Youth Homelessness / Runaway Youth Services

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Executive Summary

Safe Harbor Youth Services is a nonprofit in Spokane, Washington that helps young people ages 16 to 24 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It provides case management, a drop-in center, short-term shelter beds with partner organizations and help finding stable housing, school and work. The program is led by Patricia Kim. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $94,000. We are asking for $75,000 from the Carlisle Family Foundation for case managers and program costs.

Company Description

Safe Harbor Youth Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a volunteer board that includes a former school counselor, a social worker and a young adult with lived experience. The program operates from a drop-in space in downtown Spokane and partners with local shelters, schools and clinics. Services: street and school outreach, a drop-in center with meals and showers, individual case management, help getting identification and documents, short-term shelter placements and referrals to housing, education and jobs.

Voice of young people. A youth advisory group of five to seven young people who have used the program meets monthly to review services and the budget, and members are paid a small stipend for their time.

Problem & Opportunity

Young people who are homeless often have nowhere safe to go, have lost contact with family and school and are afraid of adult systems. Many sleep in cars or on couches and are at risk of exploitation. The services that exist are spread out and difficult to reach, and few focus on young people under 25.

Products & Services

A single, welcoming place with a consistent case manager who meets young people where they are. Staff help with immediate needs such as food and a safe bed, then build a written plan with the young person for housing, school and work. Programs are voluntary, and young people choose their own goals. Staff are trained in trauma-informed care.

What a first week looks like. A young person who walks in is offered food, a place to rest and a chance to meet a case manager. If they want to continue, they choose two goals, such as a safe place to sleep and getting a state ID. The case manager helps with each step, checks in after a week and keeps the door open if the young person disappears for a while and comes back.

Market Analysis

The program serves young people ages 16 to 24 in Spokane County who are homeless, living in unsafe situations or at risk of losing housing. Referrals come from schools, clinics, juvenile court, shelters and word of mouth among young people. The number of young people seeking help each month shows the need.

Competitive Landscape

Several shelters and agencies serve adults and families, and a few serve youth with limited capacity. Safe Harbor Youth Services focuses on young adults, stays low-barrier and works with the other agencies through a shared referral process.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

Outreach at schools, libraries, bus stations and meal programs, referrals from partners and word of mouth. Staff leave small cards with the drop-in hours and a phone number, and young people who have used the program help spread the word.

The first 90 days. Days 1 to 30: hire the Program Director and a case manager, set up the drop-in space and finalize the shelter agreements. Days 31 to 60: train staff and volunteers and begin outreach. Days 61 to 90: open the drop-in center and enroll the first young people.

Operations Plan

The drop-in center is open six days a week with meals, showers, laundry and a quiet room. Each young person is offered a case manager and a written plan. Short-term shelter placements are arranged with partner organizations and tracked with written agreements. Staff follow written policies for safety, privacy and mandatory reporting. Records are stored securely and shared only with the young person's permission, except where the law requires.

Safety and respect. Staff do not require ID, sobriety or a referral to start, and they ask permission before sharing anything with another agency. Volunteers are screened, trained and never left alone with a young person. Staff meet weekly to review safety concerns and debrief hard cases.

Risks and how we handle them:
- A young person in crisis. Staff are trained in crisis response, have a written plan with the county crisis line and call 911 when there is an emergency.
- Safety and exploitation risks. We use written safety policies, background checks and supervised volunteers.
- Staff burnout. We limit caseloads, offer supervision and pay fairly.
- Confidentiality problems. We limit access to records and train staff on privacy and mandatory reporting.

Management & Organization

Patricia Kim, the executive director, leads the program and the board relationship. A Program Director manages daily operations. Case managers and a part-time outreach worker provide direct services, with trained volunteers helping at the drop-in center.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance where staff are paid. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5. A number with a half, such as 2.5, means a hire phased in during the year or one part-time person.
- Program Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $42,000 a year.
- Case Manager: 0.5, 0.8, 1, 1.5, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $36,000 a year each.
- Youth Outreach Worker (part-time): 0, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $26,000 a year.

Governance and money controls. The board reviews financials every month and approves the budget each year. An outside accountant prepares the yearly return, and two people approve every payment. Each grant has its own budget line, and the program reports to each funder on time.

