MICAH House

What MICAH House does

MICAH House is a Council Bluffs, Iowa-based nonprofit emergency homeless shelter founded in 1986 that provides free, integrated shelter and support services to families and single women experiencing homelessness in southwest Iowa. Its core operating model is the Lakin Human Services Campus at 1415 Avenue J, which houses a Family Shelter with 23 private bedrooms (accommodating families up to ten members), a therapeutic Women's Shelter with 10 rooms and 26 beds (opened January 2019, serving ~250 women annually), and the Florence M. Lakin Health Center — a satellite clinic operated by All Care Health Center providing on-site medical, dental, and OB/pregnancy care to both shelter clients and community members. The organization supplements housing with three daily meals, on-site case management, mental health therapy, ACEs trauma assessments, adult education classes, a Career Closet providing free professional clothing, and structured youth programming including Girl Scout Troop 64224.

MICAH House delivers all services at no cost to clients; it has no commercial revenue model. Funding is sourced from individual donations, foundation grants (notably a $500,000 Charles E. Lakin Foundation grant in 2018), corporate sponsorships (Google serves as 2026 presenting sponsor of the Champagne & Diamonds signature fundraiser), in-kind donations of food and supplies, annual fundraising events, and a legacy giving program covering bequests and charitable remainder trusts. The Shelter Reimagined campaign raised $3.6 million to fund the women's shelter and health center expansion.

The organization operates within a deep community ecosystem of 50+ partners including the Visiting Nurses Association, United Way of the Midlands, Community Alliance, Conagra Brands Foundation, Iowa West Foundation, Sherwood Foundation, Peter Kiewit Foundation, and Mutual of Omaha. It is led by Executive Director Ashley Flater, supported by a 9-member Board of Directors representing local employers and civic institutions, and operates as a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no parent company, subsidiaries, or private equity involvement.

Name

MICAH House

Legal name

MICAH House

Website

https://themicahhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MICAH House is a Council Bluffs, Iowa nonprofit founded in 1986 that operates an emergency homeless shelter and integrated support services for families and single women, providing free housing, meals, case management, on-site healthcare, and youth programming on the Lakin Human Services Campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Shelter Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Emergency shelter services
• Homeless assistance
• Family support services
• Nonprofit social services
• Women's shelter

Headquarters

HQ city

Council Bluffs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: MICAH House relies on financial gifts from individuals to provide shelter, meals, and services to homeless families and women.
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations such as Charles E. Lakin Foundation ($500,000), Conagra Brands Foundation, and others fund specific programs and operations.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including Champagne & Diamonds fundraiser (raised record $94,400 at 20th annual event) and Trivia Night generate donations.
4. In-Kind Donations: Community donates food, clothing, bedding, toiletries, and other essentials that support shelter operations without requiring cash expenditure.
5. Legacy Giving: Bequests, life insurance, retirement assets, and charitable remainder trusts provide planned giving opportunities for donors.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MICAH House is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 in Council Bluffs, Iowa that provides emergency shelter and support services to homeless families and women in southwest Iowa. The organization operates multiple programs including a family shelter, a women's shelter, a health center, a career closet for job-readiness support, and a Girl Scout troop, all offered at no cost to clients.

Product overview

MICAH House is a homeless shelter organization providing emergency shelter and support services to families and single women in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The organization operates multiple shelter programs including Family Shelter and Women's Shelter, supplemented by healthcare services through the Florence M. Lakin Health Center, career support via the Career Closet, and youth development through Girl Scout Troop 64224. These programs work together to provide comprehensive support addressing housing, health, employment, and childcare needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Shelter Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 700 clients (161 families, 242 single women) and provided 33,000+ nights of shelter in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• All Care Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Care Health Center opened a satellite location at MICAH House in January 2019 as part of the Shelter Reimagined campaign. They manage daily operations of the Florence M. Lakin Health Center, providing both medical and dental services to MICAH House clients and community members.
• United Way of the MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Peer Support Program that places trained peer support teams in area emergency shelters to help alleviate frequent crisis situations experienced by individuals with mental health concerns.
• Community AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Peer Support Program, placing trained peer support specialists in MICAH House on Wednesdays as a source of support for clients dealing with mental health concerns.
• Visiting Nurses AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVNA visits MICAH House weekly to consult with families and women, providing health assessments, screenings, early detection of illnesses, first aid, chronic disease monitoring, and referrals to primary care.
• GooglemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle is the presenting sponsor for the Champagne & Diamonds 2026 event. Google Serve also sent employees to help MICAH House in various ways including cleaning HVAC systems, moving supplies, and updating facilities.
• Mutual of OmahaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMutual of Omaha Women in Leadership group volunteered at MICAH House, cleaning and organizing spaces and preparing/serving lunch to families.
• Girl Scouts of Greater IowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGirl Scout Troop 64224 was established at MICAH House in February 2018. The organization provides free membership to girls living in the shelter and supports the troop's cookie sales and activities. Troop sold 5,000+ boxes of cookies nationwide.
• Boys and Girls Club of the MidlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating with MICAH House on programs and activities for children, including participation in youth mission trip events.
• Heartland Family ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization working with MICAH House to support families experiencing homelessness.
• Women's Center for AdvancementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization collaborating with MICAH House to support women experiencing homelessness.
• Youth Emergency ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization working with MICAH House on services for youth and families.
• Family, IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization collaborating with MICAH House on family services.
• United States Postal ServiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive conducted by USPS resulted in over 5,000 lbs of food donated to MICAH House from the community.
• Learners EdgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducators from Iowa and Nebraska volunteered at MICAH House, painting day room, organizing Buddy Room, and serving lunch to families.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Center for Advancement: Omaha-based nonprofit supporting women and families fleeing domestic violence and homelessness. Comparable mission overlap with MICAH House's women's shelter and is an explicit community partner.
• Family Promise: National nonprofit addressing family homelessness through shelter, prevention, and stabilization programs. Highly comparable to MICAH House's core family-shelter mission, though Family Promise operates an affiliate network across many U.S. cities.
• Heartland Family Service: Omaha/Council Bluffs-area nonprofit providing counseling, housing, and family support services. Listed as a MICAH House community partner and serves overlapping populations with comparable shelter-adjacent programming.
• Youth Emergency Services: Omaha-area nonprofit serving youth and families experiencing homelessness and crisis. Comparable to MICAH House's family-focused shelter services; listed as a MICAH House community partner.
• Catholic Charities of Omaha: Regional Catholic Charities affiliate serving the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro with shelter, housing, and family services. Directly comparable as a same-geography social services provider offering emergency assistance and housing programs.
• Family Inc: Council Bluffs-area family services nonprofit listed as a MICAH House partner. Operates family-support programming in the same geography with overlapping client populations.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable housing organization operating housing for low-income families, seniors, and those experiencing homelessness. Comparable mission and on-site supportive services model, but operates at much greater national scale.
• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing shelter and support services to youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Comparable as a comprehensive shelter-plus-support-services nonprofit, though focused on youth rather than families.
• Salvation Army Omaha: Large national nonprofit operating emergency shelters, transitional housing, and social services across the same regional footprint as MICAH House. Comparable as a multi-program social services provider with overlapping shelter and family-support offerings.

Others

• All Care Health Center: Federally qualified health center operating the Florence M. Lakin Health Center satellite inside MICAH House. Comparable as the on-site clinical services partner enabling MICAH House's integrated health-plus-shelter model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MICAHHouse_IA
• Facebookfacebook.com/MicahHouseIowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/micah-house

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MICAH House