About Hope Haven

15+

Communities Served

50+

Community Living Homes

110

Countries Reached

15+

Wheelchairs Distributed

Mission

As followers of Christ, we partner with people in developing work and life skills so that they may enjoy a productive life in their community.

Vision

Hope Haven is community committed to the special creation of God that is the human being; encouraging the realization of dreams, desires, and aspirations; valuing gifts, talents, and contributions; sharing accountability for individual and community growth.

Core Values

We are:

Christ Followers
Welcoming
Accountable
Compassionate
Innovative

how to get involved

Make A

Donation

Support life-changing

services locally and

around the world.

Join Our

Team

Build a career helping

people live with greater

independence.

Attend Our

Events

Connect with our missions

through benefits, fundraisers,

and community events.

Volunteer

Your Time

Use your skills to support

our local programs or our

international wheelchair ministry.

both local and

global impact

Hope Haven began in 1964 as a school for children with disabilities in Rock Valley, Iowa. Today, that same vision continues through local disability services across Iowa and Minnesota and our international wheelchair ministry around the world.

At home, we help people

build skills, independence,

and community.

Around the world, we help

provide mobility, dignity, and

opportunity.

Same vision. Two ways to live it.

^{He smiled so wide, his whole}

^{face changed.}

James is 9 years old and lives in rural Kenya. He was born with a spinal condition that left him unable to walk. For years, his mother carried him everywhere. Last March, a Hope Haven International team fitted James with a KidChair specially designed for rough terrain. It cost $300 to build. It changed everything.

Two Questions. One Calling.

Hope Haven’s story began not with a detailed plan, but with people who recognized a need and felt called to respond.

At two defining moments in our history, that calling was expressed through two simple questions.

Two Questions. One Calling.

Hope Haven’s story began not with a detailed plan, but with people who recognized a need and felt called to respond.

At two defining moments in our history, that calling was expressed through two simple questions.

“What can we do?”

In the late 1950s, four people in Northwest Iowa recognized that children with disabilities were being overlooked and underserved. Rather than accepting the limitations placed before them, they began asking what could be done.

Their response led to the founding of Hope Haven. In 1964, Hope Haven opened its doors in Rock Valley, Iowa, serving 11 children with three staff members. What began as one small program grew as new needs were recognized and new opportunities were created.

Today, Hope Haven provides services and supports that help children and adults with disabilities live, work, build relationships, pursue their goals, and participate more fully in their communities.

“What can we do?”

In the late 1950s, four people in Northwest Iowa recognized that children with disabilities were being overlooked and underserved. Rather than accepting the limitations placed before them, they began asking what could be done.

Their response led to the founding of Hope Haven. In 1964, Hope Haven opened its doors in Rock Valley, Iowa, serving 11 children with three staff members. What began as one small program grew as new needs were recognized and new opportunities were created.

Today, Hope Haven provides services and supports that help children and adults with disabilities live, work, build relationships, pursue their goals, and participate more fully in their communities.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Thirty years later, another question expanded Hope Haven’s mission beyond the communities it served locally.

In 1994, Hope Haven International Ministries began responding to the overwhelming need for wheelchairs and mobility equipment around the world.

What began with collecting and refurbishing donated wheelchairs grew to include the production of specialized pediatric wheelchairs, trusted international partnerships, volunteer workshops, and distribution teams that personally fit equipment to each recipient.

Since then, Hope Haven International Ministries has provided more than 155,000 wheelchairs in 110 countries, helping people experience greater mobility, independence, and participation in everyday life.

Different Questions. The Same Response.

See the person. Recognize the need. Respond in faith.

Although Hope Haven’s local services and International Ministries developed in different ways, they are grounded in the same belief: every person is created by God with value, purpose, gifts, and the right to participate fully in their community.

The needs may look different. The response remains the same. We meet people where they are, listen to what matters to them, and help create opportunities for greater independence, connection, dignity, and belonging.

Different Questions. The Same Response.

See the person. Recognize the need. Respond in faith.

Although Hope Haven’s local services and International Ministries developed in different ways, they are grounded in the same belief: every person is created by God with value, purpose, gifts, and the right to participate fully in their community.

The needs may look different. The response remains the same. We meet people where they are, listen to what matters to them, and help create opportunities for greater independence, connection, dignity, and belonging.

Same Vision. Two Ways to

Live It.

Whether supporting someone in a Hope Haven community or providing mobility to a child across the world, our purpose remains the same. We believe people with disabilities should have opportunities to live, participate, contribute, and belong.

