Homes For Homeless Final Without Bcom Lab Corrections

HOMES FOR HOMELESS FOUNDATION
Homes for Homeless

Foundation
Tammara Elkassih
Damini Patel
Dante Smith
Maliha Jamal
The University of Texas at Dallas
Abstract

2
Abstract
One social issue that is affecting a large portion of the
population is homelessness. This is one of the roots of many
negative issues such as robbery, depression and much more.
Some of the homeless population includes people who are
capable of taking care of themselves and their families, but
due to high housing prices they are unable to move out,
create, and maintain an average level of living. To help these
individuals, we created the Homes for Homeless Foundation,
a charity sponsored by Home Depot. One of the main
projects is 5k/10k Homes for Homeless Run, which offers the
opportunity to assist the homeless by accepting donations in
the form of money and/or supplies. Donations will go
directly towards our project to build houses for those in
need.

3
Table of Contents
A.
Abstract 2
I.
The Homeless Background and Need For Hope 4
II.
Our Mission-Homes for Homeless Foundation. 4
III.
5k/10k Homes for Homeless Run 7
IV.
The Budget and Four Year plan.8
V.
The Costs and Deductions....10
VI.
The Four Year Budget Plan.12
VII. Conclusion.14
B. References.15

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I.
The Homeless Background and the Need for Hope
One of the most important basic necessities of life is shelter. Home is a place where a
person can relax, sleep, eat, work or basically do anything securely without having the fear of
being watched. It is a place where people go after a long day at work, school or any other outing.
Hence, it plays an important part in both mental and physical growth and is important to
everyone.
However, there are unfortunate people who have not been blessed with this necessity. The
causes which can lead an individual or a family to become homeless are varied and numerous.
According to Fischer (2011), some causes of the displacement of these individuals and families
include: the inability to earn enough money, wars, natural disasters, industrialization and racial
inequalities. These situations create serious issues for many generations if they arent taken care
of immediately, which is made evident by the growing population of homeless individuals. In
1948, the National Declaration of Human Rights was passed at the UN general assembly. The
declaration stated that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and
well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and
necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness,
disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his own
control. 155 nations have ratified this declaration. It is a reminder that every individual is equal
and deserves the same level of respect and security.
Homelessness does not only affect the homeless. For instance, if a person has not been
properly educated and does not have enough money to afford shelter and food, there is a greater
chance they will become involved in illegal and unethical activities such as robbery. Moreover,
Peter Simek stated, much of the crime in any area where homeless people are found can be
credited to the homeless population." He also says, Their presence contributes to the perception
that neighborhoods are unsafe; they can be a detriment to investment and revitalization efforts.
The homeless population is a strain on police and medical resources. Service centers meant to
assist the homeless community can also be magnates to the people who prey on the homeless:
pimps, pushers, and thieves (2015). Therefore, homelessness needs to be addressed for both
victims and the community.
In order to help out the homeless, a new charity program called The Homes for
Homeless Foundation is planned to be introduced and sponsored by Home Depot. The main
purpose of this program is to raise money to build small houses for the homeless and also to
collect supplies in the form of donations. Moreover, volunteers will be gathered to help with the
organization and dissemination of the donations and also to help with the construction of houses.

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II.
Our Mission-Homes for Homeless Foundation
According to 2014 Census data provided by Txcip.org, 19.3% of people are living under
the poverty line. These people are threatened by the rapid disappearance of affordable housing in
Dallas. The current poverty line is defined as follows:
Persons in household
2015 Federal Poverty Level threshold 100% FPL
$11,770
15,930
20,090
24,250
28,410
32,570
36,730
40,890
The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliances 2015 Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Survey
Report revealed that there are currently 3,141 homeless individuals living in emergency shelters,
transitional housing, safe havens, on the streets or in abandoned buildings within the Continuum
of Care (CoC), which includes Dallas and Collin Counties.

