For the Homeless - A partnership guideline for local churches - non-profits and local government

State Legislation - Directives to City Municipalities and County Government

• Based on the guidelines of State legislation asking Churches and Non-profits to help.
• “ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1956” passed on March 6, 2010   Stating:

“A religious organization may host temporary encampments for the homeless on property owned or controlled by the religious organization whether within buildings located on the property or elsewhere on the property outside of buildings.”

“A county may not enact an ordinance or regulation or take any other action that imposes conditions other than those necessary to protect public health and safety and that do not substantially burden the decisions or actions of a religious organization regarding the location of housing or shelter for homeless persons.”

General Goals and Strategies

• Decentralize Homeless Families (and individuals) into area local churches:
  • Housing them in RV’s
  • Using church property - up to a maximum of 3 - 4 RV’s per Church facility
• Providing Emergency Housing for 3 months up to a maximum of 6 months
• RV’s would be donated or loaned to the individual churches.
• Each local church takes the full responsibility to:
  • Own and/or manage the RV’s
  • Provide a leadership team specifically for this ministry
  • And provide support teams to meet with the families
• This RV housing would be restricted to families with children
• Long terms goals would be for each church to pursue and restrict themselves to a  distinctive segment of our homeless population - such as:
  • Families with Children
  • Single women
  • Single Men
  • Youth

Our Goal is Holistic Ministry

• Physical Ministry
  • Food and shelter
• Social Ministry
  • Help them find employment
  • Address the family’s real needs
  • Financial counsel
• Spiritual Ministry
  • Address spiritual needs
  • Meet weekly with the family
  • Pray with them

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Local Churches

• Will be the primary sponsors of the this strategy
• Each local church will take the full responsibility to:
  • Own and/or manage the RV’s
  • Provide a leadership team specifically for this ministry
  • And provide “Support Teams” to meet with the families and/or partner with other local churches to provide this.
  • Work under the leadership and overall strategies of OCOF

OneChurch – One Family

• OCOF will provide structure, organizational oversight, and leadership to the over all program.
• Establish specific requirements, expectations, and guidelines for all involved
  • For those who own the RV
  • For the Homeless family or individual who would live in it
  • For the local church serving as host to the families
  • For the relationship and role of KCR
  • For the relationship and role of OCOF
• Work with local churches to raise up volunteers to:
  • Partner with KCR in consultation to pre-qualify who is eligible for this program

Kitsap Community Resources

• Partner with OCOF in consultation to pre-qualify those eligible for this program.

Community at Large

• Donating or loaning RV’s
• Provide a liability and damage release for the RV if needed

Summary Strategy - a regional partnership of:

• Local churches
  • provide 3 to 6 months of  housing for homeless families
  • provide a “Support Team” of 2-3 people meeting weekly with the family

• OCOF
  • provide over all strategy and case work management

• KCR
  • provide consultation and prequalified candidates for this program

• Community
  • provide donations of RV’s
• State and Local Government
  • provide quick and easy approval of the strategy and housing provision
  • maintain health and safety standards

This is accomplished by a philosophy of - “Bringing Real Help”

• RELIEF: Urgent and temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce the suffering from the current crisis
  • Housing First - Emergency relief and help
  • Physical relief and housing provision is urgently needed - and must come first

• REHABILITATION:
  • Seeks to restore people and their communities to the positive elements of their pre-crisis condition.
  • Working with the homeless, as they participate in their own recovery of restoration

• DEVELOPMENT:
  • Promoting and impowering  a process in which all the people involved - both the “helper” and the “helped” – fulfill their God given destiny

With a desired outcome:

For those being helped

• Employment - to provide for their physical needs
• Self sustainability - Able provide for their own needs
• Personal Recovery - from addictions, broken relationships, unhealthy boundaries
• Right Relationships - with God, with self, with others, and with creation 

For Local churches

• Fulfilling their calling and mission of ministry to the poor and needy

For Local and State Government

• Fulfilling their mandate of care and protection of their citizenry

Development is not done to people or for people...but with people.

Success and Outcomes from the Ministry of OCOF over the past 4 years

• Successful partnership with “Kitsap Community Resources”
• Ministered to over 65 families / Over 200 People
• 69% Success rate of families moving on to permanent housing
• 100% success rate for those who do all that we ask them to do
• Every family is prayed for - and prayed with
• This year - on track to help over 80 families

The Mission of OneChurch - One Family

“...is to demonstrate the Love of God in our community by bringing homeless families into nurturing relationships with Support Teams from Kitsap County Churches, resulting in the families’ ability to obtain long-term housing, increasing their emotional, spiritual and mental health and stability"