The Polk County Continuum of Care announced that it has changed its name to Homeward, effective Sept. 1. The nonprofit organization said the new name better represents its work to end homelessness in Polk County. The new Homeward brand name reflects the agency’s focus on ensuring residents will not just survive but thrive by moving to stable, permanent housing, the organization said in a press release. “Our previous name was difficult to say and derived from federal housing language,” said Angie Arthur, executive director of Homeward. “We wanted to instead create a simple, trusted brand unique to Polk County to better connect with partners and residents about homelessness in our community.” Along with the announcement of the new name and brand, Homeward unveiled its new website — homewardiowa.org — which will serve as a hub of strategic planning and expertise on homelessness.