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This a visual from The

Washington Post of the estimated
number of homeless people there were
from years of 2007-2014
We spoke with Sam Merten of The Bridge homeless shelter in downtown Dallas, and he
explained that there is not enough affordable housing supply to meet the demand of those who
are ready to move out of the shelters. He told us that there are many people in the shelters who
have the means to move into an apartment or house but can not yet due to the fact that landlords
will choose tenants not coming from a homeless background to fill the units before they choose
the homeless person. One of the programs that is helping to get homeless people into affordable
housing is the voucher system. This system, however, does not incentivize landlords to accept
vouchers, as it creates paperwork and other hurdles that tenants who were previously not
homeless would not create. Its not just the land lords not giving the homeless a break, though.
According to Zillow.com, median home price in Dallas is $137,000. This price is up from
$92,500 in 2012. Just in the past year, prices have jumped 16% and are predicted to rise another
6.3% within the next year. Apartment prices have also risen at record rates. The average for a
one-bedroom apartment is $1238 as of February 2016. Steve Brown of Dallas News mentioned
that Dallas-Fort Worth apartment rents jumped by more than 6 percent in 2015 the largest such
annual increase for the area. Many of the older, more affordable apartments in Dallas are being
torn down to make way for newer and more expensive apartments. With both house and
apartment prices rising at such rates, it is not hard to see why the homeless are having trouble
finding places to live. Currently, most homeless are seeking out shelter in emergency shelters,
transitional homes, abandoned building structures, and homeless camps.
We are not the only ones who want the homeless voice heard. Many city organizations
around the United States have recognized an alternative to conventional affordable housing that
has arisen in the form of tiny-house villages. According to Csmonitor.com, the tiny-house village

7
movement is a hybrid of two trends: tent cities, the homeless encampments that began in the
Great Depression and received revived attention following the recession; and the tiny-home
movement, a trend toward more environmentally, and socially-conscious micro homes.
Christian Science Monitor reveals this movement started in the mid 1990s where Dome Village
in Downtown Los Angeles created a geodesic dome village. By 2001 this idea spread to
Portland, where they converted their tent city to Dubbed Dignity Village, a collection of micro
homes. Today, a number of cities have experimented with tiny-house villages including Village
of Hope in Fresco, California; Second Wind Cottage in New York; Community First in Austin,
Texas; and now we will be here in Dallas, Texas. We will follow the path of the other tiny house
village projects to help offer the homeless dignity, privacy, warmth, and safety. Home Depot
sponsorship has helped us create the Homes for Homeless Foundation, where we can raise the
funding to create these houses.
Homes for Homeless Foundation will get the attention of the Dallas community to raise
money to provide affordable living for homeless. According to tinyhousecommunity.com,
construction will take about 120 hours for a professional and an average about 480 hours; either
concentrated 3 months of fulltime work or spread out over a year or more, fitting construction
into spare hours on weekends. Essentially, the layout for our design is based off of architectural
plans for a 12-foot long house with a 10/12 gable roof. Inside the house will be a small kitchen
that could be placed in a space the size of a queen sized mattress. There will also be two
skylights included, a small window to provide ventilation in the loft, and flip-up steps provide
access to the front door when the house is parked. The outside of the house will include shower
tents and serviced porta-potties. Below are layouts of the tiny home itself.
FRONT
BACK
INSIDE

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III.
5K/10K Home For Homeless Run
June 11, 2016 and June 10, 2017 will be the official days of the 5k/10k Homes for
Homeless Run hosted by Home Depot. Runners will get a chance to dress up as a construction
worker, raise money, and bring supplies to the local homeless. For people who dont want to
participate in our run, donations will be accepted at the Homes for
Homeless Foundation link, or they can go to any Dallas county Home
Depots that will accept up to $10 donations. This online registration will
also give individuals a chance to volunteer side by side with our
community volunteers who include: The Bridge, Metro Dallas Homeless
Alliance, City Square, and The Salvation Army. Volunteers will help
make this journey possible by helping to organize the donation process
and coordinating involvement in the race. Home Depot has also asked
sponsors including Ozarka, Road ID, Kmart, Amazon and EDCO to help
donate and join the fun.
The event location will be held at the beautiful White Rock Lake
Trail in Dallas Texas. The 5k/10k race will begin at four oclock in the
evening with separate course locations. The 5k race course starts at
Winfrey Point and proceeds north on East Lawther until reaching gate
point to turn around, and then heads back south on East Lawther to the
finish line at Winfrey Point. The 10k course starts at the east side of
Winfrey Point, proceeds north on East Lawther to just north of the
Mockingbird Bridge, and then turns around back south on East Lawther
to the finish line below Winfrey Point.
This will be Home Depots first fun run, and based on the
information on Race Entry, the two principal methods of gaining
revenue from participants are first to gain more paying participants
and the second is to capture more money from the participants that
sign up. To increase those paying participants we will have Home
Depots marketing and advertising team catch their attention.
Our advertising team will create a simple registration form.
The 5K/10K Homes for Homeless Run registration will be available
online at Home Depots charity page
HomesforHomelessFoundation.com on May 1st each year and will
be connected with other Dallas race websites including DFW Races
and Race Roster, where participants will need to create an account.
The registration process is fast, and the fields are easy to fill out by
entering personal information (name, address, email, and phone
number), number of racers, optional team members with team name,
shirt and vest size, and billing information. The fee for the 5k race will
be $50.00 and the 10k race will be $60.00. However, if the racer went
into any of the Dallas county Home Depots and donated at least $5.00,
they will have access to a promotional code for 15% off.
Once registration is complete, there will be a confirmation
email with information on the participants order number, the Dallas
Home Depot pick up locations with dates to pick up race packet, the
date of the race and race map, and the list of home-good supplies as an
option to bring day of the race. After confirmation day and up until the last Friday before the

9
race, emails will be sent counting down to race day and will include training tips and information
on the cause of the race.
There will be an option to share that you joined through Facebook and Twitter. In fact,
there will be a variety of ways to access the registration through social media. Home Depots
marketing team will create a 5k/10K Homes for Homeless Run Twitter account as a fast way
to get our information out and help engage our audience. By regularly tweeting, the Dallas
community will be alerted of where to sign up and recommend the event to their family and
friends. Similarly, Facebook will focus more on networking with the runners through a fan page
and group events while regularly posting information about the race, letting people know where
to register, and having people like and share the posts. The official hash tag will be
#HomesforHomeless and our official site will reveal all the fun people are having by posting
pictures, videos, and messages. We will also have an Instagram account!
Once we have our participants and go on the website to capture more money for
donations, Homes for Homeless Foundation will provide a number of tabs with the first being the
full details about the Dallas homeless need and whos involved. The second tab will include race
information to reflect back on for racers; the information includes the registration form,
important dates (date of the race, final day to register, packet pick up schedule), race course
maps, training tips, and the sponsors. The third tab will be shopping for race accessories and
clothing. The fourth tab is how to volunteer for the race and building the houses and what
organizations are helping volunteer. There will also be a tab for online donations so people from
all over the nation can donate, and contributors can view our annual goal amount that will make
it possible to build houses.
The day of the race, runners are allowed to bring supplies to donate, excluding sharp
objects and glass, that must be wrapped or packaged together. Some of the supplies racers will be
able to donate are:
Kitchen good supplies: pots and pans, cooking utensils excluding knives, and dishes
Cleaning Supplies: sponges or alternative scrubs, towels, dusters, and brooms
Clothes: Shirts, pants, sweaters, jackets, and shoes
Bedroom supplies: blankets, pillows, toothbrush, and sleeping bags
Shower/Toiletry Items: Bathroom rolls, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body scrub
Donations are not limited to the items listed. However, if a person wants to donate a
supply not listed, they will have to get it approved through the Homes for Homeless Foundation
hotline.
Receiving donations will greatly benefit the many homeless individuals that need our
help. Not only will Home Depot will be praised for sponsoring an event that will help homeless
people including mothers, children, and veterans, they will be starting the first movement in
Dallas transferring the homeless population to houses on a large scale.
IV.
The Budget and Four Year plan
According to their annual report, Home Depot had one of their most outstanding years
marked to date in 2014. Their sales growth was $4.4 billion, and they returned over $9.5 billion
to their shareholders. Home Depot Foundation stated, "Home Depot repurchased a total of $7
billion shares and in February 2015 they announced a new $18 billion share repurchase program.
Home Depot also announced a 26 percent increase in their quarterly dividend to $0.59 per share
(Home, 2016) Home Depots excellent year in 2014 resulted in them rebuilding their company

