AN OVERVIEW OF THE FOUNDATION’S WORK
The Foundation’s primary business is its transitional housing program: H.O.M.E. (Housing, Options, Mentoring, Empowerment). In addition to the H.O.M.E. program, the Foundation provides temporary emergency assistance (e.g., deposit, rent) to a variety of people in need.

THE H.O.M.E. PROGRAM
The population served.
According to its mission statement, the H.O.M.E. program is intended to those fleeing domestic violence, abuse and polygamy. In the time that the H.O.M.E. program has been operating, all program participants have been women. All have minor children living with them, and all have experienced domestic violence, either recently or in the past.

These families are referred to us by the Department of Workforce Services; Five County Association of Governments; the St. George Housing Authority; local homeless and domestic violence shelters; and a variety of churches, groups, and individuals.
What the program consists of.

Almost all of the families we serve are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, prior to entering the program. Consequently, the cornerstone of the H.O.M.E. program is housing. Once a family is in a safe, comfortable home, it can begin a healing process leading to self-sufficiency. H.O.M.E. is designed as a two-year program.

In addition to housing, the H.O.M.E. program offers, or anticipates offering:
•  Parenting classes
• Relationship classes
•  Financial management
• Life-skills training
• Support club for kids
• Mentoring program for single moms
• Homeownership preparation
• Monitoring of progress and celebration of success
Most of these support services are provided through other agencies, public and private, free of charge.

The need in the community.
Though homelessness and domestic violence are not problems that come immediately to mind when thinking about southwestern Utah in general, and St. George in particular, these problems do exist.

The area’s low wages and moderately expensive housing make it difficult for single wage earners to survive. The difficulty often becomes an impossibility when the single wage earner is trying to support a family on minimum wage.

The tremendous need for the H.O.M.E. program is best demonstrated by the following statistics.
• Two-bedroom apartments in Washington County rent for an average of $626.
• If a single mom is to pay no more than 30% of her income for rent, she needs to earn $12.06 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
• In the state of Utah, 42% of single mothers with children under the age of five are living in poverty; in St. George, 64% of these families are in poverty.
• 493 children were identified as homeless by the Washington County school district in 2000.
• Families can stay in a domestic violence shelter for no more than thirty days. When their time is up, they are often forced to choose between returning to violence and homelessness.

How participants are chosen.
Prospective participants complete an application, which collects general background information. Applicants then meet with the Foundation’s executive director, who conducts an initial assessment of need and program qualification. A follow-up interview is then conducted by the Foundation’s Board Chair, who determines whether the applicant is appropriate for the program. If an applicant is accepted into the program, but there is no housing available, the applicant is placed on a waiting list, with priority determined by the application date.
What participants pay.

Families who participate in the H.O.M.E. program pay 30% of their net income each month. HUD and other federal agencies consider this percentage to be the most a family should pay toward housing. Even though almost all program participants are living in already-subsidized apartments—typically renting for $250 to $450—30% of participants’ income is rarely enough to cover this reduced rent. Therefore, as a practical matter, most participants pay 30% of their income directly to the apartment complex, with the Foundation making up the balance.
Housing units used in the program.

The most expensive part of the H.O.M.E. program is the housing. Therefore, to minimize the Foundation’s costs, it is desirable to place participants in the least expensive housing available. Because participants enter the program with low incomes, it is possible to use housing in affordable apartment complexes.