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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................2
SOLUTION OVERVIEW AND LEGAL STRUCTURE...................................................................................3
SOCIAL PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND SIZE...........................................................................................3
FINANCIAL MARKET AND SIZE ............................................................................................................4
MULTNOMAH COUNTY MARKET........................................................................................................4
SOCIAL VALUE PROPOSITION..............................................................................................................4
CUSTOMER VALUE PROPOSITION.......................................................................................................5
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE..................................................................................................................5
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION ..............................................................................................................6
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS AND CHANNELS ......................................................................................6
REVENUE MODEL...............................................................................................................................7
RISK ANALYSIS AND BUSINESS ENVIROMENT ANALYSIS......................................................................7
STAKEHOLDERS..................................................................................................................................8
LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE.........................................................................................................9
START UP COSTS ..............................................................................................................................10
IMPACT ANALYSIS............................................................................................................................10
GO-NO-GO-ANAYLSIS.......................................................................................................................11
Works Cited.....................................................................................................................................12
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EXECUTIVESUMMARY
Homeless Helping Homeless Childcare (HHHC) is a 501c3 organization that will help people in
homeless recovery find and maintain employment by providing low cost flexible childcare and
education and training in child development.
There are currently 2,052 families in varying levels of homeless recovery in Multnomah County
(Portland Government, 2014). Through interviews and research it has been discovered that one
key obstacle that stands in the way of these families getting back into mainstream society is
childcare problems. Existing options either offer sub-par conditions, are too expensive, or do
not offer hours flexible with work schedules.
The national childcare industry shows a projected growth rate of 2.6% for the next five years
which is slightly more than doubled from the 1.2% growth rate in the previous five years
(Lerman, 2014). The addressable market in Multnomah County is 766,135 people (U.S. Census,
2013).
The social impact created by HHHC will be more families entering mainstream society than in
previous years. This will create more room for organizations to help other families requiring
their services.
HHHC will offer daycare with a sliding scale payment method. There will be no premiums for
weekends or late pick-ups and early drop offs.
Major competitors in the area are Kinder Care, Head Start, and Care.com. These companies do
not offer flexible hours or sliding scale payment plans which sets HHHC apart from the
competition.
The target market for HHHC is the 2,052 families in homeless recovery in Multnomah County
(Portland Government, 2014). This customer base has expressed challenges with daycare
options through interviews and interest in solutions being provided.
Getting customers will be done through a website, social media, and distribution of flyers and
brochures. This approach will cost as little as 240.00 dollars. Maintaining customers will be
done through treating them like family and providing activities such as game nights and an
annual camp out which will be free to customers. The cost to HHHC will be 1,200 dollars which
will cover all customer fees. Word of mouth from customers will grow our customer base.
Our revenue will be earned through payments made from customers, government subsidies
grants, crowdfunding, and donations.
Key impacts to be measured are number of people interviewing for jobs, number of people
finding jobs, length of time it takes to find a job, number of children enrolled, and quality of life
improvements. A base line will be established and information will be gathered through casual
interviews from staff members. A regression model will be created and displayed on HHHC
website annually.
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SOLUTION OVERVIEW ANDLEGALSTRUCTURE
Individuals in homeless recovery that have children have a difficult time with finding childcare
due to cost and flexibility. Often the jobs they are qualified for start out at low pay and irregular
hours. This creates problems for them in finding and maintaining employment.
Homeless Helping Homeless Childcare works to solve this problem by providing a childcare
option for parents in homeless recovery in Multnomah County who are having difficulties
finding and maintaining employment. It offers childcare at a sliding scale with flexible hours in
order to fit the client needs. It also provides education and training in the childcare field and
provides clients a chance to work at the facility as childcare providers.
Mission
Helping homeless recovery using childcare, training, and jobs.
Vision
Our vision is to provide every family in homeless recovery in Multnomah County childcare
service in order to help them find and maintain employment.
Legal Entity
Homeless Helping Homeless Childcare (HHHC) is a “Not for Profit 501c3” entity. By using this
entity HHHC will be tax exempt. Tax exemption will allow HHHC to be free from paying taxes on
all income that is related to the purpose of the organization. Individuals that donate to the
organization are also eligible for a tax deduction (Pakroo, 2014). This will help with accruing
donations that will be needed for the capital to run the organization. HHHC accounting will
ensure that all revenue is properly used for maintaining the mission and compensating its
employees in order to avoid any legal problems.