10
with a sense of pride and

accomplishment, and they
continue to grow every single
year.
Some of the Home Depots
stakeholders include: customers,
associates, suppliers, NGOs,
government, and investors. All
these groups are important to
Home Depot because they help maintain their sustainability objectives along with their budgets.
One of the leading partnerships that Home Depot has is with Volunteer America, an organization
that aids homeless veterans. In the last four years, Home Depot has transformed more than
17,000 homes for veterans and raised more than $85 million in donations.
Our mission is to assist the homeless in the Dallas-Fort Worth area specifically. There are
a lot of homeless people who are currently living in facilities but are more than capable of
moving out and having their own house. The problem is that they have no place to go. One of the
reasons for this problem, as discussed before, is price. Prices of various houses must fit the
budget of the people who are moving out of the homeless living centers. As of now, it is difficult
because they are on a strict price budget. This makes it harder for them to find a suitable place.
Our goal is to find or create affordable housing in the Dallas-Forth Worth area dedicated to the
people who are financially stable enough to move out of the homeless shelters and start a life in
their own homes.
Our plan is to build 8x12 houses that include basic utilities such as heat, insulation, and
electricity. RDL Realty assisted us with obtaining the 14-acre plot of land we need to fit all the
houses for our project. The land is located off of I-20 and Beltline Rd just east of I-635 and cost
$234,300. In order for our plan to run smoothly and be successful, we need to build homes in a
price range that is suitable for the people moving out of the homeless shelters while creating an
affordable budget. The organizations that we reached out to (The Bridge, Metro Dallas Homeless
Alliance, City Square, and The Salvation Army) run primarily to provide the homeless with
shelter and donations and have planned to volunteer for our mission. As mentioned previously,
there is an estimated 3,141 homeless people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as of last year. We will
provide 3,200 homes which would be affordable for the people who are financially able to move
out of the shelters.
Through the Homes for Homeless Foundation and 5K/10K Homes for Homeless Run, our
plan on raising money is possible. Monetary donations collected will go towards building the
homes for each of the homeless families. The cost per house is $2,200, which means we must
raise $1,684,853.60 to meet our goal. Below is our financials covering the cost to build the
homes, cost of the 5K/10K, and the budget for our plans over the next four years.
V.
The Costs and Deductions

11
Rent Each Month

Utility 1-Electricity
$30
Utility 2Oil Heat
$30
Utility 3-Costs to Build Homes

$30
Insulation
3,200 People
Utility 4$75
Number of Homeless People
Plumbing/Water
Number of Homeless People in Each Home
Up to 5 People
$30+$30+$30+$75=
Total Cost for Rent Each Month
3,200 People/
People
in Each House=
$165 5per
month
Number of Houses to Build
640
Houses
All Provided by Home Depot
Cost to Build Each 8x12 Homes
$2,200
Supplies Provided By Home Depot
Cost of 14 Acre Land
$234,300
Purchases through DLC Realty
Cost of Shower Tent
$66.49
Provided By Kmart
Cost of Shower Tent per Home
$66.49 per Shower * 640 Home
Cost to Build Homes

