Hearthside Family Cottages

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Executive Summary

Hearthside Family Cottages is a nonprofit in Colorado that gives families who have lost their housing a small, stable home of their own for a season, while a case manager helps them get back on their feet. Our village is a group of small cottages on land provided by a partner congregation. Each family has its own front door, a bed for every child, a small kitchen and a quiet place to sleep, which is hard to find in a crowded shelter or a car.

Families usually come to us after a job loss, an illness, a rent increase or a hard breakup. They are not looking for a handout. They need a few months of stability to find work, save, repair their credit, apply for permanent housing and get their children settled in school. Our case manager works with each family on a written plan, and our village coordinator keeps the village safe, clean and welcoming.

With this grant we will serve about 8 households in Year 1 in six cottages. We do not build the cottages with grant money. The first six are being provided through a separate capital effort with volunteers and a local builder, and this proposal pays for the services and daily operation. We do not promise that every family will find permanent housing. We promise to give each family a safe home, a clear plan and steady help.

Our Year 1 budget is about $211,000, growing to about $282,000 by Year 5 as we add cottages and a second case manager. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 2 full-time and 1 part-time staff in Year 1 and 4 by Year 3.

We are asking the Front Range Community Foundation for $60,000 for our Case Manager and for transition funds paid directly to landlords and vendors, for July 2027 through June 2028. The city, the county, a housing agency and neighbors also give, so this grant is one part of a shared funding plan.

I am Elena Ruiz, the Executive Director. The numbers in this proposal are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end, not promises.

Company Description

Hearthside Family Cottages is a nonprofit organization in Colorado. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every family deserves a safe home while they find their way back to permanent housing.

What we do.
- Provide transitional housing in small cottages for families with children, for an agreed stay that usually lasts several months.
- Give each family a case manager and a written plan with steps toward work, income, savings, child care, school and permanent housing.
- Pay move-in costs such as deposits and first month's rent directly to landlords and vendors once a family is ready for a permanent home, and never as cash to the family.
- Offer shared spaces for children to play and parents to gather, including a community kitchen and a small laundry room.
- Connect families to health care, benefits, legal help, child care and transportation through partners.

What we do not do. We are not a shelter and not an emergency service. We do not provide medical or mental health treatment, and we do not give legal advice. We refer families to people who can. We follow fair housing rules and do not turn families away because of race, religion, national origin, disability or family structure. We follow privacy rules for people who have experienced homelessness.

The site. Our village sits on land provided under a written lease by a partner congregation. We are working with the city on the approvals and inspections the village requires, and we will not open the cottages until they are complete.

How we got here. A small group of neighbors, faith leaders, teachers and a former case worker started meeting to talk about families sleeping in cars and in motels. We visited similar small villages in other cities and talked with the families who lived there and the people who ran them. This proposal asks for support for the services that make the village work.

Nonprofit status. Our 501(c)(3) determination letter and board list are in the attachments. If your own organization is new, the funding section includes a note about using a fiscal sponsor.

Problem & Opportunity

Families lose housing for many reasons: a job loss, a medical bill, a rent increase, a hard breakup, a landlord who sells the building. Once a family has lost housing, getting back is hard. A first month's rent, a deposit and a credit check can add up to more than a family can raise while they are trying to survive each day.

What happens to families without a home.
- They move between relatives, motels and cars, with children changing schools and sleeping in unsafe places.
- Parents struggle to keep a job without a stable address, a place to wash clothes or a reliable way to get to work.
- Children carry stress into school and lose time in class.
- Shelters can be full, can separate families or may not allow older boys or fathers with their children.

What families tell us.
- A mother of three lost her apartment when her building was sold. She kept her job at a grocery store and slept in her car for two weeks before a friend took them in.
- A father with a seven-year-old was evicted after a medical emergency. He could not find a motel that would take cash for more than a few nights.
- A young couple with a baby moved four times in six months.

What is missing. Families need a private, safe place of their own, a person who will help them make a plan and money to move into permanent housing when they are ready. Many programs offer one piece. Few offer all three in a way that keeps the family together.

