What Joppa does

Joppa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered at 2326 Euclid Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa. It serves homeless individuals and families across Central Iowa through a coordinated portfolio of programs: a weekly street outreach program that has operated for over 900 consecutive weeks and currently engages 350+ families per week; the Homeless Resource Center, a one-stop facility opened in 2022 providing restrooms, food, clothing, hygiene items, computer access, and job/housing navigation; aftercare support for individuals recently placed in permanent housing; and Joppa Village, an approved permanent supportive housing development at 2501 Maury Street with 50 initial cottage homes planned for chronically homeless individuals and capacity for 200+ homes at full buildout, with construction projected to begin in summer 2026.

The organization's core technology is operational rather than software-based, relying on trained volunteers, field coordinators, and a small staff of approximately 15 people under CEO and cofounder Joe Stevens. The commercial arm is Thriftmart, a multi-store thrift retail operation that functions as Joppa's scalable revenue engine; Thriftmart was voted Best Thrift Store in the 2026 Des Moines People's Choice Awards. Joppa does not receive ongoing state or federal funding. Revenue is generated through four principal streams: private donations from individuals, families, churches, and organizations; Thriftmart retail sales; recurring monthly contributions through the Everyday Angels program; and the Legacy Club endowment, professionally managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, which accepts planned gifts including cash, stocks, IRA rollovers, real estate, life insurance, and cryptocurrency.

Joppa reports cumulative outcomes of 801 people lifted off the streets since 2008 (117 in 2025 alone), with 84% of those helped remaining off the streets, alongside 200,000+ client visits, 600,000+ pounds of trash collected, and 1,000,000+ pounds of food delivered over 17 years. The organization is an official replicator of the Community First! Village model from Austin, Texas, and has built a broad partnership ecosystem including Primary Health Care, Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Broadlawns Medical Center, and the Veterans Affairs administration for referral and service coordination.

Name

Joppa

Legal name

Joppa

Website

https://joppa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Joppa is a Des Moines, Iowa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that provides outreach, a Homeless Resource Center, aftercare, and the planned Joppa Village permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families across Central Iowa, funded by private donations and Thriftmart retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless Services and Permanent Supportive Housing

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 industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Affordable/Subsidized Independent Living (HUD/LIHTC) Communities (HLADAAAB)

Keywords

• Homeless outreach services
• Permanent supportive housing
• Nonprofit resource center
• Community development charity
• Donor-funded social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations and Contributions: Joppa relies heavily on private funding from individual donors, families, churches, and organizations. The organization explicitly states it does not receive ongoing state or federal funding.
2. Thriftmart Revenue: Thriftmart is Joppa's scalable revenue engine. With multiple stores, Thriftmart has the potential to one day cover all of Joppa's core operating costs. The thrift store sells donated goods and generates mission support revenue.
3. Planned Giving and Endowment: The Joppa Legacy Club accepts planned gifts, endowment contributions, and various assets including cash, donor-advised funds, stock transfers, IRA rollovers, real estate, life insurance, and cryptocurrency. The endowment is professionally managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.
4. Monthly Giving (Everyday Angels): Recurring monthly contributions from Everyday Angel monthly support partners provide consistent and reliable funding for programs and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Joppa is a Des Moines-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps homeless individuals and families survive, find housing, and rebuild their lives through weekly street outreach, a Homeless Resource Center, aftercare support, and the planned Joppa Village permanent supportive housing community. The organization supplements its mission through Thriftmart, a multi-store thrift retail operation that serves as a scalable revenue engine, and through community education, signature events, and volunteer mobilization across Central Iowa.

Product overview

Joppa is a nonprofit organization offering a coordinated suite of homeless services, housing, and education programs. The core offering centers on Homeless Services (outreach, survival programs, aftercare) and a Homeless Resource Center providing one-stop support. Major initiatives include Joppa Village (permanent supportive housing via cottage homes) and Thriftmart (revenue-generating thrift store). Education programs include signature events and advocacy. Supporting offerings include volunteer programs, prayer partnerships, supply donations, and various giving mechanisms (Everyday Angel monthly giving, Legacy Club planned giving, Matching Gifts). The portfolio integrates direct service delivery with community engagement and sustainable funding mechanisms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joppa Village: Planned neighborhood of Cottage Homes designed to provide permanent supportive housing, relationships and community for chronically homeless individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of people helped remain off the streets
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community First! Village (Mobile Loaves & Fishes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoppa is an official replicator of Community First! Village in Austin, Texas, which is being emulated nation-wide. This partnership provides the model and framework for Joppa Village, Joppa's planned permanent supportive housing development for chronically homeless individuals.
• Community Foundation of Greater Des MoinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Joppa endowment is professionally managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, ensuring responsible stewardship and long-term growth of the Legacy Club endowment fund.
• Primary Health CareminorOthersReferral partner that sends homeless individuals to Joppa for services including mail delivery. Part of the Street Outreach Coalition.
• Central Iowa Shelter & ServicesminorOthersPartner organization participating in the Iowa Homeless Memorial and collaborative efforts to address homelessness.
• Broadlawns Medical CenterminorOthersHealthcare partner participating in the Iowa Homeless Memorial and collaborative community efforts.
• Veterans AffairsminorOthersFederal partner providing services to homeless veterans who are also served by Joppa programs.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable and supportive housing developer serving low-income and formerly homeless families. Comparable on permanent supportive housing development, services model, and scale of real estate operations.
• Family Promise: National nonprofit addressing family homelessness through shelter, housing stabilization, and prevention programs. Comparable on mission, target population, and faith-based community-mobilization model.
• Habitat for Humanity: Large nonprofit developer of affordable housing with volunteer-driven construction and ReStores (thrift retail) that fund mission. Comparable on combining housing development with a thrift-retail revenue engine and faith-based community engagement.
• Mobile Loaves & Fishes (Community First! Village): Austin-based nonprofit operating Community First! Village, the permanent supportive housing model Joppa is officially replicating for Joppa Village. Direct model partner and most relevant comparable for the core housing strategy.
• Central Iowa Shelter & Services: Des Moines-based emergency shelter and homeless services provider that participates in the Iowa Homeless Memorial with Joppa. Directly comparable on homeless services delivery within the same primary service geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Alliance to End Homelessness: National policy and advocacy organization focused on preventing and ending homelessness. Comparable on policy positioning and federal-funding navigation that Joppa currently forgoes by relying solely on private donations.
• Salvation Army: Faith-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and homeless outreach nationwide. Comparable on the faith-based, community-mobilization approach to serving homeless populations.
• Goodwill Industries International: Large nonprofit operating thrift retail (Goodwill stores) to fund job-training and social-service programs. Most directly comparable to Thriftmart as a mission-subsidizing retail engine.

Regional players

• Open Door Mission: Midwest faith-based nonprofit offering emergency shelter, food, and recovery programs for homeless and poor individuals. Comparable on regional homeless services delivery and faith-based operating model.
• Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC): Central Iowa interfaith nonprofit operating food pantries and an emergency food pantry network serving people experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable on faith-based community-mobilization model in Joppa's primary service geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JoppaOutreach
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/JoppaOutreach
• Facebookfacebook.com/JoppaOutreach
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joppa-outreach
• Instagraminstagram.com/JoppaOutreach

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Joppa