Homeless to HomeFULL
Tax deductible
Meet Ellen and Hunter:
If you can, imagine this: You are living in a tent in the city as a homeless woman. And then you find out you're pregnant.
This is the story of Ellen and Hunter. Ellen was living in a tent and found out she was pregnant. She then tried a couple shelters that didn't work out. She then tried living with a friend. They were smoking pot and selling drugs out of the apartment. (Keep in mind, it's the middle of winter in Northern Ohio.)
She finally found a service that helped her. 90 days later she gets a fully furnished apartment for her and Hunter.
Because of the way the law works out the organization she is working with can't give her money towards rent. They are permitted to give her the deposit. But not the rent.
That's where YOU come in. Thanks to you and this drive we just wrote a check to her new landlord for her first month's rent of $50. This is some of the most life changing money you can donate.
This money is the difference between people like Ellen and Hunter getting a place to live or being left on the street. It's no joke when I say, "You are their only hope." The law doesn't allow other organizations to give this money.
Meet Michael:
Meet Paul:
He is what they classify as "chronically homeless." HUD says that is any person that has been without a home of their own for a year or more.
Paul has been homeless for 7 years.
He doesn't do drugs.
He doesn't drink.
He's not a criminal.
Paul is just homeless. It's as simple as that.
Without going into too many details about his personal life he has found that he has had a lot of difficulty dealing with the stress of every day traditional life.
He has done nothing to "deserve" being homeless. The deck of cards he has been dealt have pushed him into the homeless life for many years.
After 7 long years, Paul has finally been moved up on the list to get a home.
But there is just one problem. In order to move into his home he needs a deposit and first month's rent.
It comes to $92.
As a person who has been out of the traditional system of society, $92 is a huge hurdle. For years he has lived on virtually no money. Just food stamps and his tent.
On top of that, he has to come up with that money in 4 days. From the time he was told he has a place to call his own to when he has to move in is 4 days.
He needs $92 in 4 days. Otherwise, he goes to the back of the list and has to start to process over again. Whether he'll be able to come up with the $92 then is anyone's guess.
Paul's story is the story of so many homeless.
The average wait time from first getting on the list to getting in a home is anywhere from 5 months to 3 years.
If the homeless person can't get the money they start all over again.
You can watch Paul's entire story here:
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO COVER THIS DEPOSIT AND FIRST MONTH'S RENT.
There are no other organizations that cover this money. There are no safety nets for this money. There is no other place these people can go.
THEY NEED YOUR HELP.
Please contribute to this fund so that we'll always have money for the homeless that come into this situation.
After the gofundme fees, 100% of the money donated here will go to the homeless needing their down payment and first month's rent.
The Homeless Charity is all about filling the gaps in the system and meeting the homeless where they are today.
We've found an ongoing problem that is the difference between getting a person in a home and being pushed back out on the street.
So, this is what happens... An amazing group like Community Support Services or Home Again does all the heavy lifting of getting a homeless person into a home.
They get them on the approved list. They guide them through all the paperwork. And they make it all come together.
But there's just one hitch. They have no funding for deposits and they are not allowed to pay AMHA rent.
You might be thinking, that's a huge nut to crack. If you've ever rented an apartment you know that it can be hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get into the apartment.
Here is what a typical depost and first month rent bill looks like for a homeless person in Akron:
The entire thing is usually $100 or less.
I have somone that needs their deposit and first month's rent tomorrow. He needs $92.
Then typically the monthly rent is $50/month. They often can keep that money going by panhandling, social security or doing odd jobs.
Our belief is that we'll help a person get in the first month. But the following months are on them. We aren't a permanent life support. We are just a bridge.
The thing is, $100 for a homeless person might as well be a $1000. They just don't have it.
And the process happens fast!
The guy we need to get in this week was told on Monday that he is moving in on Thursday.
If he doesn't come up with the $92 then he's out of luck. He goes back to the end of the list, which usually has a turn around of 9 months to 3 years.
