Mission Statement As faith calls us to minister with our neighbors in need, Ecumenical Partnership for Housing seeks through partnership with religious congregations and social service agencies to provide transitional housing and supporting services for homeless families and children. Vision Statement Through EPH sponsored transitional housing, extensive case management, and caring support services, families achieve the knowledge, skills, and wholeness for a self-sufficient future. Our strategic objectives are as follows: 1. Continue to evolve the operating model to meet community needs. EPH has relied on a volunteer board to meet many of its needs. However, we have reached our capacity within the current structure and must evolve to a structure capable of continued growth. The addition of an Executive Director position was one of the first steps in this two-year process. 2. Increase the sources of revenue for our partnership. EPH must extend its financial support base beyond that of the partnership churches. This includes understanding opportunities and growing relationships within the broader Green Bay community. 3. Grow and strengthen the base of support services we provide to our families. In partnership with our TSA case management team, seek opportunities to help our families become self-sufficient, or to achieve a shift in self-identity. 4. Continue to be the property standard within our chosen neighborhoods. Our families respond to their environments. As such, our homes must continue to be safe, secure, comfortable, and empowering. By becoming the property standard within our chosen neighborhoods, we will be welcomed by our neighbors and the surrounding community. 1
Areas of Focus/Tactical Issues Additional background/detail (not prescribed solutions, but thoughts/ideas which surfaced) Continue to evolve our operating model with a focus on: Our Board and committee structure Leveraging the talent and passions of our Board members Develop alternative sources of funding to support our growth Rethink the structure of our meetings. For example, consider holding committee meetings and Board meetings on the same day Re-charter our committees Use our Key Knowledge and Skills inventory to align the right people with the right committees Strengthen the engagement of our Board members through the committee structure and strategic focus Evaluate this year s direct mail campaign results and look for opportunities to increase our support from our partnership churches. Note: we have become increasingly dependent on the support of a critical few churches. Develop sources of funding in addition to our partnership churches (Increased growth may require us to reduce our dependence on partnership churches for operational needs, i.e. grants, Federal or State funding, United Way) Should we seek a signature sponsor within our community? With growth comes an increasing need to compensate key volunteer positions: - Bring the Executive Director up to market rates - Consider clerical support - Consider supporting the out-of-pocket costs of volunteer positions such Lead Coordinator, Property Manager, Treasurer, etc. Protect the relationships we have developed with our supporters, from $50 supports through our mail campaign, to five figure supporters through our capital campaign. Consider face-to-face opportunities. 2
Areas of Focus/Tactical Issues Additional background/detail (not prescribed solutions, but thoughts/ideas which surfaced) Identify and assess opportunities to support the basic needs of our families (needs which extend beyond and/or in support of the case management process) Help address client transportation issues the bus system continues to shrink its geographic footprint Childcare is an ongoing challenge, as well as the costs associated with childcare - Opportunities for church day care support? - Adopt a grandparent program? Assess other opportunities to support our families based on family and case manager input Growth and support our volunteer base Expand the number of volunteers from within our partnership churches Once someone volunteers, make sure we use them, providing opportunities to keep them actively engaged Communicate with our volunteers on a regular basis Actively manage and update our volunteer lists, in a standardized format, including unit coordinators, external coordinators, partnership church ad hoc volunteers, community volunteers, groups, etc. Consider an Americore volunteer to manage our volunteers and volunteer data base 3
Other points of dialogue There were other suggestions or points of discussion which did not receive enough votes, or were for follow-up by individual contributors and/or the Executive Committee. Areas of Focus/Tactical Issues Additional background/detail (not prescribed solutions, but thoughts/ideas which surfaced) Study our waiting list and community needs Provide a back-up for our Treasurer, and for our financial systems What is the pent up demand assuming we could meet everyone s needs? How do we back-up up our financial systems and related documents? How do we protect ourselves from a systems crash? Administrative/clerical support Would be a big help for our fundraising processes, mailings, and list management Continue to increase our visibility within the community, and within our membership churches Continue to strengthen our relationship with the partnership church clergy This will be an area of focus for our Communications Committee Should clergy expectations be considered? Our partnership clergy play a significant role in engaging partnership church members volunteering as well as financial support Clergy are essential to creating a church-wide commitment to EPH, versus EPH being viewed as a project of a few We have a model that works Consider documenting our model and sharing it with others EPH is an easy sell in that we have a model that works with positive outcomes 4
Responses to our opening questions Why are we here? We opened the session with the question, Why are you here? It was within the context of our mission, vision, and ministry, and the reasons we continue to be engaged and passionate about EPH. Responses: The word faith in the mission statement, and wholeness in the vision statement, in that we address the needs of the whole person. How we impact the cycle of poverty. That we make a difference in supporting self-sufficiency. The words neighbors in need. We are a local, hands-on ministry. Neighbors in need. We are equals with our families, and we treat our families with dignity and respect. Wholeness. Belief in our model, that we can and do break the cycle of poverty. We are ecumenical in nature, a Christian and community based organization. We are hands-on, not just donating our monies. We are really helping our families. Wholeness. Representing the whole person, including the spiritual aspect of their lives. Helping people achieve self-sufficiency is in alignment with my personal life mission statement. What are some of our family successes over the last 12-18 months? Two families have qualified for Habitat homes Our families are experiencing a shift in self-identity Some of our chronically homeless families have broken the cycle Providing families with the time to address chronic issues For some of our families, we were their first stable housing in years Our contribution in terms of providing positive role models Six mentoring couples, an increased acceptance of mentoring by our families 5
What are some of the EPH Successes over the last 12-18 months? Accomplishments/ Strategic Alignment (per 2011/2012 Strategic Objectives) Created and staffed the Executive Director position (1,2) Purchasing an additional duplex (1,2) The support of the Spirituality team and the success of our Matching Funds Capital Challenge (2) Staffing and support of many of our volunteer roles, in particular the Lead Coordinator, External Coordinators, and the Property Manager (1,4) Increased community awareness through the Basic Needs Partnership Grant, the Spirituality Group and its connections within our community and the Press Gazette article (1,2,3) We are financially more stable (2) Our progress toward a smaller and more strategic Board (1) Obtaining, equipping, and opening an EPH office (1) Strengthening our partnership with The Salvation Army (1,2,3) Continued growth in creating a leverageable model (1) Gained ground in strengthening our relationships with our partnership clergy (1) Overhauled the Web site, resulting in many more contacts and/or requests, and creating a positive image and perception of EPH (1,2) 6