DO Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides various programs to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The document describes DO Foundation's programs which include prevention services, intake/assessment, referral services, transitional housing, education/awareness programs, and a resource day/night center. The goal of DO Foundation is to forge partnerships to help homeless individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency and end chronic homelessness.
Running headUNNING HEAD COMMUNITY AGENCY OBSERVATION .docx
DO Foundation Pamphlet
1. DO FOUNDATION, INC.
www.dofoundation.net
(O) 248-325-8395
info@dofoundation.net
DO Foundation Programs
For People who are
HOMELESS
This booklet describes DO Foundation’s programs for individuals who are or on the verge of homelessness. The
booklet provides a definition and description of each program provided or to be provided by DO Foundation. DO
Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization designated by the Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax deductible.
2. What is
HOMELESSNESS?
Homelessness is the condition and social status of people who lack fixed housing, usually because
they cannot afford a regular, safe, and adequate shelter. An individual is homeless when he or she
has no place to live to meet their basic needs.
The Federal Definition of Homelessness
1. An individual who lacks fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
2. An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is – a supervised publicly or
privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including
welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing); an institution that provides a
temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; a public or private place
not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
The people that are most likely to become homeless are: Young adults leaving home for the first
time; Elderly, Persons with children; Individuals with physical or mental disabilities; Individuals
earning minimum wage or less; Children transitioning out of Foster care or awaiting foster care
placement; Teen moms, Single parents; Divorced individuals; Migrant children and most recently
risen, families, who are the largest and fastest growing segment of the homeless population today.
The conditions that define homelessness are:
1. Doubling up with family and friends (multi-family homes)
2. Living in motels and hotels for lack of suitable housing.
3. Runaway children.
4. Homeless and domestic violence shelters
5. Transitional housing
6. Living on the streets
7. Living in abandoned buildings
8. Living in public places not meant for housing
9. Living in cars, trailers or campgrounds
10. Moving from relative/friend to relative/friend
The main causes of homelessness vary from lack of affordable housing, sudden and ongoing health
problems (lack of affordable health care), domestic violence, natural and other disasters (i.e.
flooding, fire), poverty, mental illness, eviction, relationship problems, unemployment or under
employment, divorce, lack of a support system, drug and alcohol abuse and lack of education.
3. DO Foundation’s (DOF) major goal is to forge partnerships and
relationships with other likeminded organizations, from a state, local,
national or private sector to help people who are homeless achieve
their maximum potential on the road to self-sufficiency.
Our programs:
→ Prevention
→ Outreach
→ Intake & Assessment
→ Referral Services
→ Transitional Housing
→ Education & Awareness
→ 24 hour Day/Night Center Services
DOF will provide model support for individuals, children and
families living in a state of homelessness, which will accomplish
either directly through DOF or through partnerships and/or referrals
to other service providers in the following areas:
→ Job Placement Opportunities
→ Drug & Alcohol Treatment Centers
→ Residential support
(i.e. community living, transitional housing, low income
housing or emergency shelters.)
→ Financial Planning
→ Prevention Programs
→ Family Support & Family Education
→ Assessment
→ On-site Resource Centers
(i.e. laundry service, transportation, warming/cooling center,
telephone usage, computer usage, counseling, etc.)
VISION:
DO Foundation will integrate a system of quality services and
connections to other like-minded organizations that will provide
resources to prevent homelessness, and transition families and/or
individuals who are homeless back to a life of self-sufficiency,
thereby initiating an end to chronic homelessness across our nation.
4. INTAKE & ASSESSMENT
The intake & assessment program is the first step under the umbrella of
DO Foundation (DOF) programs and services. This is your
introduction to what we offer as an organization and how we can help
you. The process of intake and assessment is to meet with qualified
social workers to assess your individual needs. There are eligibility
screening procedures and protocols which will entail a detailed
questionnaire about your history and resources to ensure that the
appropriate referrals are made and any enrollment procedures result in
individuals and/or families maximizing their opportunity to receive aid
and/or services that they are entitled to, or can benefit from. Intake &
Assessment is designed to ensure that DOF personnel properly address
an individual and their specific needs. It will also streamline the aid
process, thereby eliminating redundancy and helping to alleviate an
already stressful situation.
All individuals and/or families “must” go through our intake &
assessment department before other services and/or programs can be
rendered.