In the event that grants, subsidies, and donations do not provide enough capital to operate, the
“Not for Profit” entity will allow HHHC to take money from lenders.
Using this entity means that HHHC board members will be required to keep HHHC on mission
and will develop programs solely based on how to improve the quality of the care we are
providing and the mission overall(Pakroo, 2014). Board members will not be profit driven which
will make HHHC stronger.
SOCIAL PROBLEM DESCRIPTION ANDSIZE
There are currently 2,052 families in homeless recovery in Multnomah County, Oregon that are
at varying levels in recovery (Portland Government, 2014).
These families are in homeless recovery for many different reasons. Some fell on financial
hardships, while others suffer from addiction. All these families are currently working with
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programs in Multnomah County in order to find sustainable employment but most childcare
facilities are outside of their price range or do not operate on a schedule that is convenient for
their work schedule. This is slowing down their transition back into society.
FINANCIAL MARKET AND SIZE
Industry Size and Growth
The childcare market size in America is broken down into three categories: employers,
households under 25,000 dollars per year, and households above 25,000 dollars per year.
Out of the 28% of families that fall into the income under $25,000, 1.5 million of these families
use government subsidies to pay for child care.
From 2009 to 2014 the industry grew 1.2%. The forecasted growth for 2014 to 2019 is 2.6%
(Lerman, 2014).
MULTNOMAH COUNTY MARKET
Addressable Market
Multnomah County Population: 766,135 (United States Census)
Served Available Market
Households with children 14 and under in Multnomah County: 64,882 (Suburban Stats)
Target Market
Families in Homeless Recovery in Multnomah County (Portland Government)
Transitional Housing: 459
Rent Assistance: 1,124
Permanent Supportive Housing: 469
Total Target Market: 2,052
Financial Market
The Department of Human Services projected budget for Multnomah County for 2015 is
10,847,922 dollars. Key sources of revenue will come from programs such, Homeless Families
System of Care, 10 year plan to end homelessness, Temporary Aid for Needed Families,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and child welfare (County Human Services 206,
2014).
Social Opportunity Size Market
Families in Homeless Recovery in Multnomah County: 2,052 (Portland Government)
SOCIAL VALUEPROPOSITION
Theory of Change
Homeless people using HHHC will have more flexibility with their work schedules and in
accepting a starting wage. By eliminating these two elements from the equation, the individuals
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will be more able to stay with a company and receive training. That will lead to better positions
and even new job opportunities. This will decrease their time in recovery allowing organizations
to admit more individuals into their recovery programs.
Indirectly, HHHC helping these individuals re-enter main stream society will change society’s
view on homeless individuals. This will lead to the creation of more organizations willing to help
solve various problems amongst the homeless population.
CUSTOMER VALUE PROPOSITION
HHHC will offer individuals with no hassle child care. This means there will be no premium rates
for late pickups, after hour care, or weekend rates.
A shuttle service for pickups and drop offs will be provided for individuals that do not have
access to transportation.
Training and education in child development will be made available, which will allow for
individuals to work as staff at our facility. This will create a staff that is empathetic to the needs
of individuals in homeless recovery and also familiar in dealing with the specific problems
children that are in a homeless recovery situation might have. This will also create job
opportunities with other organizations.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Competitive Advantage
HHHC is on par with the major competitors in the area. Most day care facilities offer the same
services as HHHC when it comes to activities. What sets HHHC apart from the day care
providers is the elimination of premium rates, flexible hours, and weekend availability.
Care.com provides competition in the areas of flexible hours and weekend availability but is
lacking in activities and does not accept government assistance. HHHC provides the best
options for our target market.
Provides
Childcare
Accepts
Government
Assistance
Flexible
Hours
Weekend
Availability
PremiumsFor
Late
Pickups/Early
Drop offs
Educational
Programs
Physical
Activities
Age Groups
(Infant-12)
Homeless
Helping
Homeless
x x x x x x x
KinderCare
x x x x x
Head Start
x x x x x
Care.com
(Local
Babysitter
Service’s)
x x x x x
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Protection of Intellectual Property and Business Model
In order to make a national or global impact in homeless sustainability, other individuals and
organizations will have to get involved. HHHC is concerned with the mission of helping people
in homeless recovery find and maintain employment without the added stress of childcare.
HHHC will share its business model and intellectual property with any person or organization
that shows a common concern.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION
The target market are families currently in homeless recovery programs in Multnomah County.
These families need to have at least one child under 12 because after the age of 12 they are
legally able to stay at home by themselves. Income levels will vary and some customers may
not be receiving an income.
Inside this market there are two customer segments: 1. customers that use the facility strictly
for childcare: 2. customers that use the facility for childcare as well as training and education in
child development. Customers using the facility for childcare need to be actively seeking
employment and in good standing in the recovery programs they are involved in. They also
need to be willing to let their children be supervised by staff members that are still in homeless
recovery or were formerly homeless. Customers using the facility for education and training
need to be able to pass screenings that are required by the state in order to watch children.
These customers cannot have a history of crimes dealing with any type of abuse.
Donors represent another segmentation and planned donors include:
PGE-Safe and Healthy Families Program
Oregon Food Bank-Food for meals with the day care
Head Start- Education Materials
Powell’s Books-Reading Materials
KABOOM!-Playground Equipment
Individuals- Crowdfunding for capital
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS ANDCHANNELS
Marketing Mix
Product- HHHC will provide childcare to homeless families in recovery in Multnomah County
and also provide education assistance, training, and employment in childcare to homeless
adults in recovery who are able to pass the screening process.
Price-The estimated price per child is $875 per month. Fees will be based on a sliding scale
customers that can pay more will make up for the ones who cannot pay as much. A designated
percentage of income from customers will go to childcare payments. As their income increases,
what they are able to pay will increase as well. Government subsidies, grants, and donations
will also be used to supplement this.
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Promotion- Web site, social media, flyers posted at organizations that provide aid to homeless
individuals, and word of mouth. HHHC will be a preferred provider for the state of Oregon
which means it will be on a list provided to clients at welfare offices.
Place- A standalone facility that meets all legal requirements, is on a bus line, and is in
Downtown Portland has been selected for the facility. The building is for sale for $550,000, a
down payment of $56,923 will make payments $2,586 a month.
Getting, Keeping, and Growing Customers
Getting- The use of flyers and word of mouth advertising will be the primary ways to get
customers. The Clean and Safe organization will distribute the flyers and brochures. The
primary way of getting donors will be social media and an HHHC website. Stories about how the
HHHC organization was started, what our mission, and interviews with people in homeless
recovery will be posted on these sites.
Keeping- HHHC customers including donors, will be treated like family members. In order to do
this staff members will engage our customers during pickup and drop off times and ask them
about their day. Activities for families will be provided at the facility such as game nights and
movies nights. An annual camp out at Detroit Lake will take place. These activities will be free
for customers and provide a time and place for them to relax and build relationships with staff
and other customers. Donors will be welcome to all activities provided by the HHHC
organization. This will show them firsthand the impact their donations have on our customers.
Growing- The growth of our customers, including donors, will come from the same sources as
the strategy for getting, and keeping our customers. Pictures and videos of activities will be
added to the website. The HHHC website will have an impact page in order to grow our donor
segment.
REVENUE MODEL
The childcare service per child is estimated to be $875 a month. This money will come from
customers that are employed and able to make payments. Grants such as the Community
Opportunity Grants will be used, as well as government subside, and money from crowdfunding
and donations.
RISK ANALYSIS ANDBUSINESS ENVIROMENTANALYSIS
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Flexible Day Care Hours
Day Care Provided By Peers
Transportation Services to and From Daycare
Affordable Day Care
Reliant on Government Subsidies, and fundraising
for revenue streams
Sliding scale payments
Screening and Training Individuals in Homeless
Recovery for Childcare
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Partnerships With Other Social Enterprises
Recognition as a Preferred Childcare Provider by
the State of Oregon
Operating out of Long Term Housing for Individuals
in Homeless Recovery
Government Regulations on Childcare
Staff Ratio to Children
ExtremelyCompetitive Industry
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Risks with Revenue
Relying on donations and government subsidies is a risk because they are not a guarantee and a
significant amount of human capital is involved in obtaining them. Using a sliding scale for
payment is another risk. Looking into ways to have a more diverse revenue stream such as
securing a loan through Mercy Corps Northwest will help mitigate these risks.
The money provided from the sliding scale will help limit the amount of subsidies and donations
needed for the company. Having a firm understanding of the target market will help with
bringing in customers that will be able to pay for childcare. Forming partnerships and focusing
on channels used to draw in customers will also help with the risks associated with the revenue
stream.
Risks with Using Individuals in Homeless Recovery for Staff
Homeless individuals in recovery will have to pass a screening process in order to be able to
provide childcare. There will also be cost factors involved with training the individuals. The
money needed for this part of the business might affect the revenue needed to run the day
care facility. Finally potential customers might feel uneasy about leaving their children with
these individuals even if they are informed that the individual is certified in childcare.
To lessen the risk with the costs associated with screening the individuals, partners such as
Central City Concern will be used. When these organizations screen the individuals for
employment they will be able to inform me of candidates most likely to pass a childcare
screening saving the Homeless Helping Homeless organization resources in screening
individuals that are less likely to pass a screening.
To lessen the risk with the costs associated with education and training, working with the
individuals in helping them get a Pell Grant will help. Also working with the student loan
agencies to help the individuals with loans and payments will be another area to keep training
and education costs down. All of these options will be used through an accredited college such
as Portland Community College.
Having the staff that was formerly homeless tell their story to potential customers will help
ease any concerns the customers might have. Customers meeting face to face with the staff will
also be a way to mitigate this risk. Having stories in a pamphlet describing the service will give
potential customers the opportunity to learn about the staff.
STAKEHOLDERS
Homeless population in Portland Oregon
o It is important to establish trust with this group of stakeholders.
o Use of focus groups using storytelling and a beginners mind would create a
successful engagement. These groups will meet semi-annually in order to ensure
the organizations is fulfilling their needs.
o Professional counselors should be used in order to deal with possible mental
health illness and to help communicate with formerly abused individuals.
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o Information gathered from these stakeholders will be helpful in determining
what is working and what needs improvement.
Law enforcement in areas of Portland with high concentration of homeless individuals
o Engaging with officers will be vital in effectively working with homeless
individuals.
o Interviewing officers on what ideas they have for helping homeless individuals
and if they feel the homeless helping homeless will help.
o Ignoring preconceived ideas about how law enforcement handles homeless
individual will be key in successful engagement with this group of stakeholders.
Existing organizations in Portland that help with homeless self-sufficiency
o Senior management from each organization will be briefed on the progress of
the solution and the condition of the beneficiaries
LEADERSHIP ANDGOVERNANCE
Founder and CEO- Patrick Ditty is a business major and holds a certificate in social
entrepreneurship.
Co-Founder and Vice President-Kaomi Mecham is a mother and formerly homeless. Kaomi is a
crucial connection to the mission and maintaining relationships with our customers.
COO- Stephanie Grahm is a longtime family friend and has been involved in property
management for the last 12 years.
CFO- John Grahm is a longtime family friend and currently the senior tax accountant at
Roseburg Forest Products.
Patrick Ditty and Kaomi Mecham will be the only two individuals necessary for startup. The
other positions will be filled in month 2 after the company secures its initial customer base. All
of these individuals will not be compensated until year three when the organization starts to
see a profit.
A board of directors consisting of 3 people will be utilized to ensure the organization stays on
mission. These individuals have yet to be identified.
A board of advisors will be created to help guide the organization areas such as fundraising,
grants, and mission. There will be six members on the board due to the small size of the
organization this is all that will be needed.
Senior Board Advisor- Roy Soards operates a consulting firm for social entrepreneurs in
Portland, Oregon.
Other advisory board members will be invited from organizations that help with homeless
recovery such as Central City Concern, New Avenues for Youth, and Homeplate.
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START UP COSTS
The startup cost for Homeless Helping Homeless Childcare is 108,435.00 dollars. This covers the
cost of paying employees from low level management down. Senior management will have to
operate on a volunteer basis until the organization starts to see a profit in year three. Patrick
Ditty and Kaomi Mecham have committed to a three year volunteer status. John and Stephanie
Grahm have committed to a six month volunteer status. Based on financial projections John
and Stephanie Grahm will renew their commitment.
Before the property is purchased an inspector will be hired in order to supply a quote of what
will need to be done in order to renovate the building into a childcare facility. The inspector will
be paid for using money from personal funds and the cost will be 522.74 dollars (City of
Portland). Twenty thousand dollars earned through crowdfunding and donations will be used to
cover renovations. Whatever is not needed for renovations will go into a contingency fund.