That belief continues to shape every service we provide, every wheelchair we build, every partnership we form, and every person we serve.

Same Vision. Two Ways to

Live It.

Whether supporting someone in a Hope Haven community or providing mobility to a child across the world, our purpose remains the same. We believe people with disabilities should have opportunities to live, participate, contribute, and belong.

That belief continues to shape every service we provide, every wheelchair we build, every partnership we form, and every person we serve.

Same Vision. Two Ways to Live It.

Whether supporting someone in a Hope Haven community or providing mobility to a child across the world, our purpose remains the same. We believe people with disabilities should have opportunities to live, participate, contribute, and belong.

That belief continues to shape every service we provide, every wheelchair we build, every partnership we form, and every person we serve.

In Their Words

“Over the decades, Hope Haven has helped thousands of clients aspire in carrying out God’s kingdom plan by embracing each person’s unique skills, traits, and abilities.”

— Randy Feenstra, Iowa State Senator

“Over 40 years later, our daughter lives independently and is an active member of her community. Hope Haven’s commitment to excellence has never wavered.”

— Ron Boote, Hope Haven Board President

“I have long admired and respected the commitment of my good friends at Hope Haven as they strive to make a huge difference in the lives of people with disabilities in the name of Christ, whether that’s here in the U.S. or abroad.”

— Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends

“We make the invisible God visible through the way we love and care for others—and that’s exactly what Hope Haven does. Their heart for people with disabilities and their mission to provide mobility is truly inspiring.”

— Michael Panther, Hope Mobility

“Hope Haven is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.”

— Joe Van Tol, Hope Haven Support Foundation Board President

In Their Words

“Over the decades, Hope Haven has helped thousands of clients aspire in carrying out God’s kingdom plan by embracing each person’s unique skills, traits, and abilities.”

— Randy Feenstra, Iowa State Senator

“Over 40 years later, our daughter lives independently and is an active member of her community. Hope Haven’s commitment to excellence has never wavered.”

— Ron Boote, Hope Haven Board President

“I have long admired and respected the commitment of my good friends at Hope Haven as they strive to make a huge difference in the lives of people with disabilities in the name of Christ, whether that’s here in the U.S. or abroad.”

— Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends

“We make the invisible God visible through the way we love and care for others—and that’s exactly what Hope Haven does. Their heart for people with disabilities and their mission to provide mobility is truly inspiring.”

— Michael Panther, Hope Mobility

“Hope Haven is a testimony of God’s faithfulness.”

— Joe Van Tol, Hope Haven Support Foundation Board President

More Than 60 Years of Responding

From serving 11 children in Rock Valley to supporting people throughout Iowa, Minnesota, and communities around the world, Hope Haven’s story has always been one of recognizing needs and responding with faith.

The organization has grown and changed over the decades, but its foundation has remained the same: a belief in the value of every person and a commitment to creating opportunities for people with disabilities.

1959

The concept for Hope Haven emerges in Rock Valley, Iowa.

1964

Hope Haven is established, serving 11 children with three staff members.

1968

Work Training Center opens, offering real work opportunities and training for adults with disabilities.

1983

First three residential sites are built.

1988

Mental Health & Recovery services are established.

1994

International Ministries begins, providing mobility through worldwide wheelchair distributions.

1998

The Work Training Center becomes Double HH Manufacturing.

2001

The KidChair Wheelchair is introduced and begins distribution around the world.

2010

Employment services expand into Worthington, MN through the acquisition of The Achievement Center (TAC).

2014

Expansion into Spirit Lake and Estherville regions through the acquisition of Echo Plus.

2015

Partnership with Sunshine Services begins in Spencer, IA.

2018

Faith, Hope & Charity of Storm Lake, IA is acquired by Hope Haven.

2020

Covid-19: Milestone of the global pandemic.

2021

Hope Haven receives 16th consecutive Three-Year Accreditation from CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities).

2024

The June 22 flood caused extensive damage in various locations throughout Hope Haven, including the main office building in Rock Valley, offices in Sheldon, Spencer, and Rock Rapids, nine community living facilities, and the Hope Haven International Ministries workshop.

2025

Host Home Program & Smart Living Program launches.

Your Next Step Starts Here

Hope Haven’s story continues through the people we serve, the families and communities we support, the volunteers who give their time, and the donors and partners who make this work possible.

Whether you are seeking support or looking to make an impact, your next step starts here.