We do not claim that a village can end homelessness. We believe a small, well-run village can give a few families the footing they need to return to permanent housing, and can show our community what works.

Products & Services

Hearthside Family Cottages offers a safe home, a plan and a path to permanent housing.

How the village works.
1. Referral and screening. Families are referred by schools, shelters, clinics, congregations and community partners. Our case manager meets with each family, explains the program and house rules and decides together whether the village is a good fit. We prioritize families with children who have no safe place to stay.
2. A home in the village. Each family receives its own cottage, with a bed for every person, a small kitchen and a bathroom. Families sign a simple program agreement, pay a small program fee based on income, and agree to meet regularly with the case manager.
3. A written plan. In the first two weeks, the family and case manager write goals for the next several months: work or school, child care, savings, credit repair, benefits and finding permanent housing.
4. Weekly meetings and support. The case manager meets with each family weekly and works with schools, employers, landlords and other partners. The village coordinator helps with safety, repairs and community activities.
5. Moving on. When a family finds permanent housing, we help with the move and may pay a deposit or first month's rent directly to the landlord or vendor. We check in monthly for six months after the move.

The village community. Families share a community kitchen, laundry and play yard. Volunteers lead homework help, cooking nights and workshops on budgeting and job skills. We expect families to support one another and follow house rules that keep everyone safe.

Safety and fairness. Every adult resident and volunteer passes a background check. House rules are written, explained and applied equally. Families are never asked to leave without a conversation, a written notice and help finding another option.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that every family will find permanent housing. Some will need more time, and some will leave for other reasons. We track what happens and learn from each family.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Families with children who have lost housing and have a source of income or a plan to earn one, and who can follow house rules and work with a case manager. We prioritize families who have no safe place to stay, whose children are enrolled in a local school and who have a realistic path toward permanent housing.

How we estimate need. We do not know exactly how many families in our county need transitional housing, so we plan from what we can count. Local schools and congregations have given us a list of families who needed help and had few options. Our partners tell us more families ask for housing help than any program can serve. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 8 households in six cottages, because some families will leave for permanent housing during the year and others will take their place. By Year 5, with twelve cottages and a second case manager, we plan to serve about 20 households a year.

Where families come from.
- School social workers and family liaisons.
- Emergency shelters and day centers.
- Clinics, hospital social workers and community health workers.
- Congregations, food pantries and neighborhood centers.
- Workforce centers and benefits offices.

Who else benefits. Schools benefit when children have a stable address. Employers benefit when parents can show up reliably. Landlords benefit from families who arrive with references and a payment plan.

What the numbers mean. Each household is a family. We keep our early counts small and honest so we can do this work carefully.

Competitive Landscape

What exists today, and how we are different.

1. Emergency shelters. Shelters meet urgent needs and are often full. Many cannot keep families together or have strict rules about who may stay. Our village is for families who are ready for a more stable stay with a plan.

2. Motel vouchers. These can help in a crisis. They are short term and expensive, and children are often moved repeatedly.

3. Rental assistance and rapid rehousing programs. These help families move into apartments, and they can be very effective. They are often limited by waiting lists and by how many landlords will rent to families with low incomes or past evictions. A stay in our village can help a family get ready and give them a stable address while they wait.

4. Transitional housing programs. A few organizations in our region offer transitional housing. We talk with them regularly and refer families to them when a program fits better.

5. Family and friends. Many families stay with relatives, which often ends when the space runs out. We hope to help families before they reach that point.

What makes us different.
- Each family has its own cottage and front door.
- We keep families together, including older children and fathers.
- A case manager and a village coordinator on site.
- We pay move-in costs directly to landlords and vendors when a family is ready.
- A community of neighbors, congregations and volunteers around each family.

We have spoken with other housing providers to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How families and partners will find us.