PREVENTION
DO Foundation’s Prevention Services address “Crisis Management”. In
other words, you have a critical need, and we have an immediate
solution. This program is for individuals and/or families who require
immediate assistance to prevent the loss of housing. Such services may
include, but are not limited to: referral to organizations (such as: Thaw
or United Way) to help avert utility shut off, contacting a leasing office
to avoid eviction. If all efforts fail, DO Foundation can, and may,
provide (on a limited basis) “on the spot” emergency assistance for
eviction prevention. {However, there are requirements for receiving this
type of aid that will be thoroughly discussed at the time when, and if, this
becomes necessary}.
Individuals and/or families who receive assistance through our
prevention program “must” participate in our education service which
can provide you with the tools needed to ensure that you are on the right
path to success, thus not allowing you to revisit the threat of
homelessness in the future.
5. REFERRAL SERVICES
There are two types of referrals, Immediate and Long Term. “Immediate
Referrals” are those of an emergent nature, such as Emergency Shelters,
Medical or Mental Health, Prevention, and/or Drug & Alcohol Addiction.
Immediate referrals will be addressed the moment an individual and/or family
completes Intake & Assessment. Once the need is assessed and the individual
is determined to be in need of immediate assistance, they will be referred over
to our Referral Services department. “Long Term” refers to situations of a
less than emergent nature, such as Transitional Housing, Outreach, Job
Placement, Education & Awareness, and Financial Planning.
Based on the initial assessment, each person will work with one of our
qualified Referral Agents (RA), who will contact the applicable facilities on
behalf of the individual. These facilities may include, (but are not limited to):
drug & alcohol clinics or rehabilitation centers, emergency shelters for
immediate housing needs, medical or mental health facilities, job placement
agencies and organizations, as well as food banks. The RA will make initial
contact, then direct & guide the individual to the appropriate person within
the contacted establishment.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
DO Foundation’s Transitional Housing program will help coordinate
admission into supportive housing that is both affordable and appropriate for
the delivery of supportive services to individuals and/or families; such as:
Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC and general state or federal aid.
EDUCATION & AWARENESS
Our Education & Awareness programs are designed to enlighten individuals
on Personal Responsibility, and are centered around Prevention – not only
understanding HOW you got where you are, but how to prevent future
recurrence once you’ve overcome it. We also provide hands on training in
financial literacy and financial planning. We will guide you through areas from
basic banking, to budgeting & strategies of long term success. Our goal is to
help you achieve financial responsibility and personal financial success.
6. RESOURCE DAY/NIGHT CENTER FOR THE
HOMELESS
DO Foundation’s Resource Day/Night Center for the homeless will be equipped with showers, laundry services,
access to telephones, internet, computers and fax machines. It will be a cooling center in the hot summer months
and a warming center in the cold winter months. This center will allow and individual and/or family living on the
streets, in cars, motels, abandoned buildings, etc. a safe haven to come and access current events (i.e. television,
news, newspapers), and will continue to provide personal hygiene items and services that include volunteer barbers,
stylist and general grooming specialist. DO Foundation’s referral center which allows us to direct individuals to
other organizations for assistance will be housed in our Resource Day/Night Center for the homeless.
OUTREACH
Hitting the Streets for the Homeless
Outreach (“DOF style”) tends to some of the immediate needs of a homeless individual living on the streets. We
accomplish this by “Hitting The Streets For The Homeless”. Our volunteers take clothing items, DO Bags, a warm
& friendly disposition and the desire to help out with them across the country. This is in addition to our all access
Resource center where the homeless can come in out of the cold, make telephone calls, wash their clothes, get a hot
shower, and have a bit of much needed “privacy”. Our outreach services aids individuals in need of obtaining
personal identification and/or acquiring the necessary documentation for other potential programs and/or
organizations from which they can benefit. To date our outreach program has been a huge success not only in the
Detroit area, but Minnesota, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and the West Coast and continues to grow with DOF
supporters and volunteers hitting the streets on behalf of the DO Foundation.
DO Bags include (but are not limited to):
Zip Lock Freezer bags
Roll of toilet paper
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Hand sanitizer/Bar of soap
Socks (most asked for item)
Travel size shampoo
Disposable razor/shaving cream
Comb/Pick
Chap stick
Deodorant
Fruit cup/w plastic ware
Bottled water
Canned meat
Beef Jerky/Cheese Sticks
Crackers/Gum
For ladies (female feminine products)
DO Bags are put together by our volunteers and distributed directly to the homeless.
