Harvest House has been selected to receive an ESO (Engaging – System Centric – Outcomes) Award, a one-time gift of $20,000 from The Patterson Foundation. The award, which was presented to Harvest House for exhibiting outstanding participation and commitment in The Patterson Foundation’s Recoding Organizational DNA initiative, will aid the group’s work toward the goals outlined in the Marbut 12-point plan to address the homelessness issue in Sarasota.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness describes the concept of rapid re-housing as an essential tool for a community’s response to homelessness. Rapid re-housing helps communities decrease the number of people experiencing homelessness and the amount of time households spend homeless by placing priority on moving families and individuals into permanent housing as quickly as possible, ideally within 30 days of a client becoming homeless.
Harvest House will be appropriating our ESO Award and the matching gift from our private donor to fund rapid re-housing programs for homeless and at-risk families who are referred to the Family Haven Alliance. The use of these funds will be determined on a case-by-case basis after an initial assessment of the client’s current situation and after it has been decided that rapid re-housing, rather than time spent in the Haven or in short-term transitional housing, would best benefit the client.
- Rapid re-housing allows Harvest House to stop homelessness in its tracks for families who are already homeless by immediately giving them a place to live and engaging them in case management and other services.
- Using these funds for families who come through the Family Haven Alliance creates a system-centric approach – serving even those families who did not come directly to Harvest House for help.
- The sooner we get families into a home, the less long-term damage is done to the family unit and the easier it is to break the cycle that causes homelessness.
The amount of funds to be expended on behalf of each client will be based on client needs but will solely be used for rental assistance, housing relocation, stabilization services, including credit counseling, security/utility deposits, utility payments, moving costs and required case management.
Providing rapid re-housing assistance for homeless families of our community allows for greater long-term stability and increased positive outcomes.
About The Patterson Foundation
The Patterson Foundation enhances impact through purposeful partnerships. Through these partnerships, we share fresh perspectives on strategy, contribute new ideas and provide resources. Rather than funding programs or capital, we work to embed and accelerate change. The act of creative collaboration produces results and knowledge that transcend any single act of philanthropy. For more information, please visit www.thepattersonfoundation.org.
About Harvest House Transitional Centers
Harvest House Transitional Centers facilitates an environment full of hope that gives individuals and families an opportunity to break the cycle of homelessness and addiction as they rebuild their lives. To learn more about Harvest House, or to tour our campus, please contact Heather Darling, Director of Development at heather@harvesthousecenters.com or at (941) 953-3154, or visit our website www.harvesthousecenters.com.