Reaching families.
- Referral partners. We will meet with school social workers, shelters, clinics, hospital social workers, congregations and benefits offices to explain who we serve and how to refer. We give each partner a one-page referral form and a named contact.
- Community places. We will place simple flyers and a phone number at libraries, food pantries, laundromats and neighborhood centers.
- Word of mouth. Many families will hear from a neighbor or from a family who moved through our village. We thank them and never pressure families to speak.
- A simple website and phone line in English and Spanish.

Reaching neighbors and volunteers.
- Meet with neighbors before opening. Hold two open houses and answer questions about safety, parking and house rules.
- Invite congregations, businesses and service clubs to volunteer, donate household basics or sponsor a cottage.
- Offer a clear volunteer role: homework help, cooking nights, workshops and repairs. Every volunteer passes a background check and completes an orientation.

How we decide who moves in. We use a written screening process. We consider family size, children's ages, readiness to follow house rules and a realistic plan to move to permanent housing. We apply the same criteria to every family, keep records of decisions and tell each family what they can expect.

Keeping partners informed.
- A short quarterly update with counts of families served and what families said.
- A yearly gathering to thank neighbors, families and partners.

What we watch. Referrals received, families who move in, how long they stay and how many move to permanent housing. We use that to decide where to focus.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the Case Manager and Village Coordinator, buy furniture and equipment, finalize our program agreement and house rules with our attorney and complete city inspections.
- Month 3 (September): Open the first cottages and enroll the first families.
- Months 4 to 10: Enroll families, hold weekly case management meetings, offer workshops and support families as they move to permanent housing.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey families and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. The village is six small cottages, a community kitchen and laundry building and a play area, on land leased from a partner congregation. Our small office is in the community building.

Equipment. We buy about $12,000 of equipment once at the start: furniture and bedding sets for six cottages ($9,000) and laptops and tablets for case records and scheduling ($3,000). Later years replace or add a few items as we add cottages.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Case Manager, paid $42,000 a year, meets weekly with each family. A part-time Village Coordinator, paid $26,000 a year, manages daily operations, safety and volunteers. We add a second case manager in Year 3.

Safety and privacy.
- Every adult resident and volunteer passes a background check.
- Written house rules cover safety, quiet hours, guests and children's supervision.
- Staff and volunteers are trained to recognize and report concerns about child safety as the law requires.
- We keep family information in a secure system, share it only with permission and follow the privacy rules that apply.
- Our written safety plan names 911 for emergencies and lists who to call for urgent concerns.
- We never give cash to families. We pay deposits and first month's rent directly to landlords and vendors.

Payments. Utilities and site costs are about $24,000 in Year 1, cottage upkeep and supplies about $12,000, family transition funds about $20,000, child care and transportation support about $8,000 and administration and insurance about $14,000.

Evaluation. We count households served, length of stay, moves to permanent housing and children who stay in the same school. Six months after a family leaves, we ask how they are doing. We share results with our board and funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

Elena Ruiz, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work after seeing how many families in my neighborhood were one emergency away from losing their home. I will learn the housing and licensing rules that apply to our village and keep close contact with the city.

Case Manager. The case manager meets weekly with each family, writes plans, connects them to services and tracks results. We will hire someone with experience in social work or family services and strong listening skills. Paid $42,000 a year, this position is part of our grant request.

Village Coordinator. A part-time staff member who handles daily operations, repairs, safety and volunteers. Paid $26,000 a year.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a faith leader, a school social worker, a person who has experienced homelessness, a contractor, an attorney, a banker who serves as treasurer and a nurse. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our house rules and safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. Representatives from a school district, a shelter, a workforce center and a housing agency give guidance twice a year.

