Inclusive Homes Development

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Executive Summary

Inclusive Homes Development is a nonprofit in Oregon that creates accessible, affordable homes for adults with disabilities who want to live in the community instead of an institution. A housing navigator helps people find and keep homes today, and our development team is planning small accessible buildings that meet the needs people tell us they have.

Many adults with disabilities cannot find a home that is affordable, accessible and close to transit. With this grant we will pay for the studies that must be done before anything is built, such as design, feasibility and legal work, and for a housing navigator. We do not promise any person a home. Tenants choose where to live, and homes are open to everyone who qualifies under fair housing law.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $216,500. We are asking for $75,000 from a state housing fund to predevelopment studies and a housing navigator salary. The rest of the budget comes from other grants, sponsors and donors that are listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate and none of it is a promise of any result for the people we serve.

Company Description

Inclusive Homes Development is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes people with disabilities and family members. The board meets monthly and approves the budget and every major decision. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. People with disabilities choose where and with whom they live. Housing should be accessible, affordable and safe, and tenants have the same rights as any other renter.

What we do:
- Housing navigation. A navigator helps people search, apply, understand leases and keep their homes.
- Predevelopment. We study sites, test designs with people who will live there, check the budget and talk to lenders.
- Accessible design. We follow accessibility standards and build in features people ask for, such as wide doors, roll-in showers and visual alarms.
- Partnerships. We work with service providers so tenants can choose the supports they want, separate from the lease.

What we do not do. We do not build without permits and a licensed builder, we do not require tenants to use our services to stay in their homes and we do not make promises about how many homes will be built or when.

Who we serve. Adults aged 18 and older with physical, sensory, intellectual and psychiatric disabilities who have low incomes.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Accessible, affordable homes are very hard to find.

1. Few accessible homes. Most housing was not built with wheelchair users or people with sensory needs in mind.
2. High rents. Many people live on small disability incomes and cannot afford market rents.
3. Institutions and family homes. Without housing, some adults remain in institutions or with aging parents.
4. Discrimination and confusion. Some applicants face unfair barriers, and many do not know their rights.
5. Long waits. Waiting lists for subsidized housing can last years.

Why it matters now. More people want to live in the community, and public funds exist but projects are slow to prepare. Early studies can turn a good idea into a fundable plan.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed waiting lists, counted accessible units listed in our area, interviewed 50 adults with disabilities and family members and talked with 12 service providers. People told us they want homes near transit with a private bath and a say in who lives with them. The numbers are in the appendix.

We update these facts every year using public data, partner reports and what the people we serve tell us, and we change the program when the facts change. If a need turns out to be smaller than we thought, we will say so and put the money where it is needed most.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay professionals to complete predevelopment studies and a housing navigator to help people today.

Steps:
1. Community design sessions. People with disabilities help us decide what the building needs.
2. Site selection and feasibility. We look at sites, zoning, utilities and costs and keep a short list of the best ones.
3. Design and budget. An architect prepares early designs and cost estimates that follow accessibility standards.
4. Funding plan. We prepare applications to housing funders and lenders using the study results.
5. Navigation. A navigator helps people search, apply, and sign leases in existing homes.
6. Reporting. We share study results and decisions with funders and the community.

What the grant pays for. The request covers predevelopment fees paid directly to professionals and part of the navigator's salary.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that a building will be built or any person will be housed by a certain date. Many projects do not move forward, and we will say so honestly if a study shows a site is not workable.

Safety and rights. We follow fair housing law, do not ask people about their disabilities beyond what the law allows, do not give legal advice and refer questions to a fair housing agency. Studies and work are done by licensed professionals. We call 911 in an emergency and direct anyone in crisis to 988.

We start small, check what works and grow only when we can do the work well. Every few months we review the numbers and the stories from the people we serve and change the plan where it is not working.

We write plain-language handouts for every step so people know what to expect, what it costs and who to call with questions, and we ask each person at the end whether the help was useful and what we could do better.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are adults with disabilities in our service area who need an accessible, affordable home.

Who we serve. Adults on small incomes, such as disability benefits, who live in institutions, with family or in unsafe or inaccessible housing.

How many people we plan to serve. In Year 1 we plan to help about 60 people through navigation and to complete studies for two sites, with a goal of about 24 homes in the first building. By Year 5 we plan to help about 120 people a year and to have at least one building under construction. We chose these numbers from the capacity of one navigator at first and two by the third year and from what studies show is possible.

