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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Focuss

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Focuss was created in 2015, we are a Non Profit 5013c.

Our team Focuses on educating and empowering our youth with the skills to succeed in life and to attain their greatest potential. Objective-Create opportunities to teach our youth responsibility, teamwork, and financial stability to be successful leaders among family, friends and in the community. Our program will prepare them for real-life challenges such as job interviews, appropriate attire, body language, healthy living habits, financials, and positive relationship goal.

10/10/2026

❤️ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO FOCUSS ❤️

As we celebrate another year of FOCUSS, we take a moment to reflect on our journey, the lessons we’ve learned, the people we’ve met, and the experiences that have shaped us into who we are today.

FOCUSS has and always will be about the community, ALL communities. We don’t just talk about making a difference; we put action behind it. There is no better feeling than helping people simply because it’s the right thing to do.

I was once asked, “What does it take to be a leader?”

I said that being a leader can be one of the loneliest feelings in the world. The choices you make will be hard, but sometimes they have to be made. Choosing the right team is a must because when things go wrong, as leaders, we have to take the hit. But the reality is, even when you do right, people will still blame you.

There are plenty of sleepless nights because your mind never stops thinking. You write things down, then think even more. God doesn’t allow you to see the world only for what you want it to be; God forces you to see it for what it really is. And sometimes, that can be frustrating.

Truth becomes your best friend and your worst enemy. Your best friend because you can sleep easy knowing you did the right thing, but your worst enemy because the truth can hurt people. Sometimes it reveals things about people you thought were close to you.

But the one thing that eases your heart, your mind, and your soul is seeing the smiles on the faces of our young people and their families, knowing that in some way, you have helped. Seeing people with lived experience get an opportunity to do right, to help others, and to teach from the experiences life has given them is something we are truly grateful for.

At FOCUSS, we are beyond grateful for every experience we have had on this journey and truly humbled by everyone we have met along the way.

Our ups and downs have shaped us. We have never looked at anything as a loss, but as a lesson.

The pain of seeing young people lose their lives is something that stays with you. But so does the joy of seeing what can happen when you help a young person believe in themselves and realise that there is more to life than the circumstances they find themselves in.

We have learned so much along this journey. One thing we have come to understand is that it won’t always be the people you think should help who will be there. Sometimes, it will be the people God places in your path.

Some people won’t see the vision, and that’s okay. It’s not their vision to see. Others may not fully see what you see, but they believe in you enough to work alongside you, support you, challenge you, and help you keep going.

To those people, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your grace, your patience, your kind words, and for challenging me when I needed it. I am truly humbled by every one of you.

Another year For FOCUSS, we know that the journey hasn’t always been easy, but every experience has taught us something. We continue to learn, grow, and understand that this work is bigger than any one person.

We don’t do this for recognition, praise, or to prove people wrong. We do it because people matter. Our young people matter. Our families matter. Our communities matter.

And as long as we have the opportunity to make a difference, we will continue to do what we believe is right.

To everyone who has been part of our journey, whether for a moment or from the very beginning, thank you. You have all played a part in shaping FOCUSS in one way or another.

Happy Anniversary to FOCUSS. ❤️🙏🏽
10-10-2026

10/09/2026

A HUGE THANK YOU TO HARVEST ACADEMY! 🙏🏾🏀

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Harvest Academy for inviting us to your facility and making us feel so welcome. Not only did I get to see the incredible work being done, meet the men who are working hard to change their lives, and witness the impact of your organization, but I also got to relive a little of my childhood playing ping pong and basketball! 😂🏓🏀

There is nothing more powerful than an organization that genuinely loves what it does and truly cares about every person who walks through its doors. That kind of passion speaks volumes about the culture you are building and the lives you are changing every single day.

Troy, thank you for the hospitality! But just know, you’re next on the basketball court! 😂🏀 I hope you got your warm-up in 💪🏾

I can’t wait to see what the future holds and the doors that will open as we continue doing this important work in our communities.

One thing I believe with all my heart is that we all have a story, but sometimes our stories become someone else’s lessons on the road to success. Our past does not have to define our future. The things we’ve overcome, the lessons we’ve learned, and the changes we make can inspire someone else to believe that change is possible for them, too.

To Harvest Academy, keep creating an environment where men can grow, rebuild, discover their purpose, and write new chapters in their lives. Keep creating the stories, because those stories are creating success, hope, and inspiration for others.

Thank you again for welcoming us into your space. What you’re doing matters, and I look forward to seeing what’s next!

Different stories. New beginnings. Shared purpose. Stronger communities.

