Because A Home Can Be More Than A House

Table of Contents
Meet the Team

Problem/Opportunity/Approach

Situaitonal Analysis

SWOT

Research
Secondary

Primary

Campaign Theme

10

Planning/Implementation

11

Publics

18

Spokespersons

18

Key Messages

19

Communication Theories

20

Timeline

21

Budget

22

Evaluation

23

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Meet the Team

Corinne is a senior at the University
of Maryland working toward a
degree in communication with
a focus in public relations and a
minor in leadership studies. She is
interested in the areas of corporate,
branding and campaign strategy in
public relations. Upon graduation
this May, Corinne hopes to begin
her public relations career in an
innovative and creative public
Corinne Buckwalter
Media Relations Director D.C. area.

Tai is a senior at the University of

Maryland studying public relations.
She is interested in design and
the digital marketing aspects of
public relations, and is currently a
communications assistant for the
College of Arts and Humanities.
She will be starting her internship
with Van Eperen & Co. in January.
She graduates in May and hopes
to pursue a career as a creative
director.

Tai Coates
Creative Director

Guy Rudiger is a senior at the

University of Maryland studying
communication with a focus in
public relations. After graduation
this December, he aspires to work
in media relations in the sports
industry having past experiences
with Maroon PR and Ripken
Baseball. Guy currently interns for
Guy Rudiger
Research Director

Kate is a senior at the University of

Maryland working toward a double
degree in government and politics
and communication with a focus in
public relations. She is interested
in digital strategy, branding and
crisis communications. Currently,
she is a digital strategy fellow at
Ketchum, Inc. She graduates in
May 2015 and will take a position
with Lockheed Martin in their
Communications Leadership
Kate Scruggs
Digital Strategy Director Development Program.

Modupeh is a senior at the

University of Maryland. She is
currently obtaining a double degree
in government and politics and
communication. She is interested
in sports, and will be interning with

Modupeh Jahamliah
Community Relations Director

a communication intern in spring.

Modupeh will graduate in May and
hopes to pursue a career in sports
public relations handling crisis
situations.

Game Day staff.

Charlotte is a senior at
the University of Maryland
majoring in communication
with a concentration in public
relations. Charlotte is currently
a communications assistant at
START. Charlotte is interested
in interning at a public relations
area after graduating May 2015.
Charlotte Taylor
Logistics Director

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Problem

l
e
b
m
o
r
P

Home Matters is a national

affordable housing movement
established in 2012. It has more
that struggle to incorporate
Home Matters branding and
messaging in their operations.
messages stray from those
of Home Matters. Although
housing is currently a national
crisis, Home Matters struggles
to build national awareness as
the leading affordable housing
movement.
St. Ambrose Housing Aid
Center, located in Baltimore,
Maryland, is one of Home
executive director, Gerard
Joab, told our team that while
St. Ambrose is recognized
in the Baltimore area as a
overall the local community
lacks understanding of
programs.

Opportunity
St. Ambrose is more than
willing to use Home Matters
messaging, materials and
branding. They are excited by
the opportunity to closer ally
with Home Matters.
St. Ambrose is a wellestablished organization
created more than 40 years

Approach
To solve the disconnect
between Home Matters
national movement and
its more than 240 local
one organization to target

PR department, but are thrilled

at the chance to work with
University of Maryland students
who can tell their stories bigger,
brighter and better.

bridging this gap.

for St. Ambrose Housing Aid

Center that both targets the
in terms of awareness and
donations, and also helps
permanently brand it as one
of Home Matters

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Situation Analysis/SWOT
The housing crisis is a very real problem in the city of Baltimore, where 23.4 percent of residents live below the
poverty line. Baltimore residents also struggle with a high rate of vacant homes (10.1%), and a homeownership
rate of 48.8 percent, well below the Maryland average of 68.1 percent.

programs to support Baltimore residents. St. Ambrose helps approximately 3,000 low- and moderate-income

By forging a partnership with St. Ambrose, the UMD Bateman Team will create awareness for St. Ambrose and
establish the value of a Home. Ultimately, we aspire to help Baltimore residents learn that they can BMore
through access to safe, affordable housing.

Strengths
St. Ambrose is known in Baltimore, but people
(46 year history)
Diversity of programming (5 or 6 key programs)
Openness to marketing and messaging
suggestions
Strength of grants

Lack of recent press coverage and materials

Not open to volunteering, so people who can
donate time might be overlooked
Misconceptions about effects of public relations
Generational gap of ideal target audience

Existing social media strategies

(Facebook, blog, etc.) have potential and engage
with audience

Threats

Opportunities
Housing crisis is huge and is affecting tons of
people. Baltimore is in need of help
Baltimore is brandable
Home Matters 5 tenants align with the key St.
Ambrose programs
National Random Act of Kindness Day falls in
February
St. Ambrose has existing business partners,
including TD Bank. They also have many
potential partners
This DMA has room for news coverage and is

weather could be an issue

Many organizations and businesses compete for
attention and money, and we have to stand out
Affordable housing crisis is complex, and we will
need to translate the issue to appear solvable.
Organic growth on Facebook is nearly impossible

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Research: Secondary
The housing crisis is a complex and nuanced issue, particularly in Baltimore, where the average rate of
homeownership is more than 20 percent less than the Maryland average. Our team was interested in learning
as much as we could about the housing crisis, the housing landscape in Baltimore and the organizations

Housing in
Finding: The average rate of homeownership in Baltimore is more than 20 percent less than the Maryland
average.
This is why our campaign theme is focused on and will take place in Baltimore

tons of partnership and business opportunities there for our campaign.

Finding
rental housing and housing to buy
This statistic was a driving factor for including a legislative objective in our

affordable housing in the city but had died in the Maryland General Assembly.

Finding: According to an article from the New York Times, The American Dream, or the 1950s American
Dream, is becoming more of a dream than a reality for the young professional. As the cost of housing
increases, Millennials are forced to stay at home due to the lack of affordable housing. Social mobility is
becoming a concept of the past for the young professional.

them than they think

Traditional media audit: St. Ambrose

Finding:

Ambrose does not have a public relations department, so they are eager to use our skills to earn placements
exactly those great things are.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Research: Primary
of the housing crisis through primary research. Our team designed quantitative and qualitative research

entire research report is in an appendix.

Finding: Three percent of respondents said that they have heard of St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center.

Matters and St. Ambrose to be viewed as leading partners in the affordable housing movement. This is why
the focus of our campaign is to raise awareness of St. Ambrose. For example, we will host four events during
our campaign to inform our key publics about St. Ambrose and its six programs.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Research: Primary
Finding: Thirty-seven percent of our survey respondents said that affordable housing is a prevalent issue
within the Baltimore community. This ranked as the second highest issue behind childhood obesity.

This showed us that affordable housing is an issue that Millennials are thinking
Matters movement. However, because only 37 percent of respondents ranked it as a prevalent issue, it does
show that we must increase awareness of the housing crisis. One way we plan to do this is by humanizing the
programs
Finding:

into more of our social media tactics. Instead of having all of our contests (using #LetsBMore during events,
are more comfortable with.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Research: Primary

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

Campaign Theme
a play on words that encourages people to really be more in BMore by joining the Home Matters movement.

Because A Home Can Be More Than A House

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

10

Planning/Implementation
Goal

For St. Ambrose and Home Matters to be viewed as leading partners in the
affordable housing movement.
Digital Objective:
Strategy 1:
promotion.
Rationale
St. Amrbose website, she receives unsolicited donations.
Tactic 1

Tactic 2

Tactic 3
ultimately driving users to the donation page. Example keywords might include: housing organizations, how

Tactic 4
topics.
Tactic 5: Have as many pins as possible on Pinterest link back to St. Ambrose website or blog.
Strategy 2: Promote St. Ambrose and Home Matters websites through convergence of print and online
content.
Rationale
all print material links to St. Ambrose online presence.
Tactic 1: Include links to St. Ambrose and Home Matters website on all print materials.
Tactic 2: Add Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest hyperlinked icons to St. Ambrose website, newsletter and blog.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

11

Events Objective:
the end of February.
Strategy 1: Nurture the relationship between St. Ambrose and its local community.
Rationale: Baltimore is a city with a strong sense of community, and St. Ambrose shared with us that they have
strong ties to older business and community members. They are interested in continuing to nurture these ties
and create new relationships with younger members of the Baltimore community.
Tactic 1: On Random Act of Kindness Day, in partnership with Double Tree, hand out cookies and hot chocolate
Home Matters do, and it will encourage people to tweet or post on Facebook with the hashtag #LetsBMore and
describe how they will BMore on Random Act of Kindness Day. People who use the hashtag on Facebook or
Twitter will be entered for a chance to win a free night at the Baltimore Double Tree. This partnership will tie into

Strategy 2:
mission.
Rationale: Research shows that people are more likely to complete a task they are asked to do if they are
asked face-to-face rather than through other means of communication.
Tactic 1: Have a table at Stamp Fest in February to engage with millennials/young professionals about St.
Ambrose and the Home Matters missions.
Tactic 2: Table outside of Baltimore grocery stores, malls and MARC train stations to showcase Home Matters
and St. Ambrose missions. At these tabling events, we will provide Home Matters and St. Ambrose informational
and promotional materials. At each one of these tabling events we will have an iPad opened to the Home
Matters website where people can share what Home is... to them on social media. In addition, we will have a
social media.
Tactic 3
lecture in the Stamp Student Union led by a St. Ambrose representative.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Media Objective:
Earn two media placements in local publications and on local networks during the campaign.
Strategy 1: Position St. Ambrose executives as thought leaders on the housing crisis in Baltimore.
Rationale: St. Ambrose executives told us they want St. Ambrose to be top of mind in Baltimore when it comes

Tactic 1
St. Ambrose.
Strategy 2:
Rationale
Tactic 2
the new American Dream.
Strategy 3: Generate a buzz around the housing crisis and the organizations that are working to solve it.
Rationale: Our primary research taught us that not many people identify the lack of affordable housing as an

Tactic 1: Pitch St. Ambrose as a solution to the housing crisis in Baltimore to NPR and local radio stations.
Tactic 2: Enter the Do Good Challenge, a grant competition at the University of Maryland, to get Home
professionals.
Tactic 3: Pitch St. Ambrose to CBS Baltimore Morning Edition Coffee with to spread awareness and direct
potential donors to the website.
Tactic 4

Tactic 5: Pitch success of Random Act of Kindness event to local daily papers and blogs.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

13

Social Media Objective:

