa City

11/02/2026

Save the date! Join us for a community-wide soup luncheon on November 16 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church from 11:00am-1:00pm.

There is no admission fee, and guests can make free-will donations and donations of socks to support our most vulnerable community members this winter.

10/07/2026

We do not have anyone in the donation storage garage today, so we ask that you please hold donations until later in the week.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

10/05/2026

At Shelter House, your work saves lives. Not just sometimes: every single day. Whether you help provide emergency shelter, analyze data, assist shelter guests with finding and financing an apartment, recruit volunteers, or plan and execute fundraising events, your work advances the lives of people in crisis.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

-[Temporary] Winter Shelter Coordinator
-[Temporary] Behavioral Health Coordinator
-Health Services Coordinator VISTA
-Housing Stability Coordinator VISTA
-Volunteer Coordinator VISTA
-Coordinator

Learn more at shelterhouseiowa.org/careers

You go to work every day. Make the commute, clock in, do your job, clock out, and head home. What if what happened in the middle changed everything? At Shelter House, your work saves lives. Not just sometimes: every single day. Whether you help provide emergency shelter, support your colleagues with...

09/30/2026

Make the commute, clock in, do your job, clock out, and head home.

What if what happened in the middle changed everything?

At Shelter House, your work saves lives. Not just sometimes: every single day. Whether you help provide emergency shelter, analyze data, assist shelter guests with finding and financing an apartment, recruit volunteers, or plan and execute fundraising events, your work advances the lives of people in crisis.

Commute to work. Change lives. Head home.

That's the job. Join us.

_____________

We can't wait to meet you.

Learn more at shelterhouseiowa.org/careers

09/28/2026

We simply can’t say thank you enough for helping make Shelter House’s annual BBQ Bash such an incredible night!

From delicious BBQ and great music to fun activities and even better company, the evening was truly special—and it would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and community.

We are so grateful to have your support as we work to prevent and end homelessness in our community. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

All Sauced Up Sponsors:

Al & Dottie Persson and The Congregational United Church of Christ

Seriously Smokin' Sponsors:

Breath and Balance Tai Chi, Pilot Wealth, Virtue Medicine, ALKEME Insurance, H&H Home Builders, Mims Financial Services, American Family Insurance: John Raley, Kathy Clark & Rich Valentine, and Julie & Carl Schweser

All-American BBQ Sponsors:

Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, ImOn Communications, Big Grove for Good Foundation, KMB Property Management, Accurate Automotive, Creative Planning: Brian Aronson, Discerning Eye, Alan & Liz Swanson, Thad & Alicia Abrams, Christopher Jones & Dr. Cynthia Lo, Don & Dorothy Fowles, Holly Carver, Alan & Mary Beth Ross, and Gary Frost & Joyce Miller

Burnt Ends Sponsors:

Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Price Electric, Scheels, UFG Insurance, MMS Consultants, Inc., Dwell Home Furnishings and Interior Design, Hoefer Flaming PLLC, MidAmerica Securities Management Co., John & Claudia Knutson, Alan Elgar & Gale Kolbet, Frank Mitros & Monica Maloney-Mitros, Ron & Niki Neems, Carrie Z. Norton, Ruth K***z, Lisa Baum, Mark & Laurie Zaiger, Charles & Meaggan Bermingham, and Janice Weiner

BBQ Partnership:

Pop's BBQ

In-Kind Donors:

Deluxe Cakes & Pastries, New Pioneer Food Co-op, Big Ten Rentals, Kwik Star, and HyVee

Media Sponsors:

Show You Care- KCRG and KCJJ

09/24/2026

We are thrilled to see Crissy honored at the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition's annual meeting celebrating the Coalition's 10th Anniversary. It will be a wonderful event: join us!

The Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition is proud to recognize Crissy Canganelli as the recipient of the 2026 Housing Impact Award, honoring her exceptional leadership and decades-long commitment to preventing and ending homelessness and advancing affordable housing throughout Johnson County and across Iowa.

Crissy Canganelli has dedicated nearly three decades to addressing homelessness and advancing housing solutions in Johnson County. Since becoming Executive Director of Shelter House in 1998, she has guided the organization through tremendous growth—from a single house on Iowa City’s Northside to a multi-building operation providing life-saving housing, shelter, and support to approximately 2,000 people each year.

Throughout her career, Crissy has championed data-driven and innovative approaches to preventing and ending homelessness. Her leadership has helped expand Shelter House beyond emergency shelter to a comprehensive continuum of services and housing interventions designed to meet people where they are and create pathways toward long-term housing stability.

Crissy’s impact extends well beyond Shelter House. She is a founding member and Vice President of the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County and a founding member of Iowa’s Balance of State Continuum of Care Governance Board. She has also served on the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition and the Governor-appointed Iowa Council on Homelessness, where she chaired the Policy and Planning Committee.

Crissy’s leadership, persistence, and commitment to evidence-based solutions have transformed our community’s response to homelessness and strengthened the systems and partnerships working to ensure everyone has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

Celebrate Crissy’s impact—and a decade of affordable housing advocacy—with the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition at our 10th Anniversary Celebration & Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City.

Thursday, September 24th, 2026 | 4:00–7:00 p.m.
The Englert Theatre | Iowa City

09/23/2026

There's still time to get tickets! Join us this Friday from 5:00- 7:00 pm for BBQ Bash. Get your tickets before it's too late at shelterhouseiowa.org/bbq-bash.

We can't wait to see you!

09/21/2026

Come volunteer with us! We need helpers for this year's BBQ Bash. Set-up and tear-down crews are needed.

We have a small team, so volunteer support is crucial to make the day a success. If you'd like to be part of our set-up or tear-down crew, we would be delighted to have you.

Sign-up to volunteer today at bit.ly/shbbqbash26

09/18/2026

We’re getting so close to the annual BBQ Bash that we can smell it! Do you have your tickets yet? You won’t want to miss what we're cooking up!

Join us for a BBQ Bash packed with fun for all ages, plus a chance to win in our 50/50 raffle.

Grab tickets at https://shelterhouseiowa.org/bbq-bash/.

09/15/2026

Shelter House is proud to have brought the State's first Housing First Permanent Supportive Housing apartments to our community when we opened Cross Park Place in 2019. And we are proud to have more than doubled that capacity when we opened 501 Southgate in 2022. In the seven years since Shelter House brought this model to our community, these apartments have provided safe, stable housing to nearly 100 people exiting chronic homelessness.

Supportive Housing is a life-saving intervention that WORKS: since 2019, only one individual has exited these programs to homelessness.

We are grateful to have so much support from our community: individuals and families, local businesses, partner agencies, municipal government, and more. The need is great and there is still much work left to do.

Onward!

As the economy stiffens and housing prices soar, millions of Americans increasingly need financial reassurance. Picking up groceries and making doctor’s appointments suddenly feels like a burden. Many newly disadvantaged individuals don’t even have a roof over their heads. Although myriad issues...