SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 1

ShowerstotheHomeless

BuildingSelfConfidenceDaily

Presentedby:
FinnyBenjamin
CharnishaHopkins
DanielNuno
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 2

Table of Contents

Introduction-------------------------------------------------------------------------- III
----------------

Background-------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV
-----------------

Proposal------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V
----------------

Staffing-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII
----------------

Budget-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X
-----------------

Budget XI
Analysis-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------

Authorization XI
Request-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

References--------------------------------------------------------------------------- XII
-----------------
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 3

Introduction
WearethefoundingmembersofShowersto
theHomelessandwearealsoemployeesofState
Farm.Ournamesare,FinnyBenjamin,Charnisha
Hopkins,andDanielNuno.Inourjob,itisanormto
seeapersonduringthetoughestmomentintheirlives
andmanytimesweareabletohelpthem.

Howmanytimesdoyoudriveyourcar,andjust
whenyouareabouttoapproachtheintersectionorthe
stopsign,youbegintonoticeapairofeyesstaringat
you?Yourealizethesearenotjustsomeeyes,these
eyesbelongtoapersonwhoisdownonhisluck.You
cannotbegintounderstandwhattragedyhasfallenon
thisunfortunatesoul,butyoucanseeaglimpseof
sadnessthroughtheireyes.Physically,thisperson
barelyhasashoeon,clothesareripped,smellsof
sweatandblood,seemsliketheyhavenottakenashowerinmonthsandyetitisnotthephysical
appearancethatcatchesyourattention.Rather,itseemslikeaboulderhasbeenweighingdown
thosesadanddimeyes.Whatdoyoudo?Doyougetoutandasktheperson,whatcanIdofor
youtoday?CanIbuyyoulunch?Orbetteryet,canIbuyyousomeclothes?Now,ifyouhavea
senseofdecency,youwouldtrytoreachinyourpocketoryourcompartmentfilledwithchange
inthecarandtakeahandfulandgiveittothepersonwaitingonthesideofthestreet.Or,doyou
pretendtonotevenseethem?Thinkingifyouignorewhatisinfrontofyou,thenthosepeople
andtheirproblemswouldceasetoexist.

Imaginelookingintothoseeyesandbeingabletocomeupwithanypossiblereasonto
avoidhelpingthisperson.Isthereagoodreasonforyoutonothelp?Islifehardforyou?Are
yourbillstoohighorareyougoingthroughatimeinyourlifewhereyouimaginelifeisunfair?
Lifeisneverashardasyouthinkwhenyoulookatitfromanotherpersonsperspective.This
personmightlookatyouwithyourfreshhaircut,cleanshaveandniceclothesandbewillingto
giveupanythingtofeellikeyouforonemomentagain.
Remember these are still Heorsheprobablywereyouatonetime,buttimeand
peoplethey are not tragediesinlifehavetakentheirtoll.
invisible. They each have
a story. ChrisGardner,bornFebruary9,1954isan
- Chris Gardner Americanentrepreneurandstockbroker.Heisnowthe
CEOofhisownstockbrokeragefirm,GardnerRich&
Co.WhenyouseethetitleofCEO,immediatelyathought
mightgotoyourheadaboutthelavishlifestyleofChris
Gardner.Howmanycarsdoeshehave?Howmanyhouses
doeshehave?Didyoualsoknow,thathewassofamous
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 4

therewasamoviemadeabouthimcalledThePursuitofHappiness?Inthismovie,Chris
GardnerwasportrayedbyWillSmithandthemoviedisplayedthestrugglesthismanwent
throughtofollowhisdreams,whilebeingasingleparentandtakingcareofayoungsonand
dealingwithhomelessness.Whenheworkedandtrainedforthelargestockbrokerfirm,evenhis
colleaguesdidnotknowhewasfightingtostayinlineinthesoupkitchenandsleepingin
parkinglotsoutsideofmotels,subwaystations,bathrooms,airportsandanywhereelsehecould
findsafetyforhisfamily.

Background
Youknowhowmountainsgetmoved?
Everyonewhocanmoveacouple,moveacouple.
Thosewhocanmoverocks,moverocks.Those
whocanmoveboulders,moveboulders.Thats
howmountainsgetmoved.Ifeveryoneofusdid
everythingwecould,Ibelievewewouldbeina
differentworld(43EmpoweringChrisGardner
Quotes,2016).

Therewere564,708homelesspeopleatanygiventimeintheUnitedStatesandoutof
thatnumberabout206,000werepeopleinfamiliesandabout358,000areindividuals(National
AlliancetoHomelessness,n.d.).Doyouknowhowmanyofthosehomelesspeoplelivein
Dallas,Texas?AccordingtoBradleyBlackburnfromWFAA,thereareabout3,904homeless
peopleinDallascounties.Whenyouthinkaboutit,yourealizethatisnotsuchalarge
number.But,whatifweweretotellyouthatthehomelesspopulationhasincreasedby24
percentfromayearago.Atthisrate,inacoupleofyearsthehomelesspopulationwillgoup
over5,000peopleinafewyears.Thesepeoplewereonceyourneighbors,onceasoldierthat
servedforthiscountry,orevenasuccessfulbusinessmanthatisdownonhisluck.Theywere
possiblyhithardduringtherecessionafewyearsbackortheycouldhavecomebackfrom
servingourcountryandjustcouldnothandlethenormaldaytodayrequirementsoflife.The
pointisthatanyonecouldbecomehomeless,Fifteenpