The Grant Project of Angels Above: Review and Explanation

Grant Project Overview

Angels Above is an agency based in downtown Miami focused on meeting the needs of the homeless population within Miami, Florida. The homeless population continues to grow in Miami, but has somehow declined overall, within the United States (Hanks, 2016). This indicates more of a need than ever before to alleviate the homeless population growth, and one must be addressed immediately. A program is needed to not only curtail the growing homeless population, but also to meet their diverse needs. Some of these needs include clothing, meals, hygiene products, career services, and temporary housing. With these services, the homeless population will decrease, and assistance will continue to be provided to those in need. It is imperative that services such as these are made available to reduce the level of poverty within the city and in turn increase the health of the economy and wellbeing of the population of Miami in general. With a budget of $100,000, the primary objectives to be met are to assist at least two hundred homeless individuals a year through temporary housing, career services, meals, clothing, and hygiene products. Rather than focusing on helping the largest number of people at any given time, focus will be on helping the people to the greatest extent with the limited funding available. The money will be separated into the five categories listed. Measureable goals include assisting at least fifty individuals quarterly with all services listed. Furthermore, Angels Above will also ensure individuals are held accountable through quality control procedures and measureable goals for all individuals that enter the assistance program. The maximum timeframe for any individual to stay in the program will be one month.

Statement of Need

Homelessness has been an ongoing problem within Miami. Rather than receiving more funding to address this need, programs within Miami have received less money. As stated in the Miami Herald, “In an email to board members Tuesday morning, Homeless Trust director Victoria Mallette wrote that “nearly all” of the county’s transitional programs were not funded by HUD, and that related services for homeless people took a big hit, too” (Hanks, 2016). As stated previously, according to the United States census report, the homeless population has decreased in the United States overall, however, it has continued to grow within the downtown Miami area (census.gov). 20% of the population within Miami Dade currently live in poverty (census.gov). There is also an expressed issue with drug and alcohol abuse within the homeless population that continues to contribute to the ever growing escalation of this issue within Miami. “Those with a substance use-related problem may find it increasingly difficult to maintain employment and a stable home environment” (Dietz, 2007).

Some programs that currently exist within Miami to address this issue are the Mother Teresa Mission of Charity, The Salvation Army, Community Partnership for Homelessness, Miami Rescue Mission, The Chapman Center, Miami Rescue for Women, The Camillus House, and the Lotus House. These programs are similar to that of Angels Above in that they provide various services such as career services and transitional housing. Although there are other programs that offer similar services, the Angels Above program will be more intense in that no more than fifty individuals will be assisted quarterly. This will ensure accountability, transparency, and value driven results. Some programs that are currently operating are simply doing so beyond their means. Rather than valuing quality and improvement, they are focusing on quantity. “The longtime leader of the county’s homeless efforts sees the mat program at Camillus undermining a proven strategy of drawing a sharp line between street life and the stability that comes with checking into a shelter” (Hanks & Smiley, 2015).

Brief Narrative

Individuals deemed eligible for the Angels Above program will be males or females between the ages of 16 and 65, who are ready and willing to make the transition from living on the streets to making a better life for themselves. They will make a commitment to be drug, alcohol, and crime free both during and after successful completion of the program. The program will consist of living within the transitional living quarters, contributing to daily chores and duties as assigned, attending family meetings with the group to discuss strategies, issues, conflict, milestones, and success. Furthermore, they will work outside of the home and provide full updates on their jobs and progress toward moving into their own apartment or home. They will help one another, be considerate, and encourage others to set and reach reasonable goals. Individuals will be interviewed to meet the criteria, consent to regular substance abuse testing for the safety of all residents and staff, and strive for a better life for themselves as well as those around them.

After an individual is no longer dependent on the program to provide housing, meals, clothing, and other living expenses, he or she will find an affordable home and continue to work in order to support themselves. All individuals within the program will turn in all paychecks until a sufficient balance is met for a down payment, first and last month’s rent, and utilities for three months accumulated. At this point in time, the individual will be considered a graduate of the program and will be provided assistance in making all deposits to move into their own home. They will also have a small amount of money saved for minimal furniture and clothing to continue living on their own. While in the program, they will learn necessary skills to budget, pay bills, and save money to ensure continued success while they are on their own.

Description of Constituency

The target population for the program are individuals that lost their homes due to being laid off, running away from home, or any other unforeseen or unfortunate circumstance relatively beyond their control. The Angels Above program does not wish to address the populations plagued by drugs or alcohol abuse at this time because it is a new pilot program and does not wish to take on more than it can handle. Furthermore, the target population wishes to work and maintain a healthy lifestyle, but they simply cannot catch a break. They essentially need a helping hand to simply assist them in getting on their own two feet. Often times, individuals cannot obtain a job because they do not have clothes or a shower to prepare them for an interview. They may not have an address to support their application. They also may not have a telephone number for a prospective employer to call and offer them a job. Angels Above assists in these minimal aspects. It serves the people who are of working age to help themselves and acquire the skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing environment. These individuals will be assisted in filling out job applications, learning to do housework and cooking, learning to pay taxes, and foremost learning to become contributing members of society.

