HELP Program

We all need help at one moment or another in our lives.

Contrary to popular belief, becoming homeless is not always related to mental health and/or drug problems. It is more often caused by issues related to losing one's job, not having enough sustainable income or the deterioration of relationships.

People experiencing homelessness and/or poverty need a support network, so they can focus on participating as active citizens who are able to pay for food, clothing and housing on their own.

““Neither housing nor work ends homelessness by itself. Active citizen participation does.””

— Andrew Funk, president of #HomelessEntrepreneur

Program Description

The HELP Program provides a support pathway to independence through incentivizing employment opportunities and fostering entrepreneurial activities. It is a holistic one-year program that addresses poverty, works in conjunction with our Housing Launchpad program or already existing housing programs in order to create sustainable change via active citizenship, community and life purpose.

How we do it.

Our program consists of three phases and aims to provide a holistic approach that ensures that the homeless people who want to tell their story and work to improve their lives are given the tools, resources, network and community necessary to reach their personal and professional potential so that they become the leading agent that changes their lives.

1

Phase 1: Phase one, which lasts for 12 months, is divided into 7 stages, where each Homeless Entrepreneur (HE) is assigned a coordinator and nine managers (covering the following areas: professional development, education, health, housing, finance, legal, communication, sales and assistance) so they are able to get a sustainable job and dignified housing within one year.

The foundation, which ensures that the HEs are ready and accountable for a sustainable job and dignified housing, is built upon education and health. A healthier lifestyle and higher education paves the way towards independence from social services and charity, while opening up new opportunities as an active member of society.

1. Preparation

The first step of the program is understanding the homeless person’s journey, aspirations and needs as well as his or her physical and psychological health.

The right preparation allows us to co-create the most appropriate road map towards his or her short, mid and long term goals.

2. Online Visibility

We provide coaching and consultancy to help the homeless people in our program understand the importance of communicating properly through social media, the press, in person and on stage, which ultimately builds their digital identity, scales up opportunities and speeds up the process of reaching his or her personal and professional goals.

3. Integration

Community work, job opportunities and social experiences in a healthy environment help the people in our program regain trust in society.

Job integration and volunteer projects play a key role in joining the professional world again and getting a new job and earning money leads to economic empowerment as well as greater responsibilities.

4. Training

Specific training provided by IBM SkillsBuild and IEBS along with in-house trainers from around the world allow Homeless Entrepreneurs an amazing opportunity to understand the future of work and receives the guidance, resources and training to get and maintain jobs corporations are looking for in order to be competitive today and in the future.

5. Commitment

You need 3 interviews to get a job and have 365 days to lose it, which means commitment is the different between a revolving door and a corporate welcome mat that leads to a steady job, dignified housing, and healthier lifestyle.

By this stage, the Homeless Entrepreneur has proven his or her commitment and is working on perfecting his or her routine to optimize current and future results.

6. Consolidation

Nearing the end of phase 1 means that the Homeless Entrepreneur’s foundation as an active, working citizen needs to be consolidated to ensure independence from social services as autonomous members of society who are prepared to transfer all their knowledge gained during the HELP program to future Homeless Entrepreneurs.

7. Loyalty

Loyalty is the last stage in phase 1 and ultimately means that the Homeless Entrepreneur is ready to graduate and has a devoted promise to ending homeless for homeless people who want to be active, working citizens, too.

The Homeless Entrepreneur becomes a mentor for future Homeless Entrepreneurs and a local and international homeless advocate in phase 2.

2

Phase two starts immediately after the first stage is complete and also lasts 12 months.

During this period, the HEs should be willing to recruit two new HEs and tutor them for the upcoming year so all of their knowledge and experience, learned throughout the program can be transferred and aid to ultimately speed up the process of ending homelessness.

3

The final phase of the program represents complete independence and the opportunity to work as a local team member in the organization.

The main objective is to build a community of conscious citizens who truly empathize with homelessness so we can end the problem around the world and focus on prevention.

Program’s Ecosystem

Housing

There are 4 stages of homelessness (roofless, houseless, insecure, inadequate), which homeless people must overcome to reach the goal of dignified housing.

Our housing department accompanies them through this process.

Health

There are 4 states of health (disengaged and overwhelmed, becoming aware but still struggling, taking action and gaining control, maintaining behaviors and pushing forward), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of a healthy lifestyle.

Our health department accompanies them through this process.

Professional Development

There are 4 states of professional development (disengaged and misinformed, motivated but lacking network, resources and tools, entering workforce and building professional skills, discovering true professional potential), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of a sustainable job.

Our professional development department accompanies them through this process.

Training

There are 4 stages of training (outdated training skills, basic general training skills, intermediate sector specific training skills, advanced sector specific training skills), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of being a competitive professional.

Our training department accompanies them through this process.

Finances

There are 4 stages of finances (financial instability, financial stability, financial security, financial freedom), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of financial abundance.

Our finance department accompanies them through this process.

Legal

There are 2 stages of legal status (forgotten or unattended legal issues, resolving legal issues), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of becoming law abiding citizens.

Our legal department accompanies them through this process.

Communication

There are 3 levels of communication (defensive, respectful and synergetic), which homeless people must go through to reach the goal of being coherent communicators.

Our communication department accompanies them through this process.