History

One child, one home

LSI’s story starts with a child who needed a home.

1864	A German Lutheran pastor opened a home for orphans of the Civil War in Andrew, Iowa. The location later changed to Waverly and became the Bremwood Lutheran Children’s Home.
1870	Swedish Lutherans set aside 160 acres for a children’s home in Stanton, Iowa, and planted the roots of what would later become Lutheran Social Service of Iowa (LSS).
1890	Norwegian Lutherans open the Beloit Lutheran Children’s Home in Beloit, Iowa, which was later relocated to Ames.

150 years of service

LSI began as a safe place for one child. Today LSI is one of Iowa’s largest human services agencies, supporting thousands of people each year.

Today we are still committed to making sure children have safe, permanent homes. We also support families, people with disabilities, people of refugee status, elderly adults and many others.

For nearly 150 years, LSI has stood beside Iowa’s most vulnerable. We invite you to join us in continuing this mission of service for many years to come.

A legacy of hope

1939	Lutheran Welfare Society is incorporated.
1944	Beloit begins new focus of serving children with mental health needs.
1947	Refugee program begins with the arrival of 10 children and one adult from Eastern Europe.
1955	Bremwood becomes the first accredited psychiatric residential treatment center for Iowa youth.
1963	Lutheran Welfare Society changes its name to Lutheran Social Service of Iowa (LSS).
1960s	Civil Rights era projects are launched, such as the Black Mobile Street Worker project, economic development and counselor training for Native American tribes.
1970s	LSS begins resettling Southeast Asian refugees to Iowa.
1970s	In-home services begin, where trained staff literally “move in” with a family in crisis to keep a family intact.
1982	Beloit merges with LSS.
1990s	Home health care program grows, helping more elderly Iowans stay in their homes.
1990s	Programs for people with disabilities are expanded, tripling the number of clients.
2003	LSS integrates with Bremwood, forming Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) and creating one of Iowa’s largest human service agencies.
2006	LSI established as a partner agency in Iowa KidsNet, a statewide collaboration that finds all of Iowa’s foster and adoptive homes.