I'm working on courting some big corporate sponsors. But because we're so new we don't have those contacts yet. We've also started applying for grants. But we don't have any of those in yet either.
The thing I'm learning is that the need of the homeless is so intense and so deep that other organizations will quickly come to anyone (including a tiny, small group like ours) to help out.
We just took in a man who spent 8 months in rehab in North Carolina for a crack addiction. His sponsor and minister told him to come to us after he finished. (That's a hard swallow moment for me, by the way. What kind of qualifications and facilities do I have for a guy like that? Little to none. I have a basement and a backyard.)
The point is, the need is great.
As I see it, a huge need is to get these people into housing if they want.
The big non-profit organizations can't do this last step of getting the deposit and the first month's rent. So, they are coming to us, The Homeless Charity.
And I am coming to you...
You truly are Obi Wan Kenobi. You are our only hope.
I'm working on getting you support through grants and corporations. But until then, no one has anyone else other than you.
I wish it was some other way. But it's not. It's you or nothing.
You are the difference between whether or not a man sleeps in an apartment Thursday night or goes back to his tent. You and $92.
And I'm also sorry to say that this is a problem that doesn't have a quick fix. There will be another man next week. And the week after. And the week after that.
Would you please consider making this donation to help solve the last step of getting a person from being homeless to being homefull?
Also, just to keep you up to date and let you know that I'm keeping close tabs on how money goes in and where it is supposed to go, here is a screenshot from our last deposit and rent drive:
We still have $20.09 to apply for this purpose. So technically we only need $81.91 to get our guy in on Thursday.
If I say money is going to a cause it goes to that cause. I'm not doing any tricky redirecting of money here. There is not overhead in this money, other than the fee gofundme charges. It all goes to the drive at hand.
Understand that you are changing the world in a major way by donating to this cause. This is how our world becomes a better place.
Thank you so much for your support!
Sage
The Homeless Charity
If you can, imagine this: You are living in a tent in the city as a homeless woman. And then you find out you're pregnant.
This is the story of Ellen and Hunter. Ellen was living in a tent and found out she was pregnant. She then tried a couple shelters that didn't work out. She then tried living with a friend. They were smoking pot and selling drugs out of the apartment. (Keep in mind, it's the middle of winter in Northern Ohio.)
She finally found a service that helped her. 90 days later she gets a fully furnished apartment for her and Hunter.
Because of the way the law works out the organization she is working with can't give her money towards rent. They are permitted to give her the deposit. But not the rent.
That's where YOU come in. Thanks to you and this drive we just wrote a check to her new landlord for her first month's rent of $50. This is some of the most life changing money you can donate.
This money is the difference between people like Ellen and Hunter getting a place to live or being left on the street. It's no joke when I say, "You are their only hope." The law doesn't allow other organizations to give this money.
Meet Michael:
Meet Paul:
He is what they classify as "chronically homeless." HUD says that is any person that has been without a home of their own for a year or more.
Paul has been homeless for 7 years.
He doesn't do drugs.
He doesn't drink.
He's not a criminal.
Paul is just homeless. It's as simple as that.
Without going into too many details about his personal life he has found that he has had a lot of difficulty dealing with the stress of every day traditional life.
He has done nothing to "deserve" being homeless. The deck of cards he has been dealt have pushed him into the homeless life for many years.
After 7 long years, Paul has finally been moved up on the list to get a home.
But there is just one problem. In order to move into his home he needs a deposit and first month's rent.
It comes to $92.
As a person who has been out of the traditional system of society, $92 is a huge hurdle. For years he has lived on virtually no money. Just food stamps and his tent.
On top of that, he has to come up with that money in 4 days. From the time he was told he has a place to call his own to when he has to move in is 4 days.
He needs $92 in 4 days. Otherwise, he goes to the back of the list and has to start to process over again. Whether he'll be able to come up with the $92 then is anyone's guess.