7. MISSION
DO Foundation holds the essential belief that ALL PEOPLE, no matter their walk of life, are
entitled to Dignity, Respect, and the Opportunity to realize or regain a life of self-sufficiency
through community involvement and assistance, as opposed to living in an unsheltered state of
homelessness.
The Mission of the DO Foundation (DOF) is to connect directly with the homeless for a personal
account of their immediate needs, and to generate community support in conjunction with
implementing cost-effective programs to aid and assist them with meeting those needs.
Homelessness is indiscriminate. Likewise, the DO Foundation will remain open to the needs of
those who are homeless, whether their state of homelessness is due to financial hardship, mental
health related issues, addiction, flight from abusive circumstances, or lack of general support, as
often is the case with Veterans and former inmates transitioning back into society.
Background and History
The DO Foundation began in 2009 as a volunteer group of 2 hitting the streets to provide for the
immediate needs of those living in the homeless population, also by providing an all expense paid
evening out to selected individuals residing in shelters and/or transitional housing units across the
country. Today the organization provides support to hundreds of people with immediate on the
spot relief through the distribution of our DO Bags. DO Foundation’s assistance is designed to
support those living on the streets with the immediate essentials needed to survive while gathering
necessary information to aid DOF in implementing programs and services to aid in transitioning
these individuals and/or families back into a life of self-sufficiency.
The strategic direction of DOF in response to its understanding of what its serviced individuals
value most about the organization, and the current opportunities and challenges for offering a high
quality system of support in the communities across the country. DOF will spend time assessing
and deepening its approach to its work, concurrently, DOF will take more of a leadership role in
working with a broader array of community resources, and it will explore actively engaging more
volunteers.
8. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
You can help first by simply CARING!
Although the concern and support received by volunteers who work hard to advocate, bring
awareness to our cause is essential, assistance in the form of donations are also a necessity if
we want to work together to eradicate homelessness.
DONATE today! Go to: http://www.dofoundation.net/donate.htm or:
Mail donations to:
C/O DO Foundation
P.O. Box 251151
West Bloomfield, MI 48325
Other items and services needed include:
→ In-Kind materials and services. printing, copying, marketing assistance, computers,
Promotional and public relations services, office equipment.
→ Clothing. Coats/Gloves/Socks/Hats/Scarves
→ Books. When spending the night in a shelter many choose the time before dozing off
To read books/magazines/newspapers.
→DO Bags: Essential items listed above and on our website. (Create and Distribute)
→ Job Opportunities
→ Raise funds for DO Foundation or one of our programs.
→ Give directly to people who are homeless.
→ Advocate / Reach Out / Educate
→ Simply Smile. Making eye contact, saying a few kind words, or smiling can reaffirm the
Humanity of a person that living in a state of homelessness has stripped away.
9. HOW TO CONTACT DOF
DO Foundation’s Programs and services are available statewide and throughout various other states. Staff
members and volunteers provide assistance and representation when needed.
DOF develops plans each year identifying and prioritizing areas where advocacy will be provided. If we cannot be
of assistance, information will be given. An Intake Specialist will talk with you to get an understanding of your
concerns. Problems can often be resolved over the telephone. In some cases, additional help from DOF staff and
volunteers are required.
DO Foundation, Inc.
5074 Village Commons Drive
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 251151
West Bloomfield, MI 48325
(Office) 248-325-8395
Web: www.dofoundation.net
Email: info@dofoundation.net
Web Presence:
Face Book: www.facebook.com/dofoundation
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dofoundation
YouTube: www.youtube.com/thedofoundation
Founder/Chairman of the Board - Brian O’Neal (Michigan - National Recording
Artist/Composer/Humanitarian)
Co-Founder/Co-Chair/CEO - Kelly Adolph (Michigan – BCO Media, Inc. Artist
Manager/Author)
Board Member/Campaign Committee
Chair - Nicole Lancaster (New Jersey - Marketing Specialist)
Director of Programs & Services - Beth L. Morgan (Michigan - BSW, LSW, MA. H. Ed)
Director of Advocate/Liaison
Services - Brian J. Harris (Michigan - BA., LSW)
Board Member - Shirley Austin (Georgia – Human Resource Management)
Board Member - Dana Johnson (Texas)
Philanthropic Consultant - Melvin Stringer II (New Orleans – Fundraising consultant)
Graphic Artist - Renae McNeil (Georgia - Graphic/Web Designer)
Volunteer Coordinator - Tamara Gomez (Florida - Volunteer Coordinator)