Why we can do this. We have built strong partnerships with the congregation that provides the land, with the school district and with the builder and volunteers preparing the cottages. We are starting small and growing as we show we can serve families well.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 8 households in six cottages.
- Complete a written plan with every household within two weeks of move-in.
- Help at least half of the households that leave the village move to permanent housing.
- Keep children in the same school whenever it is safe and possible.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 85 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Households served, nights of stay and length of stay, from our records.
- Moves to permanent housing and the type of housing.
- Children who stay in the same school.
- Family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 10 households in six cottages.
- Year 3: About 14 households in nine cottages and a second case manager.
- Year 4: About 17 households in ten cottages.
- Year 5: About 20 households in twelve cottages.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our referral process, our case plans or our support before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 50 percent of our budget, down from about 57 percent in Year 1, as city, county and housing agency funding and individual donations grow. We will also look for housing agency contracts and follow the rules for any public funding before we count on it.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $60,000 from the Front Range Community Foundation for a Case Manager and transition funds paid directly to landlords and vendors, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Case Manager salary, $42,000.
- Other: Family transition funds paid directly to landlords and vendors, $18,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 50% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $211,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,600 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: grants $120,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for), city, County and Housing Agency Funding $56,000; individual and Faith Community Donations $35,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $55,000; case Manager $42,000; village Coordinator (part-time) $26,000; utilities and Site Costs about $24,000; cottage Upkeep and Supplies about $12,000; family Transition Funds (paid to landlords and vendors) about $20,000; child Care and Transportation Support about $8,000; administration and Insurance about $14,000; about $4,200 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $23,500 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $9,000 for furniture and bedding sets for six cottages; $3,000 for laptops and tablets for case records and scheduling; $3,500 for opening stock of household basics, cleaning and kitchen supplies; $3,000 for attorney review of the program agreement, house rules and privacy policy; $1,800 for signs, flyers and a simple website; $3,200 for background checks, first insurance payment and fire safety supplies.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($23,500), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $550) and a cash cushion of about $50,250, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $74,500. We start with $15,000 from our founding board and $60,000 in startup support from a local community foundation, a congregation and individual donors, $75,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $211,000 in Year 1 to about $282,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $120,000, $120,000, $138,000, $140,000 and $142,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: city, County and Housing Agency Funding from $56,000 to $90,000; individual and Faith Community Donations from $35,000 to $50,000. Our surplus is planned at about $7,600 in Year 1, about $12,600 in Year 2, about $14,300 in Year 3, about $14,800 in Year 4 and about $14,800 in Year 5. We add a second case manager in Year 3 and grow from six cottages to twelve by Year 5. The cottages themselves are paid for through a separate capital effort, not through this request.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $62,500, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $10,550 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per household. In Year 1, our total costs are about $25,700 per household served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more households served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $13,400 per household.

After the grant. City, county and housing agency funding and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Families and volunteers share their stories, and congregations and businesses can sponsor a cottage by name. We will follow the rules of any public funding before we count on it.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A family leaves early or conflict arises. We use written house rules, meet with families early and connect them to other options.
- The cottages are delayed. We do not open until inspections are complete and we keep a smaller reserve to cover the delay.
- Neighbors object. We meet with neighbors before opening and set clear rules about safety and noise.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow public and donor support each year.
- A safety concern. Staff follow a written plan, call 911 as needed and report concerns as the law requires.

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: one neighborhood, a handful of participants and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from the congregation, the school district, shelters and housing partners.
- Your land lease and city approvals, or the status of each.
- Your program agreement, house rules and privacy policy.
- Your screening process and fair housing policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Quotes for furniture and equipment.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
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: $120,000 in Year 1, growing to $142,000 in Year 5.
- City, County and Housing Agency Funding: $56,000 in Year 1, growing to $90,000 in Year 5.
- Individual and Faith Community Donations: $35,000 in Year 1, growing to $50,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $55,000; case Manager $42,000; village Coordinator (part-time) $26,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: utilities and Site Costs $24,000; cottage Upkeep and Supplies $12,000; family Transition Funds (paid to landlords and vendors) $20,000; child Care and Transportation Support $8,000; administration and Insurance $14,000. These grow between 4% and 8% a year.
- Equipment: $12,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $23,500, paid once from $75,000 in startup money.
- Households served: about 8 in Year 1, growing to about 20 in Year 5.
- Cottages: six in Year 1, growing to twelve by Year 5, paid for through a separate capital effort.
- About 5% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs