Section I: Organization Information

Name/Title of Contact: Jeannine Lopez/VP of Operations

Address: 1515 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA  19130        

Phone Number: 215-232-7272 x3048

Email Address: jeanninelopez@projecthome.org
    
Web Address:  www.projecthome.org

Total Number of Staff Members: Full Time- 136; Part Time 57
    
Total Agency Budget: $12million

Agency Mission: The mission of the Project H.O.M.E. community is to empower adults,
children, and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, to alleviate the
underlying causes of poverty, and to enable all of us to attain our fullest potential as
individuals and as members of the broader society.  We strive to create a safe and
respectful environment where we support each other in our struggles for self-esteem,
recovery, and the confidence to move toward self-actualization.

Project H.O.M.E. achieves its mission through a continuum of care comprised of street
outreach, a range of supportive housing, and comprehensive services. We address the
root causes of homelessness through neighborhood-based affordable housing, economic
development, and environmental enhancement programs, as well as through providing
access to employment opportunities; adult and youth education; and health care.
Project H.O.M.E. is committed to social and political advocacy.  An integral part of our work is education about the realities of homelessness and poverty and vigorous advocacy on behalf of and with homeless and low-income persons for more just and humane public policies.

Project H.O.M.E. is committed to nurturing a spirit of community among persons from all
walks of life, all of whom have a role to play in making this a more just and compassionate
society.  

Fellow’s Job Title: Resident and Alumni Community Liaison


Section II: The Nitty Gritty

1. Will fellow be working at the same address listed above? If not, please list the address
for the fellow’s worksite.  

The fellow will spend the majority of his/her time working from 1515 Fairmount Avenue, but may travel to other Project H.O.M.E. sites throughout Philadelphia to coordinate resident and alumni events with staff and meet with current and former residents to discuss input into programming and activities.

2.  Will the fellow have:   

A. ___Own Office?              _X_Shared Office?            ____No Office?  

B. _ X Own Desk?               ____Shared Desk?              ____No Desk?

C. _ X Own Computer?       ____Shared Computer?      ____No Computer?

3. Please state name and title of fellow’s immediate supervisor.
Jeannine Lopez, Vice President of Operations

4. Please approximate the percentage of time fellow will work:

_60_Independently      _20_As a team member in a group setting   

_20_As a team leader in a group setting

5. Will fellow be expected to travel as part of his/her position?

If so, will travel be: _X_Within Philadelphia?  ____Outside Philadelphia?

How often will they need to travel?

Will fellow need: ____a car?   ____a transpass?  _X_occasional tokens?

Will the agency provide or reimburse for these expenses?
Yes.


Section III:  Community Need
Please submit a one paragraph response for each question.

1. Please state in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific community need that the Philly Fellow will address, including the number of people in the community directly
affected by the problem.

Project H.O.M.E. provides housing and comprehensive supportive services for over 500
formerly homeless men, women and children annually. After accessing our services,
many of these individuals and families move on to other sites, where they either live more
independently, or have access to more individualized services and care.  But others may
relapse into homelessness, either immediately or a few years later.  As the number of
men, women and children experiencing homelessness rises in Philadelphia, and across
the country, there is a pressing need to not only reach out to people experiencing
homelessness for the first time, but to reconnect with individuals who have already broken
the cycle of homelessness but are once again facing barriers to maintaining housing, such as a lack of affordable housing, a stagnant job market and increased rates of poverty. The Philly Fellow will address the need to reconnect the individuals that fit into the latter category back to Project H.O.M.E. by developing an alumni program that will support former residents in their efforts to maintain housing, access needed supportive services, and feel that they are a part of a caring community that they can return to for help.   

2. Describe how your agency addresses this need, and how the new capacity created by
this fellow will help alleviate the problem.

Project H.O.M.E. is a community of people from all walks of life that support each other in
our struggles for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move toward self-
actualization. Individual members of the Project H.O.M.E. community form caring and
lasting relationships that endure beyond participation in our programs. Project H.O.M.E.’s
strategic planning team identified the need to supplement this informal support system
with a more formalized alumni program.  The Philly Fellow, under the supervision of Project H.O.M.E.’s VP of Operations, will create a greater capacity in Project H.O.M.E.’s work by developing an alumni program to enable former residents to preserve and reestablish connections with Project H.O.M.E. that support them in their efforts to maintain housing and break the cycle of homelessness.  The fellow will have a direct impact on the
organization’s ability to create a vital link with former residents. This link will expand our
community and support network, a crucial step in preventing individuals who have
experienced homelessness from deteriorating to a point at which they again face that
situation.

3. Describe the level of community involvement in the fellow’s project.

The program developed and implemented by the fellow will reflect Project H.O.M.E.’s belief in the transformational power of building relationships and community as the ultimate answer to the degradation of homelessness and poverty. His/her efforts will also be part of a larger community effort in honor of Project H.O.M.E.’s 20th Anniversary dedicated to“Coming H.O.M.E.” The fellow will work closely and collaboratively with all parts of the Project H.O.M.E. community- residents, staff, board members and donors- to establish the most effective and successful program, events and activities.