Increase followers across Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest by 25 percent by the end of February.
Strategy 1: Humanize the affordable housing crisis by sharing stories of those affected through use of new
media.
Rationale: Our focus group taught us that people would be more likely to donate to a cuase if they knew
exactly who their donations were going to. Putting a face to the affordable housing crisis is one way to do this.
Tactic 1
home is helping them succeed in school. This blog post will discuss the Home Matters education pillar.
Tactic 2
Ambrose revitalized their area. This blog post will discuss the Home Matters economy pillar.
Tactic 3
personal success pillar.
Tactic 4
Use this as an opportunity to showcase St. Ambrose leaders as authorities on the affordable housing crisis.
This post will discuss the Home Matters safety pillar.
Tactic 5
children or adults whose health has been transformed by having a home. This post will discuss the Home
Matters health pillar.
Tactic 6: Create a Humans of St. Ambrose series of photos featuring members of the St. Ambrose
community and their thoughts on the American Dream and what home means to them.
Strategy 2: Attract millennials and young professionals to join the affordable housing movement through social
media channels.
Rationale: Home Matters wants as many people as possible to join the affordable housing movement, and
one way to join a movement is through social channels.
Tactic 1: Develop content calendars for Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest that incorporate Home Matters and
St. Ambrose key messages.
Tactic 2: Create a St. Ambrose Pinterest account and develop boards that include tips on affording a home,
decorating on a budget, personal success stories and tips on homeownership.
Tactic 3: Hold a social media contest each week in which we ask people online to tweet #HomeIs (a Home
Matters hashtag) and #LetsBMore (our campaign hashtag). Their tweet will explain what home is to them and
by tweeting with these hashtags, they will be entered in a weekly chance to win a Starbucks gift card.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Branding Objective:
Adopt Home Matters as a branded partner on 100 percent of St. Ambrose materials created for this campaign.
Strategy 1: Position Home Matters as the umbrella organization for the national affordable housing movement.
Rationale: Home Matters wants to be recognized as the national umbrella organization for the affordable
housing movement.
Tactic 1

Tactic 2: Incorporate Home Matters on St. Ambrose website by including Home Matters logo on homepage

Strategy 2:
Rationale
Tactic 1
content for St. Ambrose.
Tactic 2: Make a video to humanize the affordable housing crisis. The video will incorporate St. Ambrose
residents and Home Matters key messages. It will encourage those who see it to realize how having a stable
Matters and share across social media channels.
Tactic 3: Place materials branded with Home Matters and St. Ambrose logos in MARC trains, UMD busses,
and on local businesses community boards.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Legislative Objective:
Create a relationship between Home Matters, St. Ambrose and key legislators by the end of February.
Strategy 1:
Rationale: Legislators are more likely to help an organization or remember to fund it during budget season if
their constituents frequently tell them how important that organization is.
Tactic 1: Send a letter to every Maryland Senator, Delegate and Baltimore City legislator detailing the housing

Tactic 2: Invite members of the Baltimore City Council to visit St. Ambrose for a legislative breakfast discussing
the housing crisis in Baltimore and how St. Ambrose is working to solve it. At the breakfast, encourage
legislative support for affordable housing and legislator support for St. Ambrose programs.
Tactic 3: Propose affordable housing as a student legislative concern to the UMD Student Government

day. As the lack of affordable housing will be a problem for many UMD graduates, this is an issue we think they
will support.
Strategy 2:
Rationale
Ambrose or Home Matters to state that affordable housing is important to them, they might help move important
legislation forward.
Tactic 1: Request that a member of the Baltimore City Council co-author an op-ed about the affordable housing
crisis in Baltimore.
Tactic 2: Meet with key legislative champions of affordable housing in the Maryland General Assembly
Baltimore City delegation and propose that they sponsor a form of the H.O.M.E. bill (In 2013, the bill code for
this legislation was SB643/HB902) that would only apply to Baltimore City.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Partnership Objective:
Increase awareness among 200 people in the Baltimore community through partnerships by the end of
February.
Strategy 1: Foster participation among Baltimore businesses and community organizations in the affordable
housing movement.
Rationale: Rationale: Baltimore is a community-oriented city, and St. Ambrose depends on its partnerships with
local businesses and community organizations to succeed.
Tactic 1
stickers in their windows.
Tactic 2: Present St. Ambrose and its programs to the public leadership philanthropy class (PUAF359I) as a

Tactic 3: Partner with local restaurants and have each restaurant create a healthy recipe on a low budget.
Compile these recipes into a book for new St. Ambrose tenants and residents. St. Ambrose tenants and
residents will be more inclined to visit these restaurants, which will boost the local economy. In addition, the
recipes will be health and budget conscious (another one of Home Matters pillars).
Tactic 4: Create video with Kevin Plank & Under Armour with a Protect this House theme. Plank might
introduce this video with the line At Under Armour, we protect this house, but so many of our Baltimore

Tactic 5: Create a PSA with Kevin Plank and Under Armour with a Protect this House theme to promote to
local radio and broadcast stations.
Tactic 6
and environmentally friendly urban communities to implement in Baltimore.
Strategy 2: Promote the Adopt-A-Family program to local businesses and community and campus
organizations.
Rationale: Rationale: Our focus group told us that people are most likely to donate goods, as opposed to
money or time. The adopt-a-family program gives people the chance to do just that.
Tactic 1: Partner with UMD philanthropic organizations Terps for Change, Campus Pantry and Food Recovery
Network to encourage monetary and good donations to St. Ambrose adopt-a-family program. One desired good
donation is a DIY welcome to St. Ambrose basket.
Tactic 2: Develop a competition between UMD Greek Life chapters to drive donations (monetary and good) to
St. Ambrose adopt-a-family program.
Tactic 3
businesses (ex. Natural Bohemian, UTZ, Domino and McCormick and Schmick)

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Publics
Primary
Young professionals living or working in Baltimore, Maryland, interested in social justice
Millennials, ages 1822, who have an interest in donating some sort of time, money or goods to a local
Donors who are invested in the city of Baltimore, or the national housing affordability movement

Secondary
affordability bills
Baltimore residents who are dedicated to making Baltimore housing more affordable

Moderating
Baltimore City

Intervening
lifestyle, food & drink, and local news beats

Spokespersons
Primary
Young professionals living or working in Baltimore, Maryland, interested in social justice
Millennials, ages 1822, who have an interest in donating some sort of time, money or goods to a local
Donors who are invested in the city of Baltimore, or the national housing affordability movement

Secondary
ability bills
Baltimore residents who are dedicated to making Baltimore housing more affordable

Moderating
Baltimore City

Intervening
lifestyle, food & drink, and local news beats

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

18

Key Mesages
Key Message: Lets BMore because a home can BMore than a house
Facts:
One of Home Matters key messages is that having a home is about much more than the physical structure of
having a home.
Examples/Anecdotes:
On feedback cards where St. Ambrose residents could list why home matters to them, many residents listed
that home matters to them because it was where their family succeeded and where they had a safe place
they could go.

Informational message: Home Matters and St. Ambrose are organizations dedicated to
helping people navigate the affordable housing crisis
Facts:
Home Matters is a national movement to bring awareness to the affordable housing crisis. They have more

Examples/Anecdotes:

Motivational message: You can always go home...but not everyone can

Facts:
23.4 percent of Baltimore residents live below the poverty line and might not be able to afford a home
The Baltimore rate of homeownership is 48.4 percent, which is well below the Maryland average of 68.1
percent, meaning
Examples/Anecdotes:
St. Ambrose helps approximately 3,000 low-and-moderate-income families each year, and with more funding
and public attention, they could help more of Baltimore residents in need.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Communication Theories
Narrative Paradigm:
People are storytelling animals; almost all forms of human communication are fundamentally narrative.
Listeners judge a story by whether it hangs together and rings true with the values of an ideal audience. Thus,

Agenda-Setting Theory:
Home Matters when they think about the housing crisis in Baltimore.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Timeline

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Budget

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Evaluation
Outcome:
By the end of our campaign in February, we should have been able to reach out to both young professionals
and donors and change their attitudes about the affordable housing crisis. St. Ambrose will be recognized
supporters who take advantage of their housing services and an overall increase of visitors to the website,
a way that the targeted publics will think they can do something about it.

Outgrowth:
and its mission to tackle the affordable housing crisis. The six services that St. Ambrose provides align with
service in Baltimore, it should also be paired hand and hand with the Home Matters Movement. Additionally,
Baltimore legislators will also begin focusing on the affordable housing crisis after we connect with them, as
well as the Maryland Student Government Association.

Output:
By the end of the campaign we should have been able to create a successful social media campaign and
and the University of Maryland, which will have formed long-term relationships, as well as strengthened the

Measuring Objectives:
Pre- and Post-Test Surveys
awareness of St. Ambrose and the national Home Matters Movement.

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Evaluation

ST. AMBROSE
HOUSING AID CENTER

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Appendix A

Appendix(A!
SWOT! !
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Team!Contract!!
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Research!Proposal!! !
Key!Findings!!Secondary!!
Secondary!Research!! !
Key!Findings!!Primary!!
Primary!Research!!
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Citations!
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2!
3!
5!
10!
11!
26!
28!
38!

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1!

SWOT(!
**Note:!We!completed!this!SWOT!when!we!thought!our!client!was!Home!Matters!rather!than!
St.!Ambrose!Housing!Aid!Center.!!
!
Strengths!M!Internal!!
o Depth!in!vast!number!reputable!partners!
o Huge!amount!of!fundingMcArthur!Award!($30,000)thought!leaders!are!
paying!attention!
o Existing!social!media!strategies!have!potential!(talking!about!home!has!strong!
emotional!appeal)!
o Appealing!existing!graphics!and!logo!
Weakness!M!Internal!
o Low!national!visibility!
o Lack!of!recent!press!coverage!and!materials!
o Structure!is!complex!and!unclear!MM!who!are!we!supposed!to!help?!!
o Poor!organizational!communication!!
o Website!is!confusing!
o Home!Matters!seems!to!focus!largely!in!the!California!area!and!not!much!in!our!
area!
Opportunities!M!External!!
o Housing!crisis!is!huge!and!is!affecting!tons!of!people.!There!are!many!counties!in!
Md.!that!are!in!need!of!a!solution!to!this!problem!!
o Company!is!marketable!M!easy!to!get!behind!an!organization!dedicated!to!social!
improvement!
o Baltimore!is!brandable!
o February!is!a!cold!month!(and!were!expecting!a!heavier!than!normal!snow)!and!
people!will!be!sympathetic!to!the!cause!!!
Threats!M!External!!
o There!are!many!organizations!who!want!to!solve!this!problem.!We!need!to!
stand!out!from!them!
o People!dont!have!tons!of!money!to!donate!
o People!arent!always!passionate!about!this!MM!not!as!marketable!as!helping!
children!with!cancer!!
o Difficult!to!get!media!coverage!in!this!DMA!MM!we!have!to!compete!with!
Washington,!politicians,!etc.!!
o Affordable!housing!crisis!is!difficult!to!understand!(complex)!and!difficult!to!
solve!
!
!
!
!
!
!

2!

SWOT((
**Note:!This!is!our!revised!SWOT!for!St.!Ambrose.!!
!
Internal!! Strengths!
Weaknesses!!
Influential!and!reputable!in!
St.!Ambrose!is!known!in!Baltimore,!
Baltimore!(46!year!history)!!
but!people!dont!know!what!
Diversity!of!programming!(5!or!6!
specific!programs!they!offer!
key!programs)!!
Lack!of!recent!press!coverage!and!
Openness!to!marketing!and!
materials!
messaging!suggestions!!
Not!open!to!volunteering,!so!
Willingness!to!brand!with!Home!
people!who!can!donate!time!might!
Matters!!
be!overlooked!
Strength!of!grants!(ex.!$300/day!
Misconceptions!about!effects!of!
Google!Ad!Words)!!
public!relations!!
Existing!social!media!strategies!
Generational!gap!of!ideal!target!
(Facebook,!blog,!etc.)!have!
audience!
potential!and!engage!with!
audience!
External! Opportunities!
Threats!!
Housing!crisis!is!huge!and!is!
Well!be!running!the!campaign!in!
affecting!tons!of!people.!
February!(freezing)!
Baltimore!is!in!need!of!help!!
Many!organizations!and!
Baltimore!is!brandable!
businesses!compete!for!attention!
Home!Matters!5!tenants!align!
and!money,!and!we!have!to!stand!
with!the!key!St.!Ambrose!
out!
programs!
People!dont!have!tons!of!money!
National!Random!Act!of!
to!donate!
Kindness!Day!falls!in!February!
Affordable!housing!crisis!is!
St.!Ambrose!has!existing!
complex,!and!we!will!need!to!
business!partners,!including!TD!
translate!the!issue!to!appear!
Bank.!They!also!have!many!
solvable.!
potential!partners!
Organic!growth!on!Facebook!is!
This!DMA!has!room!for!news!
nearly!impossible!
coverage!and!is!less!competitive!
than!Washington,!D.C.!!
!
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3!

Team(Contract(!
!

Responsibilities:!
Research/Metrics:!Kate,!&!Guy!
Planning:!Everyone!
Blog!Coordinator/Outreach:!Kate!&!Charlotte!
Media!Relations:!Corinne,!Mo!
Community!Relations/Outreach:!Mo!&!Corinne!
Note!Taker:!Tai!
Design!&!Graphics:!Tai!&!Charlotte!
Event!Planner:!Corinne,!Mo!&!Guy!
Website:!Charlotte!&!Kate!
Social!Media:!Charlotte,!Corinne!&!Tai!
Budget:!Charlotte!&!Guy!
Timeline:!Tai!&!Guy!
Master!Editor:!Kate!
Proofreaders:!Everyone!
Brainstorm:!Everyone!
Presentation!Coordinator:!Tai!
!
Responsibilities!Listed!Per!Person:!
Corinne!(4):!Media!Relations,!Community!Relations/Outreach,!Social!Media,!Event!
Planning!
Tai!(5):!Note!Taker,!Design!&!Graphics,!Social!Media,!Timeline,!Presentation!Coordinator!
Mo!(3):!Media!Relations,!Community!Relations/Outreach,!Event!Planner!
Guy!(4):!Research/Metrics,!Event!Planner,!Budget,!Timeline!
Kate!(4):!Research/Metrics,!Blog!Coordinator/Outreach,!Website,!Master!Editor!
Charlotte!(5):!Blog!Coordinator/Outreach,!Design!&!Graphics,!Website,!Social!Media,!
Budget!
Everyone!(3):!Planning,!Proofreading,!Brainstorming!
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Research(Proposal(!
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Bateman(Team(Home(Matters(Research(Proposal!
A.((Mission(!
Home!Matters!mission!is!to!educate,!collaborate,!engage,!support!and!celebrate!the!role!homes!
play!in!peoples!lives,!communities!and!nations.!According!to!Home!Matters,!homes!play!a!
crucial!role!in!Americans!ability!to!live!healthy!and!fulfilled!lives.!Home!Matters!goes!beyond!
housing!and!aims!to!animate!the!connection!between!stable!housing!and!individuals!health,!
education,!public!safety,!economy!and!individual!success.!The!social!challenge!the!problem!brief!
outlines!is!the!housing!crisis!in!America,!and!Home!Matters!has!a!few!ways!they!want!us!to!solve!
this!problem.!!
!
In!terms!of!awareness,!Home!Matters!wants!their!publics!(baby!boomers,!millennials!and!single!
mothers)!!to!be!aware!of!the!housing!crisis,!the!new!American!dream!and!the!impact!homes!
have!on!the!success!of!our!nation.!They!want!to!mobilize!their!publics!to!rethink!how!they!talk!
about!and!think!about!home.!More!specifically,!Home!Matters!wants!their!publics!to!
understand!that!home!is!more!than!a!dwelling.!Homes!should!help!peoples!health,!education,!
safety,!economy!and!individual!success.!!!
!
Home!Matters!wants!to!change!publics!behavior,!too.!They!want!to!encourage!target!audiences!
to!join!the!Home!Matters!movement!and!follow!them!on!social!networks.!Home!Matters!also!
wants!to!encourage!their!publics!to!donate!to!their!movement.!Home!Matters!is!a!resource!for!
Americans!who!struggle!with!the!housing!crisis,!and!they!want!this!campaign!to!make!more!
people!aware!of!their!movement!to!make!a!difference!in!the!housing!crisis.!!
!
Home!Matters!wants!to!establish!the!housing!crisis!as!an!important!issue!worthy!of!attention!
and!legislation!among!key!government!and!community!influencers,!in!addition!to!attracting!
donor!funding.!Thus,!Home!Matters!views!other!organizations!that!work!for!the!same!mission!
not!as!competitors!but!as!affiliates,!and!they!have!taken!steps!to!incorporate!more!than!200!
nonMprofits!across!the!United!States!under!their!umbrella.!!
!
The!Home!Matters!movement!has!a!few!opportunities!for!growth!in!the!Washington,!
D.C./Baltimore!area.!First,!the!housing!crisis!is!a!big!problem!in!our!area.!D.C.!was!recently!
named!as!one!of!the!most!expensive!cities!in!the!U.S.!to!live!in,!and!people!in!this!area!recognize!
the!effects!of!the!housing!crisis.!Our!area!is!in!need!of!a!solution!to!this!problem.!Another!
opportunity!is!that!Home!Matters!is!really!marketable.!Its!easy!to!get!behind!an!organization!
that!is!dedicated!to!social!improvement.!In!this!sense,!brand!awareness!is!a!big!opportunity.!!
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B.(What(information(is(missing(that(will(help(you(shape(a(program?(!
Our!team!has!already!researched!a!majority!of!the!local!Home!Matters!partners,!in!addition!to!
housing!issues!and!demographics!of!Baltimore!City!(a!potential!locale!for!the!campaign).!Our!
biggest!chunk!of!missing!information!is!determining!which!organization!we!should!partner!with!
and!what!the!organizations!needs!are.!!
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We!also!need!to!narrow!our!target!public!and!conduct!more!research!on!them.!Specifically,!well!
need!to!learn!about!their!perceptions!of!Home!Matters,!which!channels!they!use!to!
communicate,!and!how!to!craft!a!message!that!will!resonate!with!them.!!

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C.((What(type(of(research(methods(might(help(you(gain(this(information?!
Our!research!methods!would!include!!
Focus!groups!
Interviews!
Surveys!
Home!Matters!target!audience!
Members!of!Home!Matters!Council!
Associates!of!affiliated!Home!Matters!organizations!
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D.((Select(one((or(more)(and(design(your(research(instrument.(!
Weve!already!begun!our!research!process!by!interviewing!a!member!from!the!Home!Matters!
Council.!!Weve!also!started!surveying!and!informally!interviewing!local!affiliates!of!Home!
Matters!to!find!out!if!they!are!viable!candidates!for!the!campaign.!!!
!
Well!continue!using!survey!tactic!to!find!out!what!resources!each!affiliate!may!need!in!order!to!
benefit!from!their!relationship!with!Home!Matters.!It!would!also!help!to!survey!one!or!two!of!
our!selected!Home!Matters!target!audiences!so!as!to!find!out!what!tactics!we!could!use!to!draw!
their!attention!to!Home!Matters!and!push!them!to!evangelize!the!organization.!!
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Research(Proposal(Development(!
When!conducting!secondary!research!for!Home!Matters,!we!used!information!from!the!Census!
Bureau,!articles!published!by!local!newspapers!(including!The$Washington$Post$!and!The$
Baltimore$Sun),!statistics!included!in!our!Case!Study!Brief,!the!Home!Matters!website!and!
information!featured!on!local!housing!organizations!websites.!We!also!conducted!casual!
research,!including!conversations!with!members!of!housingMoriented!clubs!on!campus!and!
discussing!the!Home!Matters!initiative!with!Helen!Malani!at!the!PRSSA!National!Conference.!We!
included!an!overview!of!our!secondary!and!casual!research!below.!!
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Home$Matters!
According!to!the!Home!Matters!website,![They]!are![a!group!of!organizations]!allied!by!a!critical!
mission:!to!show!how!home!is!indispensable!to!each!one!of!us,!and!to!our!countrys!progress.!
Coalition!of!housing!organizations!across!the!country!that!promote!the!values!of!Home!
connected!to!the!5!elements!of!home!matters!(Success,!education,!health,!economy!and!public!
safety.!Home!Matters!seeks!to!increase!public!awareness!for!Home!Matters!through!support!for!
a!local!nonMprofit!organization.!The!National!NeighborWorks!Association!supports!home!
Matters.!
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Housing$Crisis!
Affordable!housing!focuses!on!people!who!pay!more!than!30%!of!income!to!housing!
Cant!afford!necessities!(food,!transportation,!medical!care)!
Median!asking!rate!M!2x!more!than!20!years!ago!
People!of!color!ownership!<50%!Just!as!grim!for!millennials!and!first!time!buyers!as!it!
was!in!the!1980s!and!1990s.!Coincidentally,!80s!housing!was!the!same!in!the!60s.!
Most!affordable!housing!in!rural!areas!
Big!cities!42%!households!paying!more!than!35%,!rural!32%!(commute!offsets!this)!
Average!median!price!for!housing!in!big!cities!$266M304K,!rural!$116K!

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Only!the!rich!will!be!able!to!afford!their!own!homes!in!20!years;!Availability!of!home!
ownership!and!jobs!doesnt!match!population!
Home!prices!up!7.4%!during!past!year,!reflecting!29!straight!months!of!yearly!increases!
Affordable!housing!made!affordable!by!the!money!that!the!government!receives,!but!
because!of!the!of!housing!market!crash,!no!money!came!in,!thus!city!lost!half!of!its!
apartments!that!were!priced!at!less!than!$750/month,!while!many!of!those!costing!
more!than!$1500!tripled.!!

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Local$Home$Matters$non9profit$affiliates$!
Enterprise!Community!Partners!
Green!&!Healthy!Homes!
Greater!Washington!Urban!League!
Neighborhood!Housing!Services!of!Baltimore,!Inc.!
National!Housing!Conference!
NLIHC!
St.!Ambrose!Housing!Services!of!Baltimore,!Inc.!
City!First!Homes!
Rebuilding!Together!
Frederick!County!Community!Land!Trust!
MANNA,!Inc.!
Opportunity!Nation!
HomeFree!USA!
HAND!Housing!
NACEDA!
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On9Campus$Groups!
Alternative!Spring!Break!Trip!
Bringing!Charm!to!Charm!City!brings!students!to!Baltimore!City!to!tackle!the!housing!
crisis.!!We!have!a!contact!on!hand!and!they!are!interested!in!working!with!us.!!
Fraternities!and!Sororities!!
Everyone!has!a!philanthropy,!we!could!tap!into!it.!
Delta!Tau!Delta!is!a!new!fraternity!coming!to!campus.!
UMD!Habitat!for!Humanity!
Informally!interviewed!the!UMD!Chapters!CoMPresident!
UMD!Habitat!is!currently!going!through!a!merger!(the!smaller!Habitat!theyre!partnered!
with!is!merging!with!Chesapeake!Habitat),!so!UMD!Habitat!is!fairly!inactive!this!
semester!
Have!worked!in!the!Baltimore!area!before!
MIght!be!able!to!partner!with!some!of!their!members!because!theyre!not!doing!much!
and!will!have!time!to!devote!to!another!!
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Helpful$&$Important$Sources!
Home!Matters!website!
Local!nonMprofit!affiliate!websites!!
Speaking!to!Home!Matters!representative!at!PRSSA!2014!National!Conference!!
Research!on!affordable!housing!crisis!statistics!!

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Interviews!with!local!nonMprofit!Home!Matters!affiliates!

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Our!research!from!trusted!newspapers!is!current!enough!to!stand!alone,!particularly!because!
nearly!all!of!the!articles!were!published!within!the!past!year.!Additionally,!our!researched!
gathered!from!the!Census!Bureau!is!reliable,!but!slightly!outdated!(collected!in!2012,!according!
to!website).!Still,!the!data!can!stand!alone!because!its!the!best,!most!accurate!representation!of!
the!demographics!in!the!Baltimore!area.!On!the!other!hand,!our!interviews!with!Home!Matters!
and!UMD!clubs!were!preliminary!at!best.!Well!need!to!conduct!more!interviews!with!the!UMD!
Clubs!and!local!Home!Matters!affiliates.!!
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Once!we!determine!who!our!partner!will!be,!we!will!conduct!several!surveys!and!focus!groups!
to!determine!how!we!can!best!reach!our!target!audience!and!move!them!to!join!the!affordable!
housing!movement!powered!by!Home!Matters.!!The!goal!of!this!case!study!is!to!increase!
awareness!about!Home!Matters!and!to!get!people!to!join!and!donate!to!the!movementthe!
best!way!to!get!started!would!be!to!know!what!will!motivate!our!targets!to!do!so.!
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Planned(Primary(Research!
Surveys$!
Our!rationale!for!selecting!surveys!as!one!of!our!methodologies!is!because!it!will!help!us!find!out!
what!would!motivate!our!target!publics!to!take!action!and!join!the!Home!Matters!movement!or!
the!affiliate!organization!we!choose!to!work!with.!The!datas!quantitative!nature!will!also!allow!
us!to!gather!large!amounts!of!data!at!once.!The!surveys!will!allow!us!to!get!a!snapshot!view!of!
our!target!publics!opinions!on!what!types!of!campaigns!and!messaging!motivates!them!the!
most.!!
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Sample$questions:!
Are!you!more!likely!to!volunteer!for!a!nonprofit!organization!if!you!receive!information!via!
Social!media!
Email!
Flyer!
OneMonMone!conversation!!
Other!(please!explain)!
We!will!administer!surveys!onMcampus!because!we!hope!to!work!with!UMD!student!
organizations,!but!it!is!very!important!for!us!to!go!beyond!our!campus.!We!would!imagine!that!
we!will!go!to!public!parks,!malls!and!even!just!sidewalks!of!whichever!city!we!end!up!in!and!
survey!anyone!who!is!willing!to!participate.!Its!important!that!we!talk!to!a!variety!of!different!
people!around!the!area!where!our!nonprofit!Home!Matters!affiliate!is!located!because!that!is!
most!likely!where!the!volunteers!and!support!with!come!from.!Additionally,!we!can!administer!
surveys!online!to!reach!an!even!broader!population!that!we!wouldnt!necessarily!find!on!the!
street.!!
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Focus$Groups!
Our!rationale!for!selecting!focus!groups!as!one!of!our!methodologies!is!because!it!will!provide!us!
with!a!deeper,!more!qualitative!understanding!of!our!audiences.!We!plan!on!targeting!specific!
groups!after!discussing!local!housing!issues!with!our!chosen!Home!Matters!affiliate.!!
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When!carrying!out!the!focus!groups,!we!would!encourage!a!guided!discussion!and!assign!a!
moderator!to!keep!the!questions!in!line!with!the!five!Home!Matters!principles!and!affiliate!
issues.!We!would!like!to!accomplish!this!focus!group!in!one!day!with!810!participants!at!the!
site!of!our!Home!Matters!affiliate.!!This!focus!group!should!last!no!longer!than!an!hour!and!a!
half.!Ideally,!we!would!conduct!three!or!four!of!these!onMsite!focus!groups!with!different!
participants.!!
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Additional$Secondary$Research!
Continuing!secondary!research!is!crucial!to!a!successful!campaign.!We!plan!to!conduct!a!media!
and!new!media!analysis!of!the!housing!crisis!in!our!chosen!city.!For!example,!if!we!chose!
Baltimore!City,!we!will!set!up!Google!Alerts!for!search!terms!including!Baltimore!City!housing!
crisis,!Baltimore!City!housing!agenda,!Baltimore!City!AND!homeless,!Baltimore!City!
government,!Baltimore!City!population!and!Baltimore!City!community.!We!will!then!
categorize!our!findings!into!an!Excel!Spreadsheet!for!easy!assessment.!We!will!also!review!other!
successful!housing!campaigns,!upon!establishing!that!the!campaign!has!elements!similar!to!our!
own.!!
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Key(Findings:(Secondary(Research((
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Finding:(The!average!rate!of!homeownership!in!Baltimore!is!more!than!20!percent!less!than!the!
Maryland!average.!
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Informing(Lets(BMore:(This!is!why!our!campaign!theme!is!focused!on!and!will!take!place!in!
Baltimore!(BMore).!We!wanted!to!take!advantage!of!the!huge!opportunity!we!have!in!
Baltimore!because!the!housing!crisis!is!so!prevalent!there.!We!also!think!that!Baltimore!is!a!
really!brandable!city,!so!we!felt!like!there!were!tons!of!partnership!and!business!opportunities!
there!for!our!campaign.!
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Finding:(Six!of!10!American!adults!believe!the!government!should!do!more!to!ensure!both!
sufficient!affordable!rental!housing!and!housing!to!buy!
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Informing(Lets(BMore:(This!statistic!was!a!driving!factor!for!including!a!legislative!objective!in!
our!campaign!proposal.!If!were!going!to!try!to!tackle!the!affordable!housing!crisis!in!Baltimore,!
we!thought!it!was!necessary!to!at!least!try!to!influence!Baltimore!legislators!to!reMevaluate!
pieces!of!legislation!that!deal!with!affordable!housing!in!the!city!but!had!died!in!the!Maryland!
General!Assembly.!!
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Finding:(According!to!an!article!from!the!New!York!Times,!The!American!Dream,!or!the!1950s!
American!Dream,!is!becoming!more!of!a!dream!than!a!reality!for!the!young!professional.!As!the!
cost!of!housing!increases,!Millennials!are!forced!to!stay!at!home!due!to!the!lack!of!affordable!
housing.!Social!mobility!is!becoming!a!concept!of!the!past!for!the!young!professional.!
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Informing(Lets(BMore:!This!piece!of!research!helped!tie!the!redefinition!of!the!American!
Dream!into!our!campaign.!We!plan!to!be!part!of!one!of!Backpack!to!Briefcases!events!where!
we!will!discuss!affordable!housing!options!for!University!of!Maryland!students.!We!think!its!
important!to!also!focus!on!showing!Millennials!on!campus!that!affordable!housing!is!a!real!issue,!
and!its!even!one!that!may!hit!closer!to!home!for!them!than!they!think.!
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Finding:(According!to!a!2013!study,!fundraising!or!donating!items,!particularly!food!items,!is!one!
of!the!top!volunteer!activities!across!the!nation!(23.8!percent).(
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Informing(Lets(BMore:(We!took!this!finding!into!consideration!when!we!created!the!tactic!to!
partner!with!UMD!Greek!Organizations!to!make!DIY!baskets!to!gift!to!families!in!the!St,!Ambrose!
AdoptMAMFamily!program.!Because!of!this!statistic,!we!thought!that!the!Greek!organizations!
would!be!more!likely!to!donate!these!goods!instead!of!time!volunteering!at!an!event!or!
money!in!the!form!of!donations.!!
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Finding:(Two!feature!articles!have!been!written!about!St.!Ambrose!in!the!past!five!years.!!
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Informing(Lets(BMore:(We!made!an!entire!objective!and!several!strategies!focused!on!media!
relations.!St.!Ambrose!does!not!have!a!public!relations!department,!so!they!are!eager!to!use!our!
skills!to!earn!placements!in!local!media.!They!say!that!people!in!Baltimore!know!that!they!do!
great!things,!but!that!they!dont!know!what!exactly!those!great!things!are.!!

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Secondary(Research(!
The!housing!crisis!is!a!complex!and!nuanced!issue,!particularly!in!Baltimore,!where!the!average!rate!of!
homeownership!is!more!than!20!percent!less!than!the!Maryland!average.!Our!team!was!interested!in!
learning!as!much!as!we!could!about!the!housing!crisis,!the!housing!landscape!in!Baltimore!and!the!
organizations!looking!to!solve!the!crisis.!
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Housing(Crisis:(What(is(it?(Do(people(know(about(it?((

Housing(Challenges(Real(For(Many(Americans,(Finds(2014(How(Housing(Matters(Survey!
Americans!are!making!more!sacrifices!in!order!to!keep!their!heads!above!water!with!rent!and!mortgage!
payments.!Getting!additional!jobs,!cutting!back!on!health!care!and!increasing!debt!are!just!a!few!ways!
that!Americans!are!sacrificing.!Owning!a!home!has!lost!its!luster!in!the!eyes!of!Americans!hoping!to!obtain!
the!American!Dream.!
Over!the!past!three!years,!roughly!52!percent!of!American!adults!have!had!to!make!at!least!one!
sacrifice!in!order!to!cover!their!rent!or!mortgage!!MacArthur!survey!
Sacrifices!include:!more!than!one!job,!not!saving!for!retirement,!cutting!back!on!health!care!and!
healthy!foods,!running!up!credit!card!debt,!moving!to!less!safe!area!
Six!of!10!American!adults!believe!the!government!should!do!more!to!ensure!both!sufficient!
affordable!rental!housing!and!housing!to!buy!
Owning!a!home!is!not!believed!to!be!one!of!the!best!ways!to!build!wealth!and!assets!anymore!!
less!appeal!
Seven!of!10!renters!now!believe!that!renters!can!achieve!the!American!Dream!just!as!much!as!
home!owners!
Contrary!to!housing!experts,!many!Americans!feel!the!housing!crisis!is!not!behind!us!
http://www.macfound.org/press/pressMreleases/housingMchallengesMrealMmanyMamericansMfindsM2014M
howMhousingMmattersMsurvey/!
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Out(of(Reach(2014:(TwentyVFive(Years(Later,(The(Affordable(Housing(Crisis(Continues!
It!is!becoming!nearly!impossible!for!an!American!earning!minimum!wage!to!afford!twoMbedroom!housing.!
As!the!gap!between!affordability!and!reality!grows,!Americans!are!struggling!to!find!affordable!housing.!
Maryland!ranks!fourth!amongst!all!states!as!one!of!the!most!expensive!states!to!live!in.!The!Fair!Market!
Rent!(FMR)!for!a!twoMbedroom!house/apartment!is!$24.94,!which!is!more!than!three!times!the!national!
minimum!wage.!
National!Low!Income!Housing!Coalition!is!dedicated!to!achieving!socially!just!public!policy!that!
provides!people!the!lowest!incomes!in!the!U.S.!with!affordable!and!quality!homes!
1949!Housing!Act!!provide!a!decent!home!in!a!suitable!living!environment!for!all!American!
Households!
Today,!US!spends!roughly!$180!billion!per!year!in!tax!subsidies!and!direct!appropriations!to!
support!housing!
Only!$48!billion!is!put!toward!low!income!renters!
In!the!US,!the!2014!twoMbedroom!Housing!Wage!is!$18.92!(the!wage!required!in!order!to!keep!a!
twoMbedroom!rental!home)!
$18.92!is!more!than!twoMandMaMhalf!times!the!federal!minimum!wage!
Impossible!to!afford!a!one!or!twoMbedroom!rental!in!any!state!
One!of!every!four!renter!households!is!an!extremely!low!income!(ELI)!unit!
Three!in!four!ELI!renters!spend!more!than!50!percent!of!their!income!on!housing!
Gap!between!affordability!and!reality!grows!
Higher!minimum!wages!are!not!enough!to!solve!the!affordable!housing!crisis!
Maryland!Housing!Wages!for!TwoMBedroom!FMR!(Fair!Market!Rent)!M!$24.94!
Number!four!on!list!of!most!expensive!states!
138!Hours!at!minimum!wage!needed!per!week!to!afford!rent!
http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/2014OOR.pdf!

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Housing(in(Baltimore(
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Census(Bureau(Statistics(for(the(City(of(Baltimore(
According!to!the!Census!Bureau:!
10.4!percent!of!all!Maryland!residents!live!in!Baltimore!!
The!homeownership!rate!in!the!city!of!Baltimore!is!20!percent!lower!than!the!Maryland!
average!!
23.4!percent!of!residents!live!below!the!poverty!line,!as!compared!to!the!9.4!percent!
Maryland!average!
10.1!percent!of!homes!in!Baltimore!are!vacant!
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24/24510.html!
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Housing(Legislation(in(Maryland((

Maryland(Housing(Opportunities(Made(Equal((HOME)(Act!
The!HOME!Act!prohibits!landlords!and!property!owners!from!discriminating!against!potential!
renters/buyers!based!on!their!source!of!income!(i.e.!Renters!with!section!8!housing!vouchers).!The!HOME!
Act!will!help!create!more!economic!diversity!in!communities!and!increase!access!for!all!in!areas!of!
economic!opportunity.!
http://www.publicjustice.org/uploads/file/pdf/HOME_Act_FAQs_10M20M11.pdf!
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State(Shouldnt(Let(Landlords(Discriminate!
According!to!the!HOME!Act,!Landlords!and!property!owners!will!still!be!able!to!refuse!tenants!from!living!
on!their!properties,!but!not!for!economic!reasons.!Refusing!tenants!access!to!living!areas!based!on!their!
source!of!income!denies!them!opportunity!to!succeed.!Tenants!with!a!guaranteed!source!of!income!may!
actually!be!a!better!economic!risk!than!those!with!salaries.!Similar!legislation!already!exists!in!areas!such!
as!Frederick,!Howard!and!Montgomery!counties.!
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013M05M05/news/bsMedMhousingMvouchersM20130505_1_fairMhousingM
actMlandlordsMcivilMrightsMproject!
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12!

The(American(Dream(&(Articles((

American(Dream(is(Elusive(for(New(Generation!
The!American!Dream,!or!the!1950s!American!Dream,!is!becoming!more!of!a!dream!than!a!reality!for!the!
young!professional.!As!the!cost!of!housing!increases,!millennials!are!forced!to!stay!at!home!due!to!the!
lack!of!affordable!housing.!Social!mobility!is!becoming!a!concept!of!the!past!for!the!young!professional.!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/business/economy/07generation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0!
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The(New(American(Dream:(Its(Not(What(You(Think!
The!traditional!American!Dream!has!slowly!evolved!and!revolves!less!around!the!idea!of!actually!owning!a!
home.!Most!view!the!American!Dream!as!being!debt!free,!especially!the!young!professional/millennial!
demographic.!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adamMlevin/theMnewMamericanMdreamMit_b_3874015.html!
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Chasing!the!American!Dream(by(Mark(Rank!
Todays!American!Dream!places!more!emphasis!on!economic!success!and!living!an!overall!successful!
lifestyle.!Americans!often!forget!that!economic!success!can!stem!from!having!a!stable!home.!The!
American!Dream!encompasses!more!than!it!used!to!in!the!eyes!of!Americans.!
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The(American(Dream(Redefined:(Home(Ownership(Drops(While(Rental(Demand(Soars!
The!American!Dream!now!incorporates!the!idea!of!living!in!urban!areas!as!opposed!to!suburban!homes.!
Young!professional!prefer!urban!areas!and!tend!to!prioritize!the!transportation!systems!in!urban!areas!
when!determining!where!to!live.!Unfortunately,!the!cost!of!city!living!poses!a!threat!to!many!hoping!to!
obtain!the!American!Dream!in!urban!areas.!
http://youngprogressivevoices.net/americanMdreamMredefinedMhomeMownershipMdropsMrentalMdemandM
soars/!
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The(Foreclosure(Crisis,(the(American(Dream,(and(Minority(Households(in(the(United(States:(A(
Descriptive!Profile(by(Aguirre,(Adalberto,(Jr.;(Martinez,(Ruben(O.((Academic(Journal(Article!
For!many!minorities,!homeownership!still!remains!a!part!of!the!American!Dream.!For!many!minorities,!
homeownership!falls!well!below!the!national!average!as!white!homeownership!continues!to!soar!above!
the!it.!!
https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1M385068483/theMforeclosureMcrisisMtheMamericanMdreamM
andMminority!
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The(New(American(Dream(!
Seventy!percent!of!millennials!(18M34)!believe!their!dream!is!different!than!those!of!their!parents.!
Millennials!are!increasingly!attached!to!technology,!and!40!percent!would!choose!to!have!their!mobile!
phone!over!a!car,!computer!or!tablet.!Only!24!percent!of!all!Americans!aspire!to!have!the!traditional!
American!dream:!a!suburban!dream!home.!M!!UPDATE!!
http://www.slideshare.net/Zipcar_PR/millennialsM2013MslideMshare!
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13!

Digital(audit(of(Home(Matters(

Website!
Home!Matters!Official!Website!(www.homemattersamerica.com)!!

Website!Summary:!!
Home!Matters!website!is!clean,!visually!appealing!and!easy!to!navigate.!It!includes!videos,!
engaging!games,!invitations!to!tweet!about!what!home!is!and!contests.!
Branding!is!consistent!and!appealing!!
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Twitter!
Home!Matters!Account!(@HomeMattersUSA)!

Tweets!!609!(20!of!which!include!photos/videos!
Followers!!1,154!
Following!!778!
Average!tweets!per!week:!10!!
They!are!very!sporadic!tweeters.!Some!weeks!they!will!tweet!16!times!but!other!weeks!they!
tweet!three!times.!!
The!majority!of!their!tweets!are!retweets.!
Average!engagements!!5!RTs/favorites!
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14!

Facebook!
Home!Matters!Official!Page!(www.facebook.com/HomeMattersAmerica)!

Likes!!1,149!
Average!posts!per!week!!4!
Average!Interactions!per!post!M!9!

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Instagram!
Home!Matters!Official!Account!(www.instagram.com/homemattersamerica)!!
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Posts!!57!
Followers!!40!
Following!!0!
Average!favorites/post:!1!
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15!

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YouTube!
Home!Matters!Official!Account!(www.youtube.com/user/homemattersamerica)!
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Videos!!26!
Subscribers!!28!
Total!views!!4,143!
Views!per!video!!Between!30!M!1,000!
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16!

Digital(audit(of(St.(Ambrose(

Website!
St.!Ambrose!Official!Website!(www.stambrose.org)!!

Website!Summary:!!
Clear!color!scheme!and!page!layout!
No!clear!or!easy!way!to!access!social!media!accounts!or!blog!or!follow!social!media!accounts!
Slideshow!of!photos!of!people!humanizes!their!beneficiaries!
Clear!description!of!programs!
Easy!to!use!donate!button!
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Twitter!
St.!Ambrose!Account!(@StAmbroseBMore)!

Tweets!!1,122!(53!have!photos!or!videos)!
Followers!!402!
Following!!204!
Average!tweets!per!week:!5!
Average!engagements!!0!RTs/favorites!
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17!

Facebook!
St.!Ambrose!Official!Page!(www.facebook.com/SAHAC)!
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Likes!!487!
Average!posts!per!week!!3!
Average!Interactions!per!post!!2!
Average!post!reach!!Anywhere!from!20!to!120!

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18!

Competitor(Social(media(audit((

Competitor(Social(Media(Audit!
In!researching!other!national!housing!nonprofit!organizations!social!media!efforts,!we!learned!that!many!
organizations,!including!the!National!Housing!Institute!and!the!National!Housing!Endowment,!do!not!have!
a!social!media!presence.!Habitat!for!Humanity!has!a!robust!national!following!with!
362,292!Facebook!page!likes!
21!Facebook!posts!in!December!(thus!far)!
18.5k!Tweets!
78.2k!Followers!on!Twitter!
We!also!researched!the!social!media!efforts!of!housing!organizations!in!the!Baltimore,!Maryland!area.!
From!our!research,!we!gathered!that!there!are!several!organizations,!including!the!Baltimore!Regional!
Housing!Partnership,!have!no!Facebook!or!Twitter!following.!The!NHS!of!Baltimore!does!not!have!a!
Facebook!following,!but!is!fairly!active!on!Twitter!with!
387!Tweets!
674!Followers!
Similarly,!the!organization!AHC!Greater!Baltimore!has!
52!Facebook!page!likes!
No!Facebook!posts!since!November!!
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19!

Traditional(media(audit(of(St.(Ambrose(

Overall!observation,!St.!Ambrose!is!not!really!in!the!news.!
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Number!of!articles!directly!about!St.!Ambrose!within!the!past!5!years:!2!
Mar.!2014,!Bannerman!joins!St.!Ambrose!Housing!Aid!Centers!Legal!Department!
and!then!Gerards!appointment!as!Senior!Executive!back!in!2011.!
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Briefly!mentioned!in!sporadic!articles!about!the!housing!crisis!recently!(2012),!but!only!in!passing!and!
once!per!article.!!!
A!few!examples:!
Thousands!offered!on!closing!costs!for!city!homes!Baltimore!Sun,!March!2012!
Cleveland!Foreclosure!Crisis!Gives!Refugees!a!Fresh!Start!Huffington!Post!2012!
Senior!Roommates:!A!U.S.!Trend!Juneau!Empire!
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Overall,!not!a!lot!of!directly!generated!attention!for!St.!Ambrose,!but!people!do!know!about!it.!
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20!

Research(on(Millennials/Young(Professionals(

Millennials(and(the(Reshaping(of(Charity(and(Online(Giving!
Nonprofit!Quarterly!stated!that!millennials!prefer!to!engage!with!causes!to!help!other!people,!not!
institutions,!and!that!they!need!to!experience!the!organization's!work!in!order!to!be!motivated!to!donate.!
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/philanthropy/25017MmillennialsMandMtheMreshapingMofMcharityMandMonlineM
giving.html!
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Millennials(still(hold(lag(in(forming(their(own(households:!
According!to!PewResearch,!Millennials,!adults!age!18M32,!are!not!settling!in!to!their!own!households.!32%!
of!millennials!head!their!own!household,!which!is!at!a!lower!rate!than!during!the!Great!Recession.!
Millennials!are!living!at!home!with!their!parents!rather!than!finding!their!own!apartments!or!houses!due!
to!a!lack!of!employment,!underemployment,!or!high!cost!of!rent.!
http://www.pewresearch.org/factMtank/2013/10/18/millennialsMstillMlagMinMformingMtheirMownM
households/!
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Of(Americans,(45%(Say(They're(Spending(More(Than(Year(Ago!
Gallup!found!that!millennials!and!baby!boomers!are!more!likely!to!spend!a!high!amount!on!rent!
compared!to!other!generations.!Baby!boomers!spent!32%!more!than!last!year!on!rent/mortgage!and!
millennials!spent!39%!more.!!
http://www.gallup.com/poll/174848/americansMsayMspendingMyearMago.aspx!!
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21!

Research(on(Baby(Boomers(

Baby(Boomers(Now(Largest(Source(of(Charity(Gifts,(Study(Finds!
According!to!a!study!conducted!by!the!research!divisions!of!Blackbaud,!Boomers!make!up!34!percent!of!
all!donors,!but!contribute!43!percent!of!all!giving.!Additionally,!nearly!60!percent!of!millennials!and!50!
percent!of!Generation!X!donors!said!that!seeing!results!from!their!contributions!influences!their!decision!
to!give.!
http://philanthropy.com/article/BabyMBoomersMNowMKeyMSourceMof/140969/!
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Baby(Boomers(Use(of(Facebook,(YouTube,(Google+(and(Instagram(
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70!percent!of!boomers!have!a!Facebook!account!
34!percent!boomers!have!a!YouTube!account!
31!percent!of!boomers!have!!a!Twitter!account!
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/millennials?gen?x?baby?boomers?social?
media_b57626!

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Time(Spent(in(an(Average(Week(for(a(Baby(Boomer(
Baby!boomers!spend!16!hours!a!week!online,!which!far!outstrips!their!TV!usage!(16!hours!per!
week),!radio!usage!(4.7!hours!per!week)!and!time!spent!reading!magazines!and!newspapers!(2!
hours!per!week).!!!
The!Internet!is!the!top!source!for!gathering!information!on!topics!of!interest!for!baby!boomers!
54!percent!of!boomers!watch!videos!online,!as!compared!with!65!percent!of!the!general!
population!
82!percent!of!baby!boomers!use!YouTube!for!videos!and!43!percent!use!Facebook!for!videos!!
http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/11209/howMbabyMboomersMuseMtheMwebMsocialM
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Donations((

2013(Charitable(Giving(Statistics(by(the(National(Philanthropic(Trust!
According!to!a!2013!study,!fundraising!or!donating!items,!particularly!food!items,!is!one!of!the!top!
volunteer!activities!across!the!nation!(23.8!percent).!The!study!also!noted!that!online!giving!grew!in!

2013,!with!small!nonprofits!increasing!their!online!giving!the!most.!
This!could!help!with!our!need!for!a!scalable!campaign].!
http://www.nptrust.org/philanthropicMresources/charitableMgivingMstatistics/!
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Using(Social(Media(Increases(Fundraising(by(40(percent!
A!study!by!npENGAGE,!a!fundraising!research!blog!site!for!nonprofits,!found!that!nonprofits!that!
use!social!networking!tools!like!Facebook,!Twitter!and!YouTube!communicate!with!their!networks!more!
regularly!and!send!more!messages,!resulting!in!a!40!percent!increase!in!donations.!
http://npengage.com/nonprofitMfundraising/usingMsocialMmediaMincreasesMfundraisingM40Mpercent/!
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2013(Holiday(Giving(Survey(By(Ask(Your(Target(Market((AYTM)!
A!survey!published!by!the!AYTM!blog!established!that!38!percent!of!those!who!donate!to!charity!are!more!
likely!to!donate!during!the!holiday!season.!The!survey!also!found!that,!on!average,!donors!are!more!likely!
to!donate!money!than!their!time!or!skills.!
[We!could!use!this!as!evidence!that!tapping!into!the!Valentines!Day!holiday!spirit!is!a!good!idea].!
https://aytm.com/blog/dailyMsurveyMresults/charitableMgivingMsurveyM2/!
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23!

St.(Ambrose(interviews(

Interviews(with(St.(Ambrose(Representatives((Primary(research?)!
We!reached!out!to!St.!Ambrose!representatives!to!further!our!understanding!of!the!organization!
and!its!needs.!We!first!conducted!an!interview!with!Karin!Griffin,!Director!of!Resource!
Development.!After!an!initial!interview,!we!met!Karin!and!Executive!Director!Gerard!Joab!in!
person.!During!our!meetings,!Karin!emphasized!that!the!organization!would!prefer!a!campaign!
that!incorporates!a!human!component!through!St.!Ambrose!success!stories!and!connects!home!
to!opportunity.!Karin!noted!that!the!St.!Ambrose!homes!may!look!simple,!but!they!are!Homes!
for!our!families!a!backyard!for!someone!whos!never!had!a!backyard.!
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Gerard!stressed!the!need!for!St.!Ambrose!to!better!connect!with!millennials,!particularly!young!
professionals.!In!his!words,!millennials!have!a!different!view!of!the!world,!and!they!certainly!
dont!settle;!rather,!they!push!for!the!things!they!believe!that!they!have!a!right!to,!like!a!safe,!
affordable,!clean!home.!From!our!meeting,!we!also!gathered!that!there!is!a!strong!sense!of!a!
Baltimore!community!that!can!be!tapped!into.!Baltimore!is!a!city!that!its!inhabitants!are!proud!
of.!Karin!and!Gerard!believe!that!if!we!can!harness!that!pride,!it!would!make!for!a!supremely!
successful!campaign.!!
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The!following!interview!was!conducted!over!the!phone!with!Karen!Griffin,!Director!of!Research!
Development!at!St.!Ambrose!on!November!20,!2014.!!
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You(mentioned(that(you(wanted(a(bigger,(brighter(message.(What(sort(of(message(did(you(
want(to(send?(
One!of!our!campaigns!is!about!our!rental!properties!and!our!AdoptMaMFamily!concept.!We!
have!300!families!who!make!lower!incomes!and!need!some!help!in!the!form!food!baskets,!gift!
cards!for!Giant,!presents!for!their!kids!during!the!holidays.!The!AdoptMaMFamily!campaign!is!very!
compelling,!but!were!also!working!on!the!idea!of!being!about!family!all!year!long.!Its!a!new!
idea!were!coming!up!with!here,!and!it!reflects!back!on!Home!Matters.!We!serve!3,000!people!
every!year!through!six!different!programs.!And!how!do!we!demonstrate!that!impact?!We!dont!
have!a!brand.!
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Would(you(be(interested(in(more(consistent(imaging(and(branding,(or(is(it(more(about(getting(
people(to(understand(what(you(do?(Or(is(it(a(combination(of(the(two?(
Weve!been!around!for!46!years.!In!Baltimore,!if!I!meet!someone!on!the!street!and!mention!
that!I!work!at!St.!Ambrose,!that!person!will!say!Oh,!I!know!St.!AmbroseM!you!guys!do!great!
things.!And!then,!Ill!ask!what!they!know!about!us!specifically,!and!they!say!Oh,!I!just!know!
youre!great.!So,!we!have!a!lot!of!history.!But!they!dont!really!know!what!we!do.!They!dont!
know!why!were!great.!
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Are(there(any(particular(groups(of(people(you(want(to(get(your(message(out(to?(
We!would!like!to!reach!people!with!moneyM!remember,!youre!talking!to!the!fundraiser.!We!
reach!clients,!we!have!plenty!of!clients.!What!we!need!is!to!reach!that!next!group!of!40!year!
olds!to!understand!us.!The!older!people!know!us,!because!they!remember!us!coming!up.!I!really!
think!we!need!to!translate!our!message!to!a!more!businessMdriven!group!who!is!talking!over!
those!groups!now.!For!example,!we!have!a!partnership!with!TD!Bank,!which!is!wonderful.!
Theyre!young!and!hip,!and!new!to!the!city.!
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In(your(email(to(Corinne,(you(mentioned(that(you(would(like(to(tap(into(young(professionals.(
Is(that(still(a(group(youre(interested(in(targeting?(
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Oh,!absolutely!!
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In(terms(of(tapping(into(these(people,(you(want(them(to(know(what(youre(doing.(But(is(there(
also(an(activeness(component,(something(youd(like(them(to(do?(Volunteering?(
Its!really!tough!to!let!them!volunteer.!We!dont!build!houses!like!Habitat,!and!you!need!to!be!
certified!in!order!to!provide!legal!counseling!volunteering!at!the!clinic.!Its!always!been!a!
challenge!for!usM!to!allow!people!to!get!more!involved.!!
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Is(a(volunteering(effort(something(you(would(be(interested(in,(or(is(that(something(youd(
prefer(not(to(take(on?(
It!would!have!to!be!within!our!mission.!We!cant!allow!people!to!move!into!properties!that!
people!have!built!without!any!expertise.!There!are!liability!issues!were!concerned!about.!
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What(has(been(successful(in(the(past(with(reaching(people?(Are(you(holding(events?(Using(
social(media?(Media(clips?(
!We!started!out!in!2010!with!social!media.!So!we!got!from!4,000!visits!a!month!to!almost!
10,000!today.!Our!blog!generated!the!most!trafficM!and!I!can!see!it,!in!the!visits.!We!also!have!a!
$300!a!day!Google!Ad!Words!grant,!but!we!dont!have!time!to!use!it.!We!also!send!out!press!
releases;!we!would!love!help!with!media!relations!as!well.!Were!stuck!in!a!place!where!we!
know!the!Baltimore!media,!but!were!old!news.!We!have!a!bunch!of!people!who!only!respond!to!
email,!and!some!who!dont!even!have!emails.!Theres!a!lot!of!mixed!media!for!awareness.!I!also!
notice!that!the!more!visits!we!have!on!the!website,!the!more!unsolicited!donations!we!receive.!
Its!helpful!to!get!people!to!understand!that!we!are!a!nonMprofit!and!we!need!donations!in!order!
to!provide!the!services!we!provide.!Baltimore!is!a!particularly!generous!city,!and!we!can!tap!into!
that.!

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Key(Findings:(Primary(Research(((
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Finding:(Three!percent!of!respondents!said!that!they!have!heard!of!Home!Matters.!!
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Informing(Lets(BMore:!This!result!didnt!surprise!us.!This!is!why!the!goal!of!our!campaign!for!
Home!Matters!and!St.!Ambrose!to!be!viewed!as!leading!partners!in!the!affordable!housing!
movement.!Although!we!have!included!Home!Matters!throughout!our!objectives,!strategies!and!
tactics,!we!made!a!specific!branding!objective!that!puts!a!heavy!emphasis!on!branding!all!of!our!
Lets!BMore!campaign!materials!with!Home!Matters!key!messages.!
!
Finding:(Three!percent!of!respondents!said!that!they!have!heard!of!St.!Ambrose!Housing!Aid!
Center.!!
!
Informing(Lets(BMore:(This!result!didnt!surprise!us!too!much,!but!St.!Ambrose!is!a!wellM
established!organization!thats!been!in!Baltimore!for!more!than!40!years.!This!is!why!the!goal!of!
our!campaign!for!Home!Matters!and!St.!Ambrose!to!be!viewed!as!leading!partners!in!the!
affordable!housing!movement.!This!is!why!the!focus!of!our!campaign!is!to!raise!awareness!of!St.!
Ambrose.!For!example,!we!will!host!four!events!during!our!campaign!to!inform!our!key!publics!
about!St.!Ambrose!and!its!six!programs.!!
(
Finding:(ThirtyMseven!percent!of!our!survey!respondents!said!that!affordable!housing!is!a!
prevalent!issue!within!the!Baltimore!community.!This!ranked!as!the!second!highest!issue!behind!
childhood!obesity.!!
!
Informing(Lets(BMore:!This!showed!us!that!affordable!housing!is!an!issue!that!Millennials!are!
thinking!about.!We!think!that!it!will!make!them!likely!to!donate!time,!money!or!goods!to!St.!
Ambrose!and!the!Home!Matters!movement.!However,!because!only!37!percent!of!respondents!
ranked!it!as!a!prevalent!issue,!it!does!show!that!we!must!increase!awareness!of!the!housing!
crisis.!One!way!we!plan!to!do!this!is!by!humanizing!the!issue!by!showing!examples!of!people!
whose!lives!have!been!changed!by!St.!Ambrose!Housing!Aid!Centers!programs!
(
Finding:(The!majority!of!our!focus!group!indicated!that!they!do!use!Facebook!to!find!news!and!
information.!!
(
Informing(Lets(BMore:(We!were!somewhat!surprised!to!find!how!much!they!do!use!
Facebook!because!of!the!new!social!media!platforms!like!Twitter!and!Instagram.!After!finding!
this!out,!we!incorporated!Facebook!into!more!of!our!social!media!tactics.!Instead!of!having!all!of!
our!contests!(using!#LetsBMore!during!events,!ect.)!just!take!place!on!Twitter,!we!also!made!it!
an!option!for!people!to!post!on!Facebook!if!thats!what!they!are!more!comfortable!with.!!
!
Finding:(The!majority!of!our!focus!group!indicated!that!they!would!be!more!likely!to!do!a!
charitable!deed!if!they!met!or!felt!connected!to!the!people!they!were!helping.!!
!
Informing(Lets(BMore:(This!is!why!we!plan!to!partner!with!University!of!Maryland!Greek!
organization!to!support!the!St.!Ambrose!AdoptMAMFamily!program.!We!will!ask!the!fraternities!
and!sororities!to!create!DIY!baskets!with!home!decorations!for!families!participating!in!the!
AdoptMAMFamily!program.!We!think!this!will!make!the!organizations!more!likely!to!donate!their!

26!

time!to!creating!these!baskets!because!they!will!be!able!to!see!the!specific!families!that!they!
help.!!!
!
Finding:!One!member!of!our!focus!group!was!really!passionate!about!how!having!a!home!has!
advanced!his!personal!success.!He!said,!It!kind!of!paves!the!way!for!life.!If!its!a!stable!
household!its!easier!to!say,!this!is!how!I!want!to!do!things.!Rather!than!if!it!werent!a!stable!
household,!its!easy!to!say,!I!dont!want!to!do!it!this!way.!!
!
Informing(Lets(BMore:!We!thought!this!was!a!really!important!finding.!Not!only!because!it!
shows!how!having!a!home!helps!people!be!personally!successful,!but!also!how!people!
responded!to!this.!After!the!person!said!this,!the!other!members!of!the!focus!group!nodded!
their!heads!and!agreed.!This!is!why!we!included!sharing!personal!success!stories!of!St.!Ambrose!
beneficiaries!into!our!tactics.!We!plan!to!share!these!on!a!blog!series,!which!will!then!be!
highlighted!and!shared!on!the!Pinterest!page.!!
!
!
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27!

Primary(Research((Survey(
To!begin!our!primary!research,!we!wanted!to!know!a!bit!more!about!our!publics!before!we!dive!
into!conducting!more!extensive!research!in!January.!We!decided!to!concentrate!on!one!of!our!
publics:!millennials!in!the!Baltimore!area.!We!began!with!a!survey!of!more!than!100!students!at!
the!University!of!Maryland.!Our!key!facts!and!figures!are!listed!below,!and!beneath!there!is!a!list!
of!our!survey!questions.!
!
Summary(of(statistics(

28!

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29!

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30!

31!

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!
Survey(for(Millennials(
What!is!your!age!
o 16M17!
o 18M19!
o 20M21!
o 22+!
o Prefer!not!to!answer!
What!is!your!gender!
o Female!
o Male!
o Other!
o Prefer!not!to!answer!
Which!of!these!issues!do!you!see!as!prevalent!within!your!community?!!
o Bad!education!system!
o Childhood!obesity!
o Lack!of!affordable!housing!
o Access!to!affordable!healthcare!
o Social!mobility!
o Poverty!
o None!of!the!above!
Have!you!heard!of!Home!Matters?!
o If!so,!describe!what!they!do?!!
Have!you!heard!of!St.!Ambrose!Housing!Aid!Center?!!
o If!so,!describe!what!they!do?!!
How!accurate!is!the!following!statement:!Having!a!home!helps!people!learn!and!achieve!more!in!
school.!!
o Not!accurate!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!accurate!
How!accurate!is!the!following!statement:!Having!a!home!helps!people!develop!healthy!habits.!!
o Not!accurate!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!accurate!
How!accurate!is!the!following!statement:!Having!a!home!helps!people!take!pride!in!my!
community!and!helped!create!a!safer!community!for!me!to!grow!up!in.!!
o Not!accurate!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!accurate!
How!accurate!is!the!following!statement:!Having!a!home!helps!people!succeed!in!work!and!
school!and!better!engage!with!the!world!around!them.!
o Not!accurate!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!accurate!
How!accurate!is!the!following!statement:!Having!a!home!allows!people!to!spend!more!money!on!
other!things,!thus!supporting!the!local!economy.!!
o Not!accurate!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!accurate!

32!

In!your!lifetime,!if!you!knew!you!could!afford!either!option,!would!you!prefer!to!buy!or!rent?!!
o Buy!
o Rent!
When!you!graduate!from!college,!how!much!(in!U.S.!dollars)!do!you!expect!to!pay!per!month!for!
housing?!!
Do!you!dream!of!one!day!owning!a!home?!!
o Yes!
o No!
In!the!1950s,!the!American!Dream!was!having!a!family!and!owning!a!home.!How!similar!is!your!
dream!to!this?!!
o Not!similar!1,!2,!3,!4,!5!Very!similar!
What!does!your!American!Dream!include?!!
Why!does!home!matter!to!you?!!
What!does!home!mean!to!you?!!

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33!

Primary(Research((Focus(Group!
Our!primary!research!included!a!focus!group!of!millennials,!conducted!at!the!University!of!
Maryland!on!December!5,!2014.!The!focus!group!included!four!women!and!three!men,!ranging!
in!age!from!20!to!22.!(
What(cities(across(the(United(States(do(you(think(are(the(most(expensive(to(live(in?(
!
San!Francisco!
New!York!
D.C.!
Baltimore,!Boston!
!
How(do(you(guys(prefer(to(get(your(information?(Do(you(use(new(media(or(social(media(or(
just(like(traditional(newspaper?!
!
Nicole:!If!I!were!looking!up!something!for!school!or!a!project!I!wouldnt!use!social!media.!I!use!
more!professional!websites!for!current!events!and!school!relatedMactivities.!!
!
Mike:!I!use!social!media.!!On!Facebook,!theres!a!trending!section!that!always!has!the!top!
headlines!that!are!going!on.!Sports,!politics!the!world!it!always!differs.!And!it!changes!when!
you!refresh!Facebook.!!I!click!that!a!few!times!and!if!the!headline!is!interesting!I!click!it!and!go!
from!there.!
!
Jared:!My!mom!just!had!me!check!Facebook!because!there!was!a!bomb!threat!near!the!high!
school!where!she!teaches.!!She!was!like,!Check!Facebook!!See!what!people!are!saying.!
!
Alyssa:!I!use!actual!news.!I!have!news!apps!that!I!read.!I!use!Facebook!when!Im!looking!for!
opinion!articles!when!I!want!to!see!what!other!people!think!of!the!actual!news.!I!mostly!use!
BBC,!but!I!also!check!Washington!Post!sometimes.!!
!
What(is(the(best(motivator(for(you(to(do(charitable(deeds?(Do(you(like(the(recognition(you(get(
for(it,(or(a(prize(involved,(meeting(the(people(you(helped(or(just(the(good(feeling(it(gives(you?((
(
Nicole:!For!me!its!just!the!reward!of!helping!people.!Ive!helped!a!lot!with!different!special!
needs!kids!and!its!great!just!seeing!that!you!can!make!an!impact.!
!
Jared:!I!think!a!lot!of!times!if!its!easier!to!help!out,!if!its!convenient!then!its!a!good!feeling.!
!
Lyla:!I!like!to!feel!like!Im!contributing!to!the!world!or!something.!
!
Sean:!I!would!much!rather!actually!be!able!to!feasibly!help!someone!than!to!donate.!!Because!
sometimes!if!your!donations!go!where!youve!intended!them!to!go.!!
!
Nicole:!I!agree.!Face!to!face!interactions!make!me!feel!pretty!good.!
!
How(likely(are(you(to(donate(the(following(options?(
The!participants!agreed!that!theyre!more!likely!to!donate!goods,!followed!by!donating!time.!
The!participants!also!agreed!that!they!dont!have!a!lot!of!money!to!donate.!!

34!

!
What(content(are(you(most(likely(to(read?(
!
Alyssa:!Social!media,!because!Im!following!a!lot!of!groups!anyway!and!Ill!get!the!news!clicks!
from!there.!
!
Morgan:!Usually!Ill!start!with!social!media,!especially!if!my!friend!says!something!about!it.!!But!
Ill!always!click!on!the!link!and!go!from!there.!!Ill!respect!it!more!if!its!a!news!article!than!a!
blog.!!Alyssa.!
!
Lyla:!Blogs!can!give!you!more!background.!!The!people!are!telling!you!how!they!think!the!facts!
are.!!Its!not!just!the!facts.!
!
Has(anyone(in(the(room(heard(of(Home(Matters?(
!
All!of!the!participants!said!that!they!hadnt!heard!of!Home!Matters.!!
!
Has(anyone(heard(of(St.(Ambrose(Housing(Aid(Center(and(can(you(tell(me(what(you(know(
about(it?(
!
Sean:!I!saw!it!mentioned!on!TV!once.!
!
Jared:!Yeah,!they!do!something!with!housing.!!
!
Would(you(take(advantage(of(free(resources(to(find(affordable(housing?(
!
The!participants!agreed!that!they!would.!
!
Would(you(take(advantage(of(free(resources(from(St.(Ambrose?(
!
Lyla:!Ill!just!say!I!wouldnt!seek!it!out!if!I!thought!the!resources!were!intended!for!homeless!
people.!I!wouldnt!want!to!take!it!from!someone!who!needed!it!more!than!me.!
!
What(do(you(consider(affordable(housing(to(be?(
!
Nicole:!Most!basic!housing,!with!a!roof!over!your!head.!
!
Mike:!I!know!with!affordable!housing,!you!have!to!have!a!certain!amount!of!income.!
!
Morgan:!It!should!be!affordable,!but!Id!want!it!to!be!affordable!and!safe.!!
!
What(benefits(does(a(home(give(to(you?(
(
Jared:!Without!a!safe!home,!I!might!not!be!here!right!now.!Odds!are!if!you!cant!afford!a!safe,!
reliable!and!steady!home,!its!probably!tough!to!pay!for!a!college!education!as!well.!!!
!
Alyssa:!Especially!if!youre!working!to!keep!a!roof!over!your!head.!You!dont!have!time!for!
school.!

35!

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What(benefits(does(a(home(give(you(toward(creating(healthy(habits?(
!
Jared:!Diet.!Having!a!home!cooked!meal.!
!
Nicole:!Having!someone!to!tell!you!to!go!to!sleep!in!night!
!
Personal(success?(
!
Jared:!It!kind!of!paves!the!way!for!life.!How!you!run!a!household.!How!you!raise!your!kids!as!a!
parent.!Your!parenting,!you!get!from!your!parents.!If!its!a!stable!household!its!easier!to!say,!
this!is!how!I!want!to!do!things.!Rather!than!if!it!werent!a!stable!household,!its!easy!to!say,!I!
dont!want!to!do!it!this!way,!but!that!leaves!you!to!figure!out!how!to!do!it!another!way.!
!
If(you(had(to(find(housing(tomorrow,(how(would(you(go(about(it?(
!
Morgan:!Would!check!with!friends!first.!
!
Lyla:!Newspapers.!!
!
Mike:!Maybe!check!out!specific!areas.!
!
If(in(your(lifetime(if(you(could(afford(to(rent(or(own(your(home(which(would(you(prefer?(
!
Jared:!I!think!it!depends!on!your!state!of!life.!Even!early!on!if!I!could!afford!to!own!a!house!I!
wouldnt!want!to!until!I!would!need!the!space.!
!
Alyssa:!I!feel!like!owning!a!house!means!permanence.!!I!wouldnt!want!to!own!a!house!right!
now;!Im!not!ready!for!that!commitment!yet.!
!
Would(you(be(interested(in(attending(a(seminar(to(find(affordable(housing?(
!
The!participants!initially!stated!that!they!would!not.!Then,!after!discussing!the!possibility,!
several!participants!stated:!!
!
Jared:!Next!semester!maybe,!because!Im!about!to!graduate.!!!
!
Nicole:!If!its!in!a!broader!sense.!Not!a!specific!area,!but!all!over.!!!
!
Morgan:!It!would!be!nice!to!hear!websites!and!strategies!to!keep!in!mind.!
!
Would(you(be(more(likely(to(approach(a(tabling(event(or(an(information(session(about(
affordable(housing?(
(
The!participants!stated!that!they!preferred!tabling,!for!convenience.!!
!
Do(you(think(the(American(Dream(still(applies(today?(What(does(your(personal(dream(
include?(

36!

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The!participants!cited!the!traditional!American!Dream!and!agreed!that!it!still!applies.!!
!
Do(you(guys(think(youll(realistically(own(a(home?(Does(this(excite(or(worry(you?(
(
Jared:!It!excites!me.!!Im!kind!of!very!traditional!in!that!sense.!I!dont!know,!maybe!its!because!
Im!graduating!soon,!but!Ive!been!with!my!girlfriend!for!five!years!so!we!already!have!plans!and!
that!kind!of!stuff.!It!used!to!freak!me!out,!but!that!was!a!couple!years!ago!
!
Nicole:!Seeing!how!much!work!my!parents!put!into!the!house!makes!me!feel!a!little!concerned.!!
Its!a!lot!of!work.!Its!another!job.!
!
What(does(home(mean(to(you?(
!
Jared:!Family.!
!
Alyssa:!Somewhere!you!feel!comfortable!
!
Morgan:!Somewhere!you!can!do!anything!and!not!worry!about!other!people!in!your!space.!
!
Nicole:!I!dont!think!it!has!to!be!family!though.!I!got!to!the!point!where!I!was!calling!my!
apartment!my!home,!but!I!was!talking!about!my!apartment!not!my!houseso!I!think!its!
somewhere!where!you!have!to!feel!comfortable.!
!
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Citations!
!
Aguirre,!A.,!&!Martinez,!R.!(2014).!The!Foreclosure!Crisis,!the!American!Dream,!and!Minority!
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18,!2014,!from!https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1M385068483/theMforeclosureMcrisisM
theMamericanMdreamMandMminority!
!
Arnold,!A.,!Crowley,!S.,!Bravve,!E.,!Brundage,!S.,!&!Biddlecombe,!C.!(2014,!January!1).!Out!of!
Reach!2014.!Retrieved!December!19,!2014,!from!
http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/oor/2014OOR.pdf!
!
Barry,!F.!(2011,!May!12).!Using!Social!Media!Increases!Fundraising!by!40%![Study].!Retrieved!
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increasesMfundraisingM40Mpercent/!
!
Bennett,!S.!(2014,!June!3).!How!Many!Millennials,!Gen!Xers!And!Baby!Boomers!Use!Facebook,!
Twitter!And!Instagram?![STUDY]!M!AllTwitter.!Retrieved!December!19,!2014,!from!
http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/millennialsMgenMxMbabyMboomersMsocialMmedia_b57626!
!
Berlin,!L.!(2012,!April!19).!Cleveland!Foreclosure!Crisis!Gives!Refugees!A!Fresh!Start.!Retrieved!
December!19,!2014,!from!http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/clevelandMforeclosureM
crisisMrefugees_n_1432260.html!
!
Charitable!Giving!Statistics.!(2013).!Retrieved!December!18,!2014,!from!
http://www.nptrust.org/philanthropicMresources/charitableMgivingMstatistics/!
!
Fleming,!J.!(2014,!August!15).!Of!Americans,!45%!Say!They're!Spending!More!Than!Year!Ago.!
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spendingMyearMago.aspx!
!
Fry,!R.!(2013,!October!18).!Millennials!still!lag!in!forming!their!own!households.!Retrieved!
December!18,!2014,!from!http://www.pewresearch.org/factMtank/2013/10/18/millennialsMstillM
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!
HOME!Act!General!Assembly!Frequently!Asked!Questions.!(2012,!January!1).!Retrieved!
December!19,!2014,!from!http://www.publicjustice.org/uploads/file/pdf/HOME_Act_FAQs_10M
20M11.pdf!
!
Housing!Challenges!Real!For!Many!Americans,!Finds!2014!How!Housing!Matters!Survey.!(2014,!
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releases/housingMchallengesMrealMmanyMamericansMfindsM2014MhowMhousingMmattersMsurvey/!
!
Joslyn,!H.!(2013,!August!8).!Baby!Boomers!Now!Key!Source!of!Charity!Gifts,!Study!Finds.!
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!

38!

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dreamMit_b_3874015.html!
!
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!
Nanji,!A.!(2013,!July!18).!How!Baby!Boomers!Use!the!Web,!Social!Networks,!and!Mobile.!
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!
Pilon,!A.!(2013,!December!27).!Charitable!Giving!Survey:!Holiday!Donations!More!Popular!Than!
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results/charitableMgivingMsurveyM2/!
!
Pyser,!S.!(2014,!October!20).!Millennials!and!the!Reshaping!of!Charity!and!Online!Giving.!
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!
Senior!roommates:!A!growing!US!trend.!(2014,!July!26).!Retrieved!December!19,!2014,!from!
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usMtrend!
!
Strupp,!R.!(2013,!May!5).!State!shouldn't!let!landlords!discriminate.!Retrieved!December!19,!
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!
The!American!Dream!Redefined:!Home!Ownership!Drops!While!Rental!Demand!Soars.!(n.d.).!
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!
Uchitelle,!L.!(2010,!July!6).!American!Dream!Is!Elusive!for!New!Generation.!Retrieved!December!
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_r=0!
!
United!States!Census!Bureau.!(2013,!January!1).!Retrieved!December!19,!2014,!from!
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!
Wenger,!Y.!(2012,!March!24).!Healthy!Neighborhoods:!Program!provides!$6,000!toward!closing!
costs!on!Baltimore!homes.!Retrieved!December!19,!2014,!from!
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012M03M24/news/bsMmdMciMgreatMneighborhoodsM
20120324_1_healthyMneighborhoodsMhomeMownershipMenergyMefficientMhomes!

39!

Appendix B

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Corinne Buckwalter, Media Relations
St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
Cell: 484-883-8323
Email: cbuckwal@terpmail.umd.edu
St. Ambrose and Baltimore Businesses Partner, Create Recipe Booklet
BALTIMOREAfter a holiday season filled with indulgent dishes, St. Ambrose, a housing aid
center in Baltimore, Maryland, joined forces with Baltimore businesses in creating healthy recipe
booklet for Baltimoreans this past week.
We will include the booklet in care packages for St. Ambrose aid recipients and it will also be
available to patrons of the contributing businesses. We are very excited to see the community
come together to support our own, said Gerard Joab, Executive Director of St. Ambrose.
The recipes are especially enticing for a Baltimore native. Among the offerings is a Chesapeake
Chicken Salad, created by John Shields, chief chef of Gertrudes in Baltimore City, and a Grilled
Veggie Wrap courtesy of Yomnas Mediterranean Wraps and Rice.
Creating healthier recipes is always a fun challenge, said Shields. Our greatest hope is that St.
Ambrose aid recipients and their families can put these recipes to work.
St. Ambrose plans to distribute these booklets to its low income families during February 2015
as part of its BMORE campaign. The campaign seeks to gain awareness for the organizations
programs, in addition to educating people on the national movement for affordable housing and
Home Matters, a collation of housing organizations across the country.
###
About St. Ambrose: St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center Inc., aims to create and maintain equal
housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income people, primarily in Baltimore City, and to
encourage and support strong and diverse neighborhoods. St. Ambrose is Baltimores oldest nonprofit housing provider and helps approximately 3,000 families each year. St. Ambrose is a nondenominational 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
About Home Matters: Home Matters is a national movement thats redefining the American
Dream. We believe the New American Dream is one where every American lives in a safe,
nurturing environment with access to quality education, healthcare, public spaces and
community services.
If you would like more information about St. Ambrose or Home Matters, or would like to
schedule an interview with Gerard Joab, please contact Corinne Buckwalter at 484-883-8323 or
cbuckwal@terpmail.umd.edu.

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