Using supplies from the Rebuilding Project should help keep these costs low. If this budget can
be met, a timeline of when the facility can be opened will be established at that point. If this
budget cannot be met other options such as leasing or partnering with other organizations will
be looked into.
The other key expenses covered under this number are down payment on property, down
payment on vehicles, utility bills, and operation costs. Utility bills will be subsidized through
grants through PGE and the Portland Water Bureau. 51 % will come from a communities facility
grant, and 49% will come from donors and crowdfunding.
The reality of securing a communities facility grant will be viable based on time. The remaining
49% totals to 53,133.00 dollars. Starting a 10,000.00 crowd funding campaign and approaching
individual investors makes this a reality. There will be an immediate 9% offset to the startup
costs after month 2. In year 3, revenues earned will be at a point to offset costs such as
mortgage and utility bills.
IMPACT ANALYSIS
The indicators that will be measured are:
Number of customers interviewing for jobs
Number of customers that find a job
Time it takes customers to find a job
Number of children enrolled in our childcare program
Improvements in the quality of life for the customers
The framework that will be used to measure this is the Progress out of Poverty Index. This index
will help measure the quality of life improvements in customers. There is no index for this
currently in the U.S., which other countries that use this index will need to be researched.
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Measuring, Tracking and Reporting Impact
A combination of qualitative and quantification research will be used for measurement. This
information will be gathered using the formative evaluation technique. Investigations through
interviews, into other organizations that are helping homeless people with families in recovery
find and maintain a job will help create a baseline.
The staff will be required to have conversations with each customer of our service were they
will ask questions pertaining to how the individuals job or job hunt is going and about their
overall quality of life. The baseline and the information gathered from customers will be used
to create a regression model to visually show improvements and declines in the population.
The data points used will be based on how many customer are using the service. Information
gathering will start right away but an accurate regression model may not be created until at
least 35 families are using the service. Variables that need to be looked at will include, but are
not limited to if the families have family or close friends in the area to watch children and if the
employer offers childcare services. Variables such as these potentially will show a negative
correlation.
The report will be kept simple and free of jargon. The regression will be shown as a graph with a
brief explanation below it. The questions that were asked will be listed on the report in order to
demonstrate how the information in the graph was gathered. Information will be complied at
the end of every week and weekly reports will be made available primarily for internal use.
Broader quarterly reports will be developed for external use; however the public will have
access to any of the reports if needed. These reports will be posted on our website.
GO-NO-GO-ANAYLSIS
Due to the laws that come with running a childcare organization it makes the venture
extremely expensive to start up and maintain. More research needs to be done in ways secure
money for the organization. Laws are also a sticking point when dealing with formerly homeless
people becoming staff members watching children. More research needs to be done in the
requirements that are required by Oregon for staff members that work at childcare employees.
This model also addressed the issue of senior management having to dedicate their time to the
organization for free for two years due to budget constraints.
Possible partnering with groups already in existence such as Central City Concern can
significantly cut startup costs down due to access to facilities.
This venture is viable but based on the amount of research that has been put into it thus far, a
projection of two years of research and one year of securing funds would be required before
start up is possible.
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Works Cited
Bromberger,A.R.(2007). Social Enterprise: A LawyersPerspective. New York: Perlman&Perlman,LLP.
Cityof Portand.(2014). City of Portland Bureau of DevelopmentServices. Portland.
CountyHumansServices206. (2014). County Human ServicesFY 2015 Adopted Budget. Portland.
Lerman,S. (2014). Day Carein theU.S. IBIS World.
OregonGovernment.(2014,January 01). Stateof Oregon Departmentof Human ServicesSelf Sufficency
DataDistrict 2. RetrievedfromOregonGovernmenr:
http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/Branch%20District%20Data/dist_02.pdf
Pakroo,P.(2014, January1). Building Your Non ProfitsBoard.RetrievedfromNOLOLaw For All:
www.nolo.com
Pakroo,P.(2014, January1). Non ProfitBasics.RetrievedfromNOLOLaw For All:www.nolo.com
PortlandGovernment.(2013,January01). 2013 Pointin Time Countof Homelessness in
Portland/Multnomah County,Oregon.RetrievedfromPortlandGovernment:
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/phb/article/451470