A Path to Stability and Opportunity
Our background with our 509(a)(2) nonprofit Second Chance Net includes helping the incarcerated regain their footing in lawful society upon release. Besides having to battle their ex-felon stigma, they usually release without the funds to pay rent, buy a car, get a computer, and the many requirements we consider basic. Some have family members who have resources, but often not to the point of handing several thousand dollars to a newly released ex-felon and hope for the best.
by Gillfoto,
CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
Image by John W. Schulze,
CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
The Minitrust Solution
Minitrusts are our answer, and we discovered they are just as applicable to the homeless, plenty of whom are unfortunately ex-felons. Our research indicates about a third of the homeless are actively addicted to drugs or alcohol, another third have serious mental disease, and the last third are simply unlucky — with plenty of overlap to the point that many are in all three categories. That means two-thirds are unsuitable for a direct cash donation. In the case of addiction, it would be either repurposed for drugs or alcohol. In the case of those suffering from mental disease, the risk is that the manipulators and exploiters in homeless camps would take their money away, sometimes violently.
A Compassionate Alternative
Minitrusts act like an expense account with guardrails whereby the homeless do not actually see the money, but selected expenses are paid directly to the service provider. Unlike many charities, Minitrusts do not require the homeless to become “clean and sober” before receiving aid. A Minitrust allows an addicted homeless persons to move out of their tent and into an apartment where they may have a better chance of leaving their addiction environment. A person with schizophrenia, for example, could present his “expense card” to fee-based counselors and pharmacies.
Image by Kingofthedead,
CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
Image by Elvert Barnes,
CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).
Innovative Solutions for Lasting Change
We are a team of business people, software programmers, legal experts, and financial managers dedicated to bringing this innovative new approach to the homeless. We have seen kind-hearted folks try many solutions to our homeless problem, and yet our downtown is still clogged with the tents of the homeless and the hopeless. We feel it’s time to try something different.
Join Our Mission: A Commitment to Change, Not Profit
If you would like to join us, use the Contact-Us form, but keep in mind that this is not a money-making venture. As a nonprofit, there is no equity nor shareholders. Even worse, the founders have agreed to not take a salary for the first year of operations. That’s zero dollars. We plan to live off the personal satisfaction of being inspired human beings leaving something good behind.
Image by Elvert Barnes,
CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).