StepForward Transition-Age Youth Housing Program

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Executive Summary

StepForward Transition-Age Youth Housing Program is a nonprofit in California that houses young adults ages 18 to 24 who are homeless or at risk. Each young adult lives in a leased apartment, works with a case manager and a peer mentor, receives rent support paid directly to landlords that decreases as income grows and gets help with school, job training and employment.

Young adults who age out of foster care, leave unsafe homes or lack family support are among the most likely to experience homelessness. Adult shelters are not designed for them and rent costs more than an entry-level job can pay.

With this grant we will serve about 30 young adults in Year 1 at 1 site. We never give cash to young adults, we are not an emergency shelter or a treatment program and we call 911 in an emergency and share the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We do not promise any outcome. We promise a safe home, careful use of every dollar and respect for every young person.

Our Year 1 budget is about $295,500, growing to about $446,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 5 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Program Director, two Youth Case Managers and a part-time peer mentor) and 9 by Year 5.

We are asking the Golden Gate Young Adults Housing Foundation for $75,000 for a Youth Case Manager and housing assistance paid to landlords. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

StepForward Transition-Age Youth Housing Program is a nonprofit organization in California. 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. Young adults who age out of care or lose their homes need a safe place, a steady guide and a path to work and school, not another year on the street.

What we do.
- Provide transitional housing in leased apartments for young adults ages 18 to 24 who are homeless or about to be.
- Assign each young adult a case manager and a trained peer mentor.
- Pay rent and utilities directly to landlords and utilities on a decreasing schedule.
- Support education, job training and employment, with help getting ID and documents.
- Offer life skills, health and wellness support and referrals to counseling.
- Help each young adult move to stable, permanent housing.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We never give cash to young adults; payments go to landlords and vendors. We are not an emergency shelter or a treatment program, and we refer to licensed providers. Staff are mandated reporters where the law requires. In an emergency we call 911, and we give young adults the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We do not promise any outcome. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of social workers, former foster youth and a church volunteer began renting an apartment for a few young adults leaving foster care with nowhere to go. The waiting list grew every month. We kept simple records of who stayed and where they went. This proposal asks for support to move from a single apartment to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Young adults who age out of foster care, leave unsafe homes or have no family support are among the most likely to experience homelessness, and many have no one to turn to.

Cost. Rent in our area costs more than a young person with an entry-level job can afford, and a deposit and first month's rent can be out of reach.

Access. Adult shelters are not designed for young people, and few programs combine housing, education and work support.

Safety and trust. Young people are at risk of exploitation and harm when they are on the street, and funders and families want housing that is safe and supervised.

Missed benefits. Young adults without housing struggle to finish school, keep a job or stay healthy, and many face lasting harm.

What we hear.
- A young woman says she aged out of foster care on her eighteenth birthday with a trash bag of clothes.
- A caseworker says couch surfing runs out and the street is next.
- A young man says he wants to finish school and has nowhere to sleep.
- A landlord says he would rent to young adults with someone behind them.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that a safe home, a steady guide and a plan can change a young person's path.

Products & Services

StepForward Transition-Age Youth Housing Program gives young adults ages 18 to 24 who are homeless or at risk a safe, welcoming place to find stable housing and build independence.

How the program works.
1. Referral. Foster care agencies, schools, shelters and outreach workers refer young adults, and youth may refer themselves.
2. Intake. A case manager meets the young adult, explains rights and responsibilities and writes a plan with goals.
3. Housing. The young adult moves into a leased apartment with a roommate or a small group, with a supervised check-in.
4. Rent support. We pay rent and utilities directly to landlords on a schedule that decreases as income grows.
5. Education and work. Staff help with school enrollment, job training, resumes and employment.
6. Mentoring. A trained peer mentor meets with the young adult weekly.
7. Move-on. We help each young adult find permanent housing and follow them for twelve months.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our case managers and peer mentors are trained in youth development and trauma, pass a background check, complete our training and are paid for their time. Many have lived experience.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Services are free. We welcome every young adult regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or background, and we offer a safe, respectful home.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Young adults ages 18 to 24 who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness in our county. Eligibility is age, housing status and willingness to take part in the plan, and no young adult is turned away for a past record.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our single apartment we turned away more young adults than we housed and kept a waiting list. Schools and foster care agencies told us that many more young adults need housing than the county offers. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 30 participants at 1 sites. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 70.

Where participants come from.
- Foster care and child welfare agencies.
- Schools, colleges and outreach workers.
- Shelters, clinics and churches.
- Young adults who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Young adults gain safety and a future. Schools gain students who stay enrolled. The community avoids the high cost of emergency care and criminal justice.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a young adult with her own key. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Adult shelters. Provide beds and are not designed for young people. We offer youth-focused housing.