Feedback and complaints. Young people can give feedback in person, in a suggestion box or through a trusted staff member. We review comments weekly and report themes to the board each quarter. No young person loses services for speaking up.

Training and conduct. Every staff member and volunteer completes an orientation, signs a code of conduct and receives a refresher each year. Anyone who sees a problem can tell a supervisor or a board member directly.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts: hire the Program Director and case manager, set up the drop-in space and sign shelter partner agreements.
- Year 1: serve about 120 young people, place 30 in short-term housing and help 20 enroll in school or work. Budget about $94,000.
- Year 2: serve about 170 young people and add a second case manager. Budget about $122,600.
- Year 3: open evening drop-in hours and add a partnership with a community college. Budget about $156,900.
- Year 4: serve about 260 young people and add a transitional housing partner. Budget about $190,400.
- Year 5: publish a plain results report and plan for sustained local funding. Budget about $228,000.

How we will measure results: young people served, safe housing placements, school and job connections, young people who say they feel safe and staff retention. We report to funders twice a year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $75,000 from the Carlisle Family Foundation for case management staffing, shelter and program costs and administration, for a 2-year period.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Case management staffing, $50,000.
- Other: Shelter and program costs, $16,000.
- Indirect Charges: Administration, $9,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 91% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $94,000, planned to end the first year with a small deficit of about $3,500, covered by startup money. Year 1 money coming in: runaway and Homeless Youth and Other Grants $82,000; foundation Support and Donations $12,000. Year 1 costs: program Director $42,000; case Manager $18,000; shelter bed and short-term housing costs $16,000; food, transportation and basic needs $8,000; program supplies and training $3,000; administration and insurance $9,000.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $24,300 are paid once from startup funds: $4,500 for computers and a secure case record system, $3,200 for drop-in center furniture and supplies, $2,800 for background checks, training and safety setup, $2,000 for legal and policy review, $1,800 for signs, brochures and outreach materials, and $10,000 set aside as working capital.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($24,300), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $7,900) and a cash cushion of about $24,000, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $56,500. We start with $12,000 of our own savings and $45,000 from a community foundation and the board, $57,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $94,000 in Year 1 to about $228,000 in Year 5. Grant revenue is planned at $82,000, $105,780, $135,300, $164,000 and $196,800 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans small deficits in the early years, covered by startup money, and surpluses once grants grow, about $3,500, $2,800, $19,900, $30,400 and $31,700 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings. The lowest year-end cash in the plan is about $39,900.

After the grant. After the grant period, the program plans to sustain itself through continued federal and state youth grants, local foundations, individual donors and city and county partnerships. Equipment and the drop-in space remain in use. We do not expect to need this specific funding indefinitely.

Using the money well. We collect at least three quotes for any purchase over $1,000, pay vendors only against invoices and keep a written record of how each grant dollar was spent. We report to each funder on its schedule, share a plain results summary with the board and the community and tell funders early if something is not going as planned. A review each quarter compares the budget to real spending and decides what to change.

Risks:
- Federal grant timing may change. We apply to several funders and build local donors.
- Housing is scarce. We partner with landlords and housing agencies and keep a flexible fund for deposits.
- Demand may exceed capacity. We keep a waiting process and refer to partners.
- Key staff may leave. We write procedures down and cross-train.

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.
- Letters from school and shelter partners.
- Written safety and mandatory reporting policies.
- Shelter agreement template.
- Case plan form.
- Letters of support from young people and partners.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers:
- Runaway and Homeless Youth and Other Grants: $82,000 in Year 1, growing to $196,800 in Year 5.
- Foundation Support and Donations: $12,000 in Year 1, growing to $31,200 in Year 5.
- Staff pay is shown in the management section and includes payroll taxes and workers' compensation where staff are paid.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: shelter bed and short-term housing costs $16,000, food, transportation and basic needs $8,000, program supplies and training $3,000, administration and insurance $9,000.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- Case management: one-on-one help with a written plan and follow-up.
- Low barrier: services that do not require sobriety, ID or a referral to start.
- Trauma-informed care: staff approaches that avoid causing more harm and build trust.
- Transitional housing: a longer-term place to live while a young person builds stability.
- Mandatory reporting: legal duty to report certain concerns such as abuse.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

Startup Costs