Paul's story is the story of so many homeless.
The average wait time from first getting on the list to getting in a home is anywhere from 5 months to 3 years.
If the homeless person can't get the money they start all over again.
You can watch Paul's entire story here:
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO COVER THIS DEPOSIT AND FIRST MONTH'S RENT.
There are no other organizations that cover this money. There are no safety nets for this money. There is no other place these people can go.
THEY NEED YOUR HELP.
Please contribute to this fund so that we'll always have money for the homeless that come into this situation.
After the gofundme fees, 100% of the money donated here will go to the homeless needing their down payment and first month's rent.
The Homeless Charity is all about filling the gaps in the system and meeting the homeless where they are today.
We've found an ongoing problem that is the difference between getting a person in a home and being pushed back out on the street.
So, this is what happens... An amazing group like Community Support Services or Home Again does all the heavy lifting of getting a homeless person into a home.
They get them on the approved list. They guide them through all the paperwork. And they make it all come together.
But there's just one hitch. They have no funding for deposits and they are not allowed to pay AMHA rent.
You might be thinking, that's a huge nut to crack. If you've ever rented an apartment you know that it can be hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get into the apartment.
Here is what a typical depost and first month rent bill looks like for a homeless person in Akron:
The entire thing is usually $100 or less.
I have somone that needs their deposit and first month's rent tomorrow. He needs $92.
Then typically the monthly rent is $50/month. They often can keep that money going by panhandling, social security or doing odd jobs.
Our belief is that we'll help a person get in the first month. But the following months are on them. We aren't a permanent life support. We are just a bridge.
The thing is, $100 for a homeless person might as well be a $1000. They just don't have it.
And the process happens fast!
The guy we need to get in this week was told on Monday that he is moving in on Thursday.
If he doesn't come up with the $92 then he's out of luck. He goes back to the end of the list, which usually has a turn around of 9 months to 3 years.
I'm working on courting some big corporate sponsors. But because we're so new we don't have those contacts yet. We've also started applying for grants. But we don't have any of those in yet either.
The thing I'm learning is that the need of the homeless is so intense and so deep that other organizations will quickly come to anyone (including a tiny, small group like ours) to help out.
We just took in a man who spent 8 months in rehab in North Carolina for a crack addiction. His sponsor and minister told him to come to us after he finished. (That's a hard swallow moment for me, by the way. What kind of qualifications and facilities do I have for a guy like that? Little to none. I have a basement and a backyard.)
The point is, the need is great.
As I see it, a huge need is to get these people into housing if they want.
The big non-profit organizations can't do this last step of getting the deposit and the first month's rent. So, they are coming to us, The Homeless Charity.
And I am coming to you...
You truly are Obi Wan Kenobi. You are our only hope.
I'm working on getting you support through grants and corporations. But until then, no one has anyone else other than you.
I wish it was some other way. But it's not. It's you or nothing.
You are the difference between whether or not a man sleeps in an apartment Thursday night or goes back to his tent. You and $92.
And I'm also sorry to say that this is a problem that doesn't have a quick fix. There will be another man next week. And the week after. And the week after that.
Would you please consider making this donation to help solve the last step of getting a person from being homeless to being homefull?
Also, just to keep you up to date and let you know that I'm keeping close tabs on how money goes in and where it is supposed to go, here is a screenshot from our last deposit and rent drive:
We still have $20.09 to apply for this purpose. So technically we only need $81.91 to get our guy in on Thursday.If I say money is going to a cause it goes to that cause. I'm not doing any tricky redirecting of money here. There is not overhead in this money, other than the fee gofundme charges. It all goes to the drive at hand.
Understand that you are changing the world in a major way by donating to this cause. This is how our world becomes a better place.
Thank you so much for your support!
Sage
The Homeless Charity
Organizer
Sage Lewis
Organizer
Akron, OH
The Homeless Charity
Beneficiary