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City Service 2003-04 Applicant Profile
| Name: |
Friends of Boston's Homeless |
Mission: |
Friends of Boston's Homeless works in a
public/private partnership with Boston Public
Health Commission's Homeless Services to develop
and fund effective, solution-oriented programs
that help the homeless move beyond shelter
to lead independent lives in the community.
Through advocacy and education, the Friends
also seek to increase public awareness and
understanding of the realities of homelessness
and provide a way for individuals and businesses
to be part of the solution. |
History,
Goals, & Achievements: |
Founded in 1987 by
a group of business leaders and social activists
seeking solutions to homelessness and partnered
with Homeless Services, FBH developed and raised
private sector capital to launch programs and
services that help homeless individuals move
beyond shelter to permanent employment and housing.
These programs were the first of their kind
in the country, have been featured in major
media outlets, and are touted by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development as the nation's
most effective programs for ending homelessness.
These partnerships now help over 150 homeless
individuals each year lead independent lives
in our community. |
| Programs & Services: |
The Friends and its
partner have developed the following transitional
programs that help Homeless individuals gain
independence: Work Experience Program, Serving
Ourselves Job Training Program, Project Lighthouse
Adult Education & Literacy Program, Life
Skills Development, Project SOAR & One Wise
Street Transitional Housing Programs, Safe Harbor
AIDS Program, The Farm at Long Island, and Affordable
Permanent Housing Program. Additionally, FBH
has a successful education and outreach program,
Challenging Minds Challenging Homeless, run
in schools throughout the Boston area. This
fall FBH will enter a new partnership with Give
Us Your Poor, a national public awareness campaign
run by The McCormack Institute of Public Affairs
at UMass Boston. FBH will serve as the model
for launching this program nationally. |
| Annual Budget: |
$225,000 |
| Staff: |
2 full-time, 1 part-time,
2 full-time fundraising, 25 fundraising volunteers |
| Board: |
23; meets twice annually;
5 committees (Governance, Finance, Programs
& Services, Housing, and Fundraising &
Development) |
| Fundraising: |
Includes special events,
annual appeal, year-end appeal, additional appeals,
one direct mail solicitation, 100% Board giving,
sale of holiday cards |
| Donor Base: |
About 1,500 individual
donors, approximately 5% of whom give $500+
annually; foundations and corporations |
| Fundraising
Challenges: |
Establishment of a
major gifts program and getting the Board "on
board" for such a Program |
| Consultant
Needs: |
FBH seeks major gifts
consulting for both staff and members of the
Board of Directors, specifically in the area
of how staff can work with the Board to maximize
its fundraising potential. A consultant with
Board training and major gifts experience would
greatly benefit the organization. |
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