The best way to recruit the individuals that will be assisted through the program is by going to other community outreach programs and discussing with staff who their recommendations for the program will be. Staff members of Angels Above will visit each homeless program throughout the downtown Miami area to collect recommendations from seasoned staff. After receiving enough recommendations, the individuals will be asked a set of questions to ensure they meet the criteria and wish to better themselves. The strongest tool that will be used to the advantage of the program is the initiative and will power of all involved. If the program candidates wish to better themselves and move onto a better lifestyle, they will make the program successful themselves with the assistance and guidance from the staff.

Program Goals, Measureable Objectives, & Associated Activities

The program’s primary goal is to alleviate the homeless population within the downtown Miami area. To achieve this goal, the program will recruit fifty individuals to start. These fifty individuals will work as a family in learning how to manage a household. This will entail household chores, yard work, cooking, budgeting, groceruy shopping, and upkeep of the house and premises. Individuals will be recruited from various industries to volunteer their time in assisting with the training of the program attendees. Tax preparers, cooks, administrative assistants, social workers, and legal assistants will be some of the professionals that will volunteer their time in teaching workshops and answering questions. Of these fifty individuals, at least 75% of these individuals should be ready to graduate within the quarter, or by March 31st so that the next group of program attendees can move in.

The goal of alleviation will be measured by interviewing the program attendees and evaluating how well their needs are met and goals achieved. If at least thirty out of the fifty program attendees are living in their own homes and holding down permanent jobs, this program will be deemed a success. Weekly evaluations will be completed and recorded. Quality assurance and control methods will be in place at all times as there will be two full time employees and a program founder overseeing all operations and attending regular status update meetings. Any adjustments that need to be made will be implemented using the evaluations and status reports. Program graduates will also be checked on quarterly to ensure they are doing wll and provided assistance when needed. This will be accomplished through electronic and written correspondence as well as courtesy calls. The bonds formed should last long after the program is graduated from as well.

Time Table

The program seeks to serve two hundred individuals a year, which breaks down to fifty candidates a quarter. Each quarter will repeat itself with the skills training, workshops, and tools provided. The fifty candidates will graduate at different times dependent upon how long it takes to acquire the skills necessary and the monetary needs to survive living on their own in a home. If provided the necessary funds, the program should immediately start seeing results within the beginning weeks. Recordable data will be provided on a quarterly basis as to how much money was actually expended and the true benefit observed in the participants. The participants will have weekly interviews and status reports will be completed weekly. Furthermore, the founder will prepare a monthly report, which will include the strengths observed, the weaknesses, the threats, and the opportunities, to continue addressing these throughout the reporting periods. At the conclusion of year one, at least one hundred and fifty individuals will graduate and successfully be living on their own holding down a full time job.

Other Organizations

Other organizations which will be involved with the program include programs such as the Salvation Army, the local colleges and Universities, the various homeless organizations, and the various churches and charities within the area. The extent to which the universities will be involved will be training and producing workshops in the various areas that the students are pursuing careers and studies in. For example, if a student is studying to be an accountant or a book keeper, that student may be interested in providing a workshop on how to create a budget or how to file a tax return. If an individual is studying culinary arts, they may be willing to provide a cooking class. There are many resources within the Miami area that can and will be approached and utilized.

The local churches, charities, and homeless programs will be the primary places that are utilized in finding and recruiting individuals that would be willing to participate in our program in order to get off the streets and get their lives together. Local grocers and food pantries may be willing and able to subsidize or food income and provide meals or other products that may otherwise be difficult to attain. This program will be a collaboration and networking effort in which the entire community is able to contribute to a more positive environment for all those affected by poverty and homelessness. Organizations will jump at the opportunity to alleviate such an ever growing issue in Miami. Individuals will see this opportunity as the opportunity they cannot and will not pass up. “A single man in Miami currently must wait about 10 days to get a spot in a shelter like Camillus House, according to the trust, although some shelter residents say the wait — which involves calling a hot line every day — can be far longer” (Hanks & Smiley, 2015).

Evaluation Plan

The program will be unofficially evaluated monthly by assessing the amount of money spent versus the amount of money raised by the participants. Although the participants will be working at full time jobs with the assistance of staff and volunteers, their money will be kept in a trust for their benefit. By assessing the amount of money in the individual trust accounts, the program will be deemed successful or not successful. If an individual is able to make at least one month’s rent plus needed money for utilities, groceries, and clothing, they will be on the track they need to be on to graduate. Evaluations will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature. Interviews will be regularly conducted to test morale, goals, and accomplishments as well. Quarterly evaluations will be conducted to ensure we are meeting our quarterly goals and are on the right track to meet our annual goals. Improvement should be seen in all participants in responsibility, budgeting, life skills, and account balances.

Dissemination of Results

Results will be provided in report form to all stakeholders involved. All stakeholders will have the ability to see how well the participants are doing overall financially; however, their individual information will be confidential and personal indicators will be redacted in official reports. Stakeholders include all participants, staff members, volunteers, coordinating agencies, and the funding agency. To ensure timely reporting, the report will be available thirty days after the end of the previous quarter. Any and all questions should be directed to the founder of the program and will be quickly responded to. Results will not be made public unless instructed through the funding source requirements.

Budget

The majority of the items will be bought from second hand stores if at all possible; however, the individuals will need to know how to take care of property, maintain adequate hygiene, and understand accountability of actions in order to live on their own. The remainder of the $100,000 grant funding will be used for rent, overhead, and administrative costs.