FUSION Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Families

The FUSION Board of Directors is requesting a $10,000 grant for operational support for FUSION's Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Families in Federal Way and Tacoma, WA. FUSION is purchasing it's 20th home and expects to open it January 1, 2019. The cost to provide professional case management services contracted through Catholic Community Services, utilities, insurance, homeowners dues, repair and maintenance, and special services to a family in one housing unit for one full year is approximately $12,500. Homeless families with children are screened and provided a fully-furnished home with case management services while they work over a period of 18-24 months to become stable and self-sufficient. Families consist of a homeless mother with children, homeless father with children, or a dual parent homeless family with children. Families in need of a stable home environment are often working several jobs, have experienced domestic violence, or lost a job due to medical issues or other unfortunate circumstances, have credit issues, have been evicted, or can no longer pay the high cost of rent or home ownership.

FUSION provides a professional case manager to assist a family while in transitional housing. Families are given the opportunity to become stable in a fully-furnished home with easy access to public transportation and schools so they can find the resources within the community to find a living wage job, overcome debt, receive counseling and childcare, assistance in filing housing applications or writing a resume, acquire additional educational needs, technical skills, or job-training, overcome language barriers, and become self-sufficient over a period of 18-24 months. Children are given an opportunity to regain the confidence they lost while living in an unstable environment such as a car or tent, therefore lacking the ability to study or do class assignments. By providing a stable environment with the means to become productive, children learn the importance of getting an education and hopefully are able to break the cycle of homelessness. Test scores improve and children feel confident within a classroom environment when they have a home with a roof overhead, food on the table, and the means to study, attend art classes or sports camp of their unique interest. Funds will help children to succeed, giving them hope and security for a better future.

FUSION measures outcome success when families are able to make a lifestyle change that improves their quality of life giving them the opportunity to overcome barriers and become stable and self-sufficient. Over the past 24 years of providing transitional housing with support services, FUSION has successfully served hundreds of families moving 85% of families served onto permanent affordable housing with the means to become stable and self-sufficient. A grant from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation will provide all the services a family with children will need, giving them hope, stability, security, and the tools they need to become self-sufficient. Funds will cover the cost of case management for 18-24 months in a fully furnished home, with age appropriate books and toys and extracurricular activities in arts or sports for the children, family counseling, financial management training, resources for improved education or job-training needs, childcare, healthcare services, and assistance in finding affordable housing. Funds will also cover utilities, HOA dues, insurance, repair and maintenance costs for the home. Holiday food and gift baskets are also provided as well as any other specific needs for the family living in FUSION housing.

FUSION changes lives, providing hope and an opportunity for families to become working, productive members of their community. With each family successfully transitioning from homelessness to a self-sufficient lifestyle, families can break the cycle of poverty for generations to come. Your gift to FUSION will help empower a family providing them the means to become fully engaged in their community, healthy and productive members of society.