Lookout Village started as and idea from the Neola Development, Inc. Board of Directors. The Neola Development, Inc. (now Neola Betterment Corp.) started looking for ways to improve the lives of seniors in the Neola community. They currently own and operate the existing senior apartments in Neola, and a few board members started discussing the need for additional senior apartments. Their mission is to help seniors and people with disabilities stay in the community. The Neola Development, Inc. board was rejuvenated with a new project and purpose! They completed a community survey, researched surrounding facilities, completed a formal Elderly Housing Survey and met with countless groups and individuals to determine what would best fit the needs of the Neola community. It was determined that we do have a need for additional independent living apartments and they are currently building 10 additional units on First Street. However, Neola does not yet have the capacity to support an assisted living facility, but they still felt the need to provide services to people in the community. Neola has a long-standing history of neighbors helping neighbors and they felt that the Village to Village model would be a great vehicle to provide those services.
Lookout Village became the second Village to Village model in Iowa, opening in April of 2018. The initial service area included Neola, Iowa and in 2021 they expanded services to Minden, Iowa.