Harvest Academy Iowa

10/08/2026

A Commitment to Our Youth, Families, and Communities

“Polk County’s commitment to the FOCUSS Youth Crisis Observation Center is more than an investment in an organization—it is a commitment to Polk County’s youth, families, and communities.

By supporting FOCUSS, Polk County is choosing to take the lead in fighting for young people experiencing crisis in all its forms. Crisis can involve behavioral health, human trafficking, gun violence, addiction, trauma, homelessness, exploitation, or other circumstances that can place a young person and their family in an immediate crisis.

The impact of this commitment can be life-changing. It means creating a safe place for youth during a crisis, responding when help is needed, and connecting young people and their families to resources and a continuum of care as quickly as possible. It also means giving schools, law enforcement, first responders, and community partners another option when a young person needs help.

What makes the FOCUSS model especially important is that our Mobile Crisis Team is built into the Youth Crisis Observation Center. We are not simply waiting for a youth to come through our doors—we can take crisis response into the community and meet young people where the crisis is happening.

We believe this combination of mobile crisis response, observation, stabilization, and connection to ongoing resources represents an important approach to serving youth and families. It allows FOCUSS to respond not only to the crisis in front of us, but also to what comes next.

Polk County is not only making a commitment to address youth crisis today; it is helping create a model that can have an impact throughout District 5 and across the state of Iowa. This partnership sends a powerful message: our young people matter, their families matter, and when a youth is in crisis, we must be willing to meet them where they are and provide the right help at the right time.

FOCUSS is grateful to Polk County for believing in this vision and for standing with us in the work of protecting, supporting, and creating better pathways forward for our youth.

“Be the change you needed when you were young.”

Area’s Focuss serves (Map) coming soon
Polk County Iowa

10/06/2026

Focuss Crisis Observation Center
Doors opening SOON

ANNOUNCEMENT COMING
10-08-2026

We’re thankful for the entire Polk County Board of Supervisors and for the support they have shown to our youth, families, and communities. But I also want to recognize.

((Mark Holm & Jill Altringer))

because I personally watched them push a little harder, listen a little more carefully, and show up with the intention of truly understanding what we were trying to accomplish.

And if you take a deeper look at the message behind that support, it is bigger than one organization or one neighborhood.

Yes, they may live in a good neighborhood. But the statement being made through this work is that every neighborhood deserves to be safe. Every family deserves access to resources. Every young person deserves an opportunity to get help when they are in crisis.

Resources should not depend on what side of town you live on, what your neighborhood looks like, what your income is, or whether you fit into someone else’s idea of where support should go.

Our youth and families deserve to know that their community sees them, hears them, and is willing to show up for them.

So, Supervisor Mark Holmes,Jill Altringer thank you for showing up, listening, asking questions, and taking the time to understand the work.

FOCUSS is grateful. Our youth are grateful. Our families are grateful. And our communities will benefit

Thank you for standing with youth, families, and community

Polk County Iowa

Mark Holm Polk County Supervisor

Jill Altringer for Polk County Supervisor

10/05/2026

🚨((FOCUSS Warren County Indianola, Iowa Satellite Office))🚨

FOCUSS would like to extend our sincere gratitude to (Sue Wilson) Team (We LIFT) for partnering with (FOCUSS), believing in the work, believing in the partnership, and believing in our youth and famlies. And especially, thank you for the great work ((WE LIFT)) continue to do, your steadfast commitment, and your leadership in a growing Community and County.

We are grateful to walk alongside you as we continue building a stronger community together helping youth and families in Warren County. This partnership gives (FOCUSS) a local presence where we can serve youth and families in the community.

A Satellite Office in Warren County (Indianola) will bridge a critical gap in local youth mental and behavioral health care. This office acts as a direct, localized extension of (FOCUSS’s) specialized Youth Crisis Observation Centers (COC)] where Focuss can add to and strenghen the already great resources in indianola & warren county

By placing a (FOCUSS) location in Indianola, vital resources, clinical
expertise, and immediate interventions using (FOCUSS) crisis network are easily accessible to Warren County families, schools, and first responders. The connection between the Indianola Satellite Office and the (FOCUSS) Youth COC network is critical in serving the Youth and families in Warren County.
We are excited to join the other organizations doing great work in the great communities of Warren County

((WE LIFT )) Up Community’s bringing in resources to serve all

Welift Resources

10/03/2026

FOCUSS YOUTH CRISIS OBSERVATION CENTER

FOCUSS Inc. is proud to announce that we were able to Acquire the lot located directly next to the FOCUSS Youth Crisis Observation Center in Newton, Iowa.

This is more than additional property. It is an investment in the future of our youth, families, and the Newton community.