Without Land and Shower Tent
Total Cost to Build Homes
$2,200 per House * 640 House=
$42,553.60
$1,408,00
$1,408,00 + $234,300 + $42,553.60 =
$1,684,853.60
5k/10k Homes For Homeless Run Annual Costs

Food and Water for
Racers
Shirts per Person
Donated Free from Ozarka Water

$5.30
Provided By Edco
Construction Vests per

Person
$4.99
Provided By Amazon
Race Bibs per Person

Route Certification
Free from Road Id

$2.99 Shipping
$350
Event Insurance
$350
Online Advertising
and Marketing
Free through Social Media: Facebook,

Twitter

12
5k/10k Homes For Homeless Run Annual Deductions

5k Purchase per Person
$50 (Minus 15% off if they

Donated In-Store)
10K Purchase Per Person
$60 (Minus 15% off if they

Donated In-Store)
In-Store Donations
Up to $10
Receive a 15% Off Promo Code
In-Store Donation Minimum of:

$5
Online Donations Deductions

Donation Amount
Varies

13
VI.
Four Year Budget Plan
Year 1-2017
Costs for Land
$234,300
Number of Houses Expected to be

Built
640 Houses * =
320 Houses Expected
Cost to Build Houses
320 Houses * $2,200 per House

$704,000
Number of Tent Showers to buy per

House
$66.49 Shower * 320 Houses=

$21,276.80
Average number of 5k Racers

Expected
2000 Runners Annually Estimation
Average Number of 10k Racers

Expected
1000 Runners-Annually Estimation
5K Estimated cost for Shirts , Vest,

Bibs Shipping, Route Certification,
and Event Insurance
Bibs Shipping, Route Certification,
and Event Insurance
Total Costs Year 1 Before
Deductions
{2000 Runners*($4.99+$5.30 Shirt)} +$2.99 Bibs+ $350 Certification

+ $350 Insurance=
$21,282.99
{1000 Runners*($4.99+$5.30 Shirt)} +$2.99 Bibs+ $350 Certification
+ $350 Insurance=
$10,922.99
$234,300 + $704,00 + $21,276.80+$21,282.99+$10,922.99=
991,852.78
Estimated Deductions from 5k

without promo
2000 runners * $50 Prices
Estimated Deductions from 10K

without promo
1000 runners * $60 Prices
Donations
Total Estimated Cost For Year 1
$100,000
$60,000
Depends
$991,852.78 - ($100,000 +$60,000)
$831,852.78
Year 2 2018
Costs left from Year 1
$831,852.78

14
Number of Houses Left to Build
640 Houses 320 Built Houses=
Cost to Build Houses
$2,200 per House * 320 Houses
Number of Shower Tents to buy per

House
$66.49 Shower * 320 Houses=

Bibs Shipping, and Event Insurance
{2000 Runners*($4.99 vest+$5.30 Shirt)} +$2.99 Bibs + $350 Insurance=

Bibs Shipping, and Event Insurance
{1000 Runners*($4.99 vest+$5.30 Shirt)} +$2.99 Bibs+ $350 Insurance=
Total Costs Year 2 Before Deductions
$704,000 + $21,276.80 +$10,642.99+$20,932.99+$831,852.78=
Deductions from Rent
($165 Rent per month * 12 Months) * 320 Houses Rented=
Estimated Deductions from 5K & 10K

without promo
$100,000 5k+ $60,000 10k
Donations
Depends
Total Estimated Costs for Year 2
$1,588,705.56 ($633,600 + $160,000)
320 Houses
$704,000
$21,276.80
$20,932.99
$10,642.99
$1,588,705.56
$633,600
$160,000
$795,105.56
Year 3-2019
Costs left from year 2
$795,105.56
Completed Built Houses
320 Houses Yr 1+ 320 Houses Yr2=
Deductions from Rent
Online Donations
Depends
Total Estimated Profits for Year 3
$1,267,200-$795,105.56=
640 Houses
$1,267,200
$472,094.74
Year 4-2020
Total Estimated Profits from Year 3
$472,094.74

