God's Shelter of Love

Project summary: Last year's Macon County's total homeless count increased by 25%. 34% of those homeless are women. GSL operates the only homeless shelters in the city for women and children. Each year we continue to provide safe housing, basic necessities, and hope that they can get their lives back on track.

Amount requested: $7,500

Website: https://www.godsshelteroflove.org/

Project statement of need: GSL exists to provide “Help and Hope” to women and children in crisis in Macon County. We currently operate 2 main shelters that exclusively serve women and children in Macon County: Careage House and God’s Shelter of Love (GSL). We continue to be the only non-domestic violence sheltering option in the city for these individuals. Our overnight emergency shelter, Careage House, has 16 beds, including 12 individual bunk beds and a family room that sleeps 4. The shelter is not open during the day. This is a low-barrier shelter with very few requirements for entry. Some guests stay for a single night; others stay for an extended period of time. We do not have time limits, although we work diligently to ensure that our clients find safe affordable housing of their own. We also partner with DOVE Homeward Bound, the local agency responsible for coordinated entry, to connect our guests with the resources they need. While staying at Careage House, we also provide hot meals, laundry, and hygiene assistance. We strive to make The Careage House feel like a home, by celebrating holidays, providing clothing and building relationships that allow us to help their family achieve their personal goals.

Women who show commitment to being substance-free and investing in their wellbeing long-term are eligible to stay at our 24-hour shelter, God’s Shelter of Love. While staying at this 8 bed shelter, guests have their own room and share community spaces including a kitchen, dining room, living room, and porch. We provide them with employment/resume assistance, budgeting, guidance for signing up for long-term assistance, childcare and parenting training in partnership with local organizations, mental health evaluation, education, and longer-term housing hopefully within 90-120 days. Our goal is to connect our guests at GSL with safe, affordable housing and the support structure they need to make meaningful progress toward a safe, fulfilling joyous life. Houseware and furniture are available to stock their new residences. If residents need additional support, we provide it as we are able. Recognizing that it is essential to support our guests holistically, we also provide vouchers for our thrift store, birthday celebrations for women who we have served, and holiday celebrations, including gifts for children.

In short, GSL is more than emergency housing for women and children. We provide broad care and support for the families we serve, meeting the mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of our families on a daily basis. The work we do is absolutely essential to the growing number of women and children we serve who have no address and are forced to brave the elements in their car or worse in an abandon building or other unsafe situations. To quote Pamela, a past client who came to us with her life falling apart, no resources, and everything she owned thrown in a dumpster: " I came here in scrubs. As I leave here today, I have clothes, a few knickknacks for my apartment, and more than that - A refuge to heal mentally, emotionally, and spiritually."

Our mission aligned with the mission of She Gave: to serve the women and girls of this community. Our overall objective is to empower them to take steps toward becoming the best version of themselves. We want them to have hope rebirthed in their soul with the ability to dream and not just survive.

We would be honored to partner with She Gave to support our families.

Describe how this project aligns with your organization's mission and goals? This project, "Empowering toward Self-Sufficiency," is vital for the Decatur/Macon County area. The $7500 I am respectfully asking for is going to be used for operating funds. As is the case for most small non-profits the cost to stay in business continues to be a challenge each and every year. Our project is our mission, and we work hard to do this 365 days a year. Our vision at GSL is to envision a community where each person has access to safe affordable housing while provided with whatever is needed to help that individual thrive. Our temporary shelters provide women and children access to both safe night sleep, food, laundry, and if wanted and are able, the ability for resourcing that will assist them in getting their lives back on track.

Age groups served: All ages

Gender served: Females

Number of females served: 150 unique women and 25 unique children

Explanation of intent - existing program: God's Shelter of Love's mission is to provide help and hope to homeless women and children. The help includes all of the resourcing we do to empower women to work toward the best version of themselves or their personal level of self-sufficiency. The hope we believe is found in Jesus Christ, and the ability to dream again and begin getting beyond just survival mode. Our mission is our program and what we do every day all year. It is very distinct as both shelters work together to provide the right assistance each woman needs at a particular moment in their life. For example, everyone begins their journey with us at The Careage House. This overnight only shelter provides basic necessities and somewhat limited resources and is used as a springboard in identifying those ladies who would both benefit and thrive in the environment offered at our more transitional house, called God's Shelter of Love. Here there are more rules, accountability, but also permanency and more resourcing. Many times, this next step provides the much-needed stability needed by our clients to begin getting their lives back on track. It is essential that GSL continue this program, again because it is our essence, and so needed in the Decatur Macon County area. As the only non-domestic violence shelters for women and children currently operating in the Decatur/Macon County area we are counted on by our community to provide these services.

Sustainability beyond grant period: Our plans for sustainability of this program include the following:

Blessingdales Thrift Store
Local foundation giving such as The Ballance Foundation, The James Millikin Trust, The Ullrich Foundation
The United Way
Churches- (We have 60 that partner with us)
Individuals
FEMA funding- Once a yr

If you receive partial funding, how would the program be impacted? If we do not receive the full amount of funding that we asked for, we will look at one of the other funding options that I listed above. Our program would continue.

Project budget narrative: The budget that I have put together is the overall cost for operating our shelters and carry out our mission for 2025. I included both shelters because it takes both shelters working together at peak efficiency for our program to most effective. Every woman will begin their journey with us at the Careage House and then if they are desiring to make a change in their lives can move to our transitional house. We operate on a calendar year basis. The majority our total revenue comes in from late August through the end of the year. The challenge for us has always been to maintain status quo in operations with rising cost of inflation and wage increases. The $7500 that I have asked for will come at a very pivotal time for us in finishing our first quarter of the year financially in a good position. Historically, thrift store income is very good for march and April so we would have a little momentum going into the slow summer months.

Obviously, the largest budget item we have is staffing. This is not surprising as our program is completely contingent on both houses being staffed by our caring house supervisors. These ladies are the backbone of our day- to- day operations. Their duties include everything from supervision, mini-case managers, to cleaning. The other items in the budget include facilities/equipment which includes all of the costs of utilities, security, repairs and maintenance. Operations, which include things like household expenses, food costs, advertising, and accounting fees. Lastly, the other expense category has liability and workmen's comp insurance. Again, other revenue sources that help sustain this program throughout the year include our individual donors, church partners, and monies from grants/business/ foundations. The members of the executive board, which includes a retired CPA, with input from the executive director are ultimately responsible for the budget oversight. The board meets each month and spends time talking about budget shortfalls and brainstorm on actions that need to be taken to get back on track.

The sustainability of our program is contingent on increasing thrift store income, and the philanthropy of our generous donors, and foundation giving and other grants we come in contact with. Again, the monies from this grant would be very much appreciated and would be coming in at a very important time for us as we try to build as strong a financial position we can heading into the summer months.

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