Section IV:  Job Description

1. Please outline in list form the fellow’s duties and responsibilities.

The fellow’s primary responsibility will be to develop and implement Project H.O.M.E.’s
alumni program in order to reconnect former residents to the Project H.O.M.E. community
by:

-Reaching out to alumni and making them aware of ongoing community events and events.
-Developing communication systems with former residents regarding their current
situation and interests.
-Coordinating small alumni events and activities.
-Working with Project H.O.M.E.’s volunteer coordinator to establish volunteer opportunities for former residents.
-Collaborating with Adult Learning & Workforce Development program staff to facilitate
connection of former residents with educational opportunities.
-Develop additional opportunities for alumni to get involved.

The fellow will also work collaboratively with staff in Project H.O.M.E.’s Residential, Human Resources and Development Departments to plan resident/alumni role in 20th Anniversary Celebration, including:
-Developing a plan for reaching out to current and former residents to receive their input
on Holiday Party/20th Anniversary Celebration.
-Serving as a liaison to residents and alumni for the development of marketing, fundraising and education materials around 20th Anniversary celebration.
-Serve as team member on Project H.O.M.E.’s 20th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Finally, the fellow will fulfill other responsibilities as necessary in his/her work to support
and develop Project H.O.M.E.’s alumni program and to make sure that all community
members feel that they are welcome to “Come H.O.M.E.”

2. Please outline in list form the skills/qualifications a fellow should have to succeed in this
position.
The fellow should have a commitment to the mission of Project H.O.M.E. and to the values
and tenets of the community. He/she must also have:
-Strong verbal and written communication skills.
-Ability to respectfully interact with people from all walks of life, including formerly
homeless men and women, staff, vendors and board members.
-Good project management and organizational skills.
-Excellent attention to detail.
-Knowledge of Miscrosoft Office, Excel, Access and Word.
-Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

3. Please outline your agency’s plan to orient and train the fellow.

The fellow will take part in the Project H.O.M.E. half day new hire orientation session which includes comprehensive information from each of the Project H.O.M.E. Programs and Departments as well as a tour of several of our residences and neighborhood programs.  

In addition to the new hire orientation, Project H.O.M.E. has a training plan for all staff.  The fellow will be able to take part in these offerings, which include trainings in: information technology resources, computer software, accounting practices, anti-stigma, addictions information, poverty and social justice issues, first aid and CPR, and universal
precautions.  In addition, the fellow can take advantage of other trainings offered both at
Project H.O.M.E. and by external training providers.  Project H.O.M.E. will cover the cost of training that is related to the work of the fellow.

The fellow will also be given the opportunity to shadow Project H.O.M.E.’s Outreach
Coordination Center Response teams and Education and Advocacy staff to develop a
sense of the culture and history of the organization.

Lastly, in addition to orientation and the trainings, the supervisor will orient the fellow to
key staff that the fellow will be working with as well as the staff that are located in the
building where the fellow will work.


Section V:  Supervision/Resources

1.        Please briefly describe plans for supervision of fellow.

The supervisor will meet with the fellow weekly initially and will reassess the frequency of
the meetings based on the needs of the fellow and the work flow.  In addition, the
supervisor will be available to support the fellow via phone, email and impromptu face to
face meetings.  The supervisor will provide feedback to the fellow on their performance
regularly through review of progress on the goals and objectives for the position.  

2. What methods, information, or data will you use to evaluate the fellow’s success in their
position?

    The fellow will be asked to keep a log to document his/her progress including specific
tasks accomplished, networking, lessons learned and questions/ training needs.  The
supervisor will review the fellow’s log during weekly supervision.  The supervisor will then
discuss progress and issues with fellow to provide feedback, support and to act as a
sounding board for fellow’s ideas.


Section VI: Project Plan

Please outline goals and results you expect the fellow to achieve and the measures you
will use to evaluate performance. These goals must address the community need stated
above.

1.        Please describe the proposed project goal you expect the fellow to achieve.

The primary goal for the fellow will be to develop and implement an alumni program for
former Project H.O.M.E. residents in order to reconnect them to the Project H.O.M.E.
community to ensure a stronger safety net to prevent relapse into homelessness and to
encourage continual growth in the areas of employment, education and recovery.  Project
H.O.M.E.’s Strategic Plan, “Journey H.O.M.E.”,  identified the need to create a more formal after care/ alumni program to ensure that there was a greater level of ongoing support for our former residents many of whom have histories of chronic homelessness.

2.        Please list significant milestones for this project and dates by which they will be
accomplished:

August 2008- Training, orientation, and project start up with fellow

September 2008- Develop comprehensive list of former residents with all known contact
numbers.  Compile information about volunteer opportunities, educational opportunities,
employment and other opportunities for alumni.  

October 2008- Contact all resident alumni and inform them of ongoing community events,
opportunities at Project H.O.M.E., plans for development of an alumni group and the events related to the 20 year anniversary celebration.

Recruit alumni to participate on a steering committee to form alumni group.

Create updated list of resident alumni contact information including email address if
applicable and preferred mode of communication.

November 2008- Create newsletter (will note opportunities and events that alumni can
participate in) for alumni and send out first mailing.

Hold focus groups with alumni program steering committee (include alumni).

December 2008- Finalize alumni program including projected resources needed (fiscal and human) in collaboration with Residential staff and management.

February 2009- Hold first formal alumni meeting.

March 2009- Hold second alumni meeting.

April 2009- Hold alumni meeting plus one special alumni activity.

June 2009- Hold alumni meeting.

July 2009- Hold alumni meeting plus one special alumni activity.

Fellow’s year will be up so PH staff will take over coordination of the alumni program.

December 2009- 20th Anniversary Holiday Party –resident alum will attend.