As FOCUSS continues to grow, we know that the needs of our youth and families will continue to grow as well. Having the property next to our current center gives FOCUSS the opportunity to look toward future expansion, additional services, and creating more resources for young people experiencing crisis.

Our vision has always been bigger than one building.

We are building a continuum of care where youth and families can find support, resources, connection, and hope when they need it most.

That is why space matters. Resources matter. Partnerships matter. And having the ability to grow matters.

We are excited about what this new property can mean for the future of FOCUSS and the young people we serve. While we continue to develop our plans for the property, our commitment remains the same:

Update on Youth Crisis Center
Plumber will be doing his part as we move forward on getting the doors open, Thank you for your patience 🙏🏾

No family left behind.

09/30/2026

🎉 FOCUSS would like to congratulate Capstone and their entire staff on their Open House and newly remodeled space!

The new space looks absolutely awesome and is truly well deserved!

Capstone has been a staple in Newton and Jasper County for many years, and the work they do to support individuals, families, and our communities is deeply appreciated.

We are grateful for the continued commitment, dedication, and positive impact Capstone brings to our community.

Congratulations, Capstone! We’re excited to see all that’s ahead! 👏🎉

Capstone Behavioral Healthcare

09/24/2026

FOCUSS would like to extend our sincere and heartfelt thanks to (Variety) for their generous donation to FOCUSS.

This generous donation is also a meaningful investment in the City of Newton and Jasper County as we take important steps closer to opening the FOCUSS Youth Crisis Observation Center.

We are humbled and grateful for the support of our donors and community partners. (Variety) has supported nonprofits immensely and has remained steadfast in helping provide support for crucial services in communities. Bringing much-needed resources to areas and building upon the resources that already exist is an important part of strengthening the continuum of care needed in Jasper County.

Our goal is simple: no family left behind and no youth feeling left out.

When we invest in our youth, we invest in the future of our communities.

We have received many calls asking us, “Are you open yet?”

We hear you. We see you. And we want you to know that we are working hard every day to get there.

Every step, every challenge, every donation, every conversation, and every person who has stood beside us has brought us closer to opening the FOCUSS Youth Crisis Observation Center.

Again From Focuss, Jasper County and the city of Newton thank you (Variety) 🙏🏽Variety - the Children's Charity of Iowa

09/23/2026

FOCUSS would like to acknowledge Starts Right Here as they continue to grow and create opportunities for youth.

Organizations like Starts Right Here remind us that when we give young people access to resources, support, and positive opportunities, we are helping them build a stronger future.

No one organization can do it alone. We have to work together, support one another, and make sure our youth have a network of organizations willing to show up and say, “We care about you, and we believe in your future.”

FOCUSS is committed to doing our part and remaining steadfast in serving our youth and having partnerships with organizations that share this mission.

STARTS RIGHT HERE + FOCUSS

A partnership built around one powerful belief: every young person deserves the opportunity to pursue their goals, chase their dreams, and experience happiness.

Together, we are stronger. Iron sharpens iron.

Starts Right Here

09/21/2026

FOCUSS STANDS WITH POLK COUNTY

On behalf of FOCUSS Inc., I want to personally congratulate Polk County Sheriff Kevin J. Schneider and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on the launch of

🎈👏🏾I.G.N.I.T.E. — Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.👏🏾🎈

As the CEO of FOCUSS, I believe strongly that public safety is about more than what happens after a crisis or after someone enters the justice system. It is also about what we do to help people make better choices, gain education and skills, address behavioral health and addiction, and return to our communities with a plan for a better future.

The reality is that many people who enter the Polk County Jail will eventually return to our neighborhoods, families, workplaces, and communities. What happens while they are there matters.

I.G.N.I.T.E. creates an opportunity to replace idle time with education, job training, accountability, mentorship, and hope. Those are investments that can benefit not only the individual, but their families and the entire Polk County community.

FOCUSS is proud to stand beside Sheriff Schneider and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office as they take this important step. We believe this is how communities become stronger.

At FOCUSS, we believe that when we stop working in separate corners and start working together, we can change lives, strengthen families, and build a safer community for everyone.

Community first. Partnership always.

If you or someone you know is interested in partnering with the Polk County Sheriff's
Office to support I.G.N.I.T.E., please contact

Sheriff Kevin Schneider at
[email protected] at your earliest convenience.

— Darnell Loatman
CEO, FOCUSS Inc.

Polk County Sheriff's Office, Iowa

Address

110 SE GRANT Street
Ankeny, IA
50021

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15156398376

Website

http://FocussInc.org/

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