Hope
Coming home is hard, and many men have been told what they can't do for a long time. We start from what is possible.
Neighbors building a way home
We are a Waterloo-based nonprofit working to give men leaving incarceration what they need most at the start: somewhere stable to live and people committed to their success.
Our story
How this started
Cedar Valley Bridge to Hope grew out of years of watching men come home with nowhere steady to go. In 2020 we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) to do something about it. Today our board includes a man who has served in the Black Hawk County Jail Ministry for roughly thirty years, a reentry case manager, local business and manufacturing leaders, and a minister.
Before planning anything, we listened. We hosted a community dinner and survey in a Waterloo neighborhood where many residents had been through incarceration themselves. With only one exception, they were enthusiastic, and many said they wished something like this had existed when they came home.
Since then we have sought counsel from local leaders, city officials, and statewide reentry gatherings, and learned from programs around the country, so we are not reinventing what already works.
To empower men leaving incarceration and see them become positive contributors to society, through a self-sustaining transitional housing and mentorship program in the Cedar Valley. Support services, education, job training, and community engagement work together to break the cycle of incarceration, foster hope, create dignity, and bring lasting transformation.
Who we serve
The men we walk with
Our program is for men returning to the Cedar Valley after incarceration who want to build a different life and are ready to do the work. Residents will live in the community for about two years, long enough to steady their footing, earn and save, and leave as tax-paying neighbors.
The effects reach further than one man. Stable fathers, sons, and brothers help families rebuild. Steady workers strengthen local businesses. And men who have made it across are often the best mentors for the next ones coming home.
Applications are not open yet. If you or someone you know may be a fit, join the interest list and we will reach out when they are.
What guides us
Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Dignity
Every man is treated as a neighbor and a future contributor, not a case number. The place itself should say so.
Transformation
Good habits, real skills, and healthy relationships, built over time, are what make change last.
The mark
Why a bridge
Our logo was created for us by a Black woman–owned marketing firm with personal ties to our board and to the reentry journey. Every element was chosen to convey calm, safety, security, and hope: the environment we want to build for men making their way home.
A bridge does not carry anyone across by itself. It gives solid footing to the person doing the walking. That is the role we want to play.
Meet the people behind it
Our board brings together jail ministry, reentry case management, manufacturing, and church leadership.