2. Youth shelters. Essential for minors and short-term. We serve young adults for longer.

3. Foster care extension programs. Valuable and available only to eligible youth. We reach others.

4. College housing. Helpful for students and not for all young adults. We offer a bridge.

5. Couch surfing. Common and unstable. We offer a home.

What makes us different.
- Youth-focused housing with a case manager and a peer.
- Rent paid directly to landlords.
- Education and work support.
- A decreasing schedule that builds independence.
- Twelve months of follow-up.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with foster care agencies, schools, shelters and other youth housing programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Foster care and child welfare agencies. We will give staff a short referral form and a named contact.
- Schools and colleges. We will share flyers and information with counselors.
- Shelters and outreach workers. We will share our referral steps.
- Social media and local radio. We will share simple, welcoming information.
- Word of mouth. Young adults tell friends.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit case managers and mentors through social work programs, youth agencies and former foster youth networks.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, young adults housed, school and work started and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Lease the first apartments and begin intake.
- Months 4 to 10: House young adults, provide case management and mentoring and follow them after move-on.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey young adults and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Young adults live in leased apartments in safe neighborhoods near transit, with a small office for staff.

Safety and privacy.
- Apartments have locks, smoke detectors and a posted safety plan, and staff check in daily on a schedule.
- Visitors follow written rules, and staff follow mandated reporting laws and a plan for emergencies that names 911 and 988.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $8,000 of equipment once at the start: laptops and phones for case management and young adults ($3,000), apartment furnishings and bedding for the first units ($3,000), smoke detectors, locks and locking storage ($2,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Program Director, paid $46,000 a year, manages housing and partners. Two Youth Case Managers, each paid $40,000, work with young adults. A part-time peer mentor, paid $20,000, provides weekly support. We add case managers as we add apartments.

Management & Organization

Marcus Johnson, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a former foster youth who aged out with nowhere to go. I will complete the training we require of our staff so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Program Director manages housing and partners, case managers work with each young adult and a part-time peer mentor provides weekly support. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a former foster youth, a social worker, a landlord, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a pastor. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A foster care agency director, a school counselor and a youth psychologist give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $54,000 a year; program Director, paid $46,000 a year; youth Case Manager, paid $40,000 a year; peer Mentor (part-time), paid $20,000 a year.

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 30 participants at 1 sites.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and 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 40 participants at 1 sites.
- Year 3: About 50 participants at 2 sites.
- Year 4: About 60 participants at 2 sites.
- Year 5: About 70 participants at 2 sites.

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 outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 61 percent of our budget, down from about 68 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from the Golden Gate Young Adults Housing Foundation for a Youth Case Manager and housing assistance paid to landlords, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Youth Case Manager salary, $40,000.
- Other: Housing assistance paid directly to landlords, $35,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 37% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $295,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $11,900 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $201,500; county Homeless Youth Funding $60,000; foundation and Corporate Partners $24,000; individual Donors $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $54,000; program Director $46,000; youth Case Manager $40,000; peer Mentor (part-time) $20,000; housing Assistance Paid to Landlords about $50,000; education and Employment Support about $8,000; food and Basic Needs about $6,000; transportation about $4,000; staff Training about $4,000; administration and Insurance about $10,000; about $3,600 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $19,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,000 for laptops and phones for case management and young adults; $3,000 for apartment furnishings and bedding for the first units; $2,000 for smoke detectors, locks and locking storage; $2,500 for attorney review of the resident agreement, rent policy and privacy policy; $1,200 for flyers and a simple website; $2,300 for staff training and background checks; $5,000 for first insurance payment and lease deposits.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($19,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $70,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $89,500. We start with $8,000 from our founding board and $84,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a property owner, $92,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $295,500 in Year 1 to about $446,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $201,500, $208,000, $236,000, $243,500 and $272,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: county Homeless Youth Funding from $60,000 to $100,000; foundation and Corporate Partners from $24,000 to $48,000; individual Donors from $10,000 to $26,000. Our surplus is planned at about $11,900 in Year 1, about $13,500 in Year 2, about $16,300 in Year 3, about $18,400 in Year 4 and about $21,500 in Year 5. We grow from 1 sites to 2 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $85,700, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $11,820 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per young adult. In Year 1, our total costs are about $9,453 per young adult served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more young adult served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $6,071 per young adult.

After the grant. County homeless youth funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free youth housing option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- 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 partner and donor support each year.

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 young adults 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 partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- 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: $201,500 in Year 1, growing to $272,500 in Year 5.
- County Homeless Youth Funding: $60,000 in Year 1, growing to $100,000 in Year 5.
- Foundation and Corporate Partners: $24,000 in Year 1, growing to $48,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $26,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $54,000; program Director $46,000; youth Case Manager $40,000; peer Mentor (part-time) $20,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: housing Assistance Paid to Landlords $50,000; education and Employment Support $8,000; food and Basic Needs $6,000; transportation $4,000; staff Training $4,000; administration and Insurance $10,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $8,000 at the start, then $2,000 to $3,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $19,000, paid once from $92,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 30 in Year 1, growing to about 70 in Year 5. Sites: 1 in Year 1, growing to 2 by Year 5. Housing and case management are available year-round, with each young adult staying about twelve months.
- About 4% 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