Home / Our Mission
Who we are
The Beacon, legally Beacon of Life, was founded in 1980 to provide safe housing and support for women in crisis in Des Moines. For more than four decades we have walked alongside women rebuilding after homelessness, trauma, and hardship. We open the door. She walks through it.
Our mission, since 1980
Creating an environment that empowers women in crisis to achieve positive, lasting change.
Empowered women empower generations.
Our story
Over time, The Beacon grew from a traditional women's shelter into a trauma-informed, peer-supported recovery and supportive housing organization.
Our growth has been guided by one belief. Women need more than temporary shelter to achieve long-term change. They need safety, structure, accountability, recovery support, case management, community, financial stability, and time.
Today that means structured recovery housing at The Beacon at Sherman Hill, permanent affordable housing at The Beacon Village, and up to three years of support after graduation, all still rooted in the original mission.
1980
Founded in Des Moines to provide safe housing and support for women in crisis.
1986
Beacon of Life becomes a registered nonprofit, so neighbors, businesses, and foundations can invest in this work through tax-deductible gifts and grants.
First
The Beacon at Sherman Hill becomes the first NARR-certified recovery residence in the state.
2024
A former motel becomes 32 studio apartments of permanent, affordable recovery housing, the first NARR apartment community of its kind in the U.S.
2026
New state funding will expand the main floor with four ADA-accessible beds and a kitchen large enough for all 34 women and their visiting children.
Today
Across two campuses, with 71 graduates still supported through the Graduate Program.
Our values
The same five values guide every woman at Sherman Hill. They are simple on purpose.
01
Go to what you said you would go to. Showing up consistently is the single most important thing you can do here.
02
Be where you said you would be. Do what you agreed to do. If you cannot, say so before you miss it, not after.
03
Treat every person and every space here with care. Other people's peace belongs to them.
04
With staff, with each other, with yourself. Coming forward is always met with more support than being found out.
05
When something goes wrong, own it. The women who grow the most are the ones who face it and keep going.
How we walk alongside
We do not walk in front of a woman and pull. We do not walk behind her and push. We walk alongside her. We can point toward the door and stand next to her while she opens it, but the opening is hers. A life she builds herself is a life she can hold onto.
She built this.
01
We tell stories that build understanding, not pity.
02
We communicate with clarity, not urgency.
03
We lead with dignity, accountability, and trust.
2026 impact, both campuses
January through May 2026, across Sherman Hill and The Beacon Village.
6,276
Sober days recorded
1,889
Recovery meetings attended
1,631
Case management meetings held
2,260
Wellness activities completed
Chief Executive Officer
Amy leads The Beacon's staff, board, and long-term strategy, including the growth of The Beacon Village and the move toward a sustainable, asset-based model. For press and media, email ceo@thebeacondm.org.
Our team and board
The Beacon is guided by a dedicated staff and a volunteer Board of Directors, led by board president Meredith Cooney, committed to dignity, accountability, and trust.
Meet the team →