Where we serve. Our city and nearby communities with transit, shops and services nearby.

Who else benefits. Families who gain peace of mind, neighbors who gain a good new building and the community when more people can live independently.

How we will be careful. We keep personal information private, share it only with consent and are honest about what we do not know.

We choose how many people to serve from the number of staff, hours and rooms we really have, not from the size of the need. If we reach fewer people than planned, we will report it and explain why.

Competitive Landscape

Other choices in our area.

1. Public housing authorities. Provide subsidized housing and vouchers but have long waiting lists and few accessible units.
2. Affordable housing developers. Build large projects but may not focus on accessibility.
3. Disability service providers. Run group homes but do not focus on independent living.
4. Private landlords. Some offer accessible units but at market rents.
5. Other nonprofits in the region.

What makes us different. We are led by people with disabilities and families, design with the people who will live in the homes and keep housing separate from services. We work with other developers and agencies rather than compete.

How we avoid duplication. We coordinate with the housing authority and other developers and agree on who will take on which sites.

We keep a written list of every other organization that does similar work in our area and review it each year. If another group can serve a person better, we refer the person and say so plainly. Funders can expect us to tell the truth about overlap, to share what we learn and to work as part of a larger network of help.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach the people we serve once the project is funded.

Referral partners. Disability agencies, hospitals, schools, centers for independent living and family groups will refer people.

Community meetings. Design sessions and open houses invite people to shape the project and learn about housing options.

Housing and funding partners. We will speak with lenders, funders and local government, and share study results.

Word of mouth. People who find a home through our navigator tell others. With permission, we share stories.

Digital outreach. An accessible website and social media will share updates, meeting dates and a simple form. We will not post identifiable photos without written permission.

Access. Meetings will be in accessible places with transit, sign language and captioning, plain-language materials and English and Spanish.

Measuring outreach. We will track how people heard about us and who comes, and adjust our outreach where it is not working.

Marketing budget. Outreach and community meetings are part of the program budget.

Most people hear about services from someone they already trust, so we spend more time with partners and neighbors than on advertising. We write our materials in plain language, test them with a few people from the community and fix anything that confuses them.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out, in plain terms.

Timeline for Year 1. Months 1 and 2: hire the navigator, sign agreements with the architect and consultants and begin design sessions. Months 3 to 12: complete site studies, early designs, a cost estimate and a funding plan, and continue navigation.

Space. We work from a small accessible office and meet people in the community.

Partners. The housing authority, service providers, an architect, a feasibility consultant and a lender. Each has a written agreement.

Rules and safety. We follow fair housing law and accessibility standards, use licensed professionals, pay consultants directly, and do not start construction without permits and a licensed builder. We keep people's information private and call 911 in an emergency. We direct anyone in crisis to 988.

Money controls. The board approves each contract, two people review every payment and funds are tracked by project.

Records and reporting. We track people served, studies completed and costs, and report to funders each quarter.

Training. Staff receive training in fair housing, accessibility and person-centered practices.

We write down every step of the project in a short manual so that any trained staff member can carry it out the same way. We hold a short team meeting every week to review problems, safety concerns and numbers, and we ask the people we serve for feedback at least twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director leads the organization and manages the budget and partners. The housing navigator works with people looking for homes, and the development coordinator manages studies, consultants and funding applications.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $66,000 a year each.
- Housing Navigator: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $50,000 a year each.
- Development Coordinator: 0, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $54,000 a year each.

Governance and money controls. A volunteer board of directors oversees the budget and the executive director. Two people review every payment, the board reviews financial statements every month, an outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return and audit-ready records, and every grant is tracked in its own budget line. We screen staff and volunteers who work with the people we serve, train everyone on privacy and safety and keep written policies on conflicts of interest and complaints.

Staff and advisors. We seek staff with experience in housing or disability services and include people with disabilities in our leadership. An advisory group of tenants, an architect, a lender and a fair housing advocate meets quarterly.

