No one knows for sure how many homeless veterans are on the streets in Iowa because only four of Iowa’s 99 counties are surveyed for a total statewide count. Meantime, some of the homeless veterans make it hard to be found.
Iowa’s homeless veterans are missing services available to help them because many do not know about the services, which include financial and housing assistance. Others simply choose not to use them.
Ako Abdul-Samad saw a disconnect in Des Moines’ low-income, northwest Des Moines urban area in the mid-1990s. Gang violence was costing lives – a young woman one year, Abdul-Samad’s son the next. So he started Creative Visions.