15
VII.
Rent
Online Donations
Depends
Total Estimated Profits for Year 4
$472,094.74 +$1,267,200=
$1,267,200
1,739,294.74
Conclusion
Home and supplies are some of the most important necessities people need in life. Helping
out individuals deprived of these necessities is a must for those with the power to do so. The
more people donate for this purpose, the quicker and easier it will be to build houses for the
homeless and a place where they will have access to the basic supplies required to live. Home
Depot is one of the companies taking a step forward by implementing a plan to build houses for
the homeless population. The Homes for Homeless Foundation created the 5k/10k Homes for
Homeless Fun Run in order to alert the Dallas community and raise the money for the home
building project. The run will also be used to collect supplies in the form of donations. Our goal
is to build affordable houses for the people who are financially able to move out of the shelters
and start living on their own. Being able to achieve this goal will help to decrease the number of
homeless in Dallas and also ensure that those who are ready to move into homes will no longer
have to wait for available housing. While some may consider our objective of raising almost $1.7
million too ambitious, it is an attainable goal and one that will not only benefit the homeless
population, but society at large.
References
o Veteran Housing Grants. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://homedepotfoundation.org/page/veteran-housing-grantsVeteran Housing
Grants. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://homedepotfoundation.org/page/veteran-housing-grants
o Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
https://corporate.homedepot.com/OurCompany/Pages/default.aspx
o These five charts show the progress and challenges in fighting homelessness.
(n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/31/these-five-chartsshow-the-progress-made-in-fighting-homelessness/
o Fisher, R. (2011). The History of Homelessness in America 1640s to present.
Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.dceh.org/the-history-ofhomelessness-in-america-1640s-to-present/

16
o Simek, P. (2015). Downtown and the Homeless: Is It Time to Consider Relocating

The Bridge? | FrontBurner | D Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2015/02/02/downtown-and-the-homeless-is-ittime-to-consider-relocating-the-bridge/
o Dallas County Profile. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48113.
o
Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://obamacarefacts.com/federal-poverty-level/
2015 Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Survey Report. (n.d.). Retrieved March
28, 2016, from http://www.mdhadallas.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/08/2015-PITReport-FINAL.pdf
o Merten, S. (2016, February 25). [Telephone interview].

o
Dallas TX Home Prices & Home Values | Zillow. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28,
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Brown, S. (2016, January 4). D-FW apartment rents rose at record rate in 2015.
Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2016/01/d-fwapartment-rents-rose-at-record-rate-in-2015.html/.
Haq, H. (2016, January 21). Tiny-house villages: An innovative solution to

homelessness? Retrieved March 28, 2016, from
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2016/0121/Tiny-house-villagesAn-innovative-solution-to-homelessness
Building a Tiny House. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2016, from

http://tinyhousecommunity.com/build.htm
Event Sponsorship. (2016). In Road ID. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

https://www.roadid.com/Common/Catalog.aspx?C=Apparel
o Tiny House Design. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/
o http://white-rock-lake-conservancy.myshopify.com/products/white-rock-lake2014-photo-calendar. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. http://white-rock-lakeconservancy.myshopify.com/products/white-rock-lake-2014-photo-calendar
o How to Increase Race Revenue. (2014). In Race Entry . Retrieved March 14,
2016. https://www.raceentry.com/how-to-increase-race-revenue-growparticipation

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o Statistics. (2016). In Running USA. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from

http://www.runningusa.org/statistics
o 14 Free Ways to Promote Your Race Online. (2011, December 22). In Active
Endurance. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from
http://www.activeendurance.com/blog/2011/12/22/14-free-ways-to-promote-yourrace-online/
o Denning, K. (2015). I want to put on a 5k, what do I do now?. In Race Day Event
Services. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from
http://www.racedayeventservices.com/hosting-planning

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