Feedback and complaints. Anyone we serve can give feedback or a complaint by phone, in writing or in person, and can ask to speak with the board chair. We reply within five working days, keep a log of every complaint and report the themes to the board each quarter. No one loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years and how we will measure results. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts (3 to 4 months before the grant starts): hire the navigator, sign agreements with the architect and consultants, start community design sessions and identify the first sites
- Year 1: help about 60 people through navigation and complete studies for two sites. The budget is $216,500.
- Year 2: complete a funding plan for the first building. The budget is $275,500.
- Year 3: apply for construction funding and add a second navigator. The budget is $330,500.
- Year 4: begin construction if funding is awarded. The budget is $334,000.
- Year 5: help about 120 people a year and have at least one building under construction. The budget is $338,000.

How we will measure results: people helped through navigation, studies completed, funding applications filed, homes planned and tenants' satisfaction with design. We report results to funders in the same plain numbers we use here, and we say honestly when a goal was missed and what we changed.

We report to funders every quarter and send a short plain-language summary to our board each month. At the end of each year we review all of the goals, publish a short results report and update the plan for the next year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from a state housing fund for predevelopment studies and a housing navigator salary, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Contractual: Predevelopment studies: architect, feasibility and legal fees paid directly to professionals, $45,000 (other funds add $5,000).
- Personnel: Housing Navigator salary, $30,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 44% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $216,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $8,100 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grant revenue $170,500; individual donations $28,000; corporate and lender sponsors $18,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $66,000; housing navigator $50,000; predevelopment studies and professional fees (architect, feasibility, legal) about $60,000; housing navigation costs and tenant support fund about $9,000; outreach and community meetings about $8,000; administration and insurance about $14,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $17,700 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $4,000 for laptops, a plotter-free design workstation and a locking cabinet, $3,000 for accessibility testing tools and community meeting equipment, $4,200 for site control costs and a title review, $2,600 for organization policy review and legal setup, $2,400 for banners, brochures and an accessible website, and $1,500 for opening office supplies.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($17,700), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $1,300) and a cash cushion of about $51,800, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $71,000. We start with $18,000 of our own savings and $54,500 in startup support from a local foundation and our board, $72,500 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $216,500 in Year 1 to about $338,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $170,500, $217,500, $260,500, $252,000, $244,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans a small surplus each year, about $8,100, $9,500, $10,700, $10,300 and $10,300 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $64,200, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $10,825 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

After the grant. Individual donors and lender and corporate sponsors grow each year, so grants become a smaller share. Once a building is open, rents and developer fees help support the organization.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A site may not work. We study several sites and say honestly if one is not workable.
- Construction costs may rise. We build a cushion and seek multiple funders.
- A grant may end. We grow donors and sponsors each year and keep savings.
- Funding for projects may be delayed. We keep navigation going while studies continue.
- A fair housing complaint may arise. We train staff and follow written policies.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller with one site or one staff member and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Your site list, study scopes and consultant agreements.
- Your design session summaries and accessibility checklist.
- Letters of support from the housing authority and service providers.
- Your fair housing and privacy policies.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $170,500 in Year 1, growing to $244,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donations: $28,000 in Year 1, growing to $52,000 in Year 5.
- Corporate and Lender Sponsors: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $42,000 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: predevelopment studies and professional fees (architect, feasibility, legal) $60,000, housing navigation costs and tenant support fund $9,000, outreach and community meetings $8,000, and administration and insurance $14,000. These grow between 3% and 6% a year as the program grows.
- Grant and partner payments arrive after we bill, so about $10,825 (5% of Year 1 income) is owed to us at the end of Year 1.
- The program does not pay income tax. Any surplus stays in the program.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real numbers.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Grant: money given for a specific purpose that does not have to be paid back, as long as it is spent as promised.
- Request: the part of the budget we are asking this funder to pay for.
- Surplus: money left over after a year's costs. A small surplus is healthy because it builds savings for slow months.
- Startup costs: one-time costs, such as equipment, paid once before the program runs at full speed.
- Working capital: cash kept in the bank to pay bills while waiting for grant payments.
- In-kind: goods or services given instead of money, such as donated space.
- Fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for a new group and passes the money to its program, usually for a fee.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

How to read the numbers. Every income and cost figure is a plan, not a result. Income rises as sponsors and donors join, costs rise a little each year, and each year's budget is planned to balance with a small surplus. Startup costs are shown separately because they are paid once. If a real number turns out different, we will update the plan and tell our funders why.

Startup Costs