January 12, 2026

EveryStep Helps with the Joy and Pains of Home Ownership for Altoona Family

Rachel and James Bissett were extra joyful to see EveryStep at their doorstep in December – for more than one reason. 

Healthy Homes Consultant Taylor Berns was there to join the family for a consultation with Polk County Housing Services as they work to update and upgrade their home.  Taylor’s arrival brings a surprise with it – a Share the Joy tote. 

EveryStep was able to share joy with 130 central Iowa families over the 2025 holiday season thanks to the gracious support of Prairie Meadows and EveryStep partner Flynn Wright and our Young Professionals team who helped pack and deliver the totes.  Each tote was filled with more than a dozen household items – including laundry detergent and toiletries. 

The totes arrived at EveryStep clients’ doors just weeks before Christmas and filled a chunk of the family’s monthly shopping list – freeing up money to be spent celebrating the season.  It’s not the first time that EveryStep has surprised the Bissetts. 

Shortly after becoming clients, Rachel revealed that the family vehicle was causing her anxiety – and affecting her care.  Taylor passed along their concerns, and EveryStep’s Foundation answered the call. 

“You guys helped get us new tires! Our tires were almost bald. I guarantee we probably would have gotten to an accident,” says Rachel, “We weren't going anywhere anymore just because it wasn't safe.”   

That included Rachel missing appointments with doctors.  With their car now road-ready again, that is a thing of the past.  “It's a huge thing. For medications, you have to go in person and have an appointment. I am on a lot of medication,” Rachel says. 

The Bissetts are next working on making their home safer for Rachel as well.  That’s where EveryStep again can help.  James and Rachel are worried about her future mobility, and the answer to that problem is beyond James’ know-how. 

“I replaced the transformer on our air conditioning unit with just YouTube and talking to the warranty people. They were like: you can do this, just watch this video,” James says.  But when it comes to home construction and ADA compliance, he knew he needed help. 

“Accessibility to the home and accessibility for bathroom” are their biggest immediate concerns, James says, “and then just general assistance for things that we're needing help with.”   

Inside the home, that means new fixtures and plumbing work in the bathroom.  Outside it means changes to the front entry and a ramp project that is bigger and will require more engineering than James knew was permitted by code. 

“If I would’ve done it, it definitely wouldn’t have been ... uh, permittable. I mean, YouTube is great, but it's only so useful,” he says.  James learned his initial plan wouldn’t be feasible and that the best solution is going to involve more planning than he knew – but he’s working with the experts now to get it done right. 

In the Bissett living room sits another reminder of their connection with EveryStep.  On a shelf in an envelope is a small metal leaf engraved with Rachel’s grandfather’s name – a memorial after his passing at Kavanagh House.  “I spent many hours in ... Kavanagh House.  The people there were so wonderful. They were great to my grandpa,” she says, “They made, um, his last days wonderful, and all of our family were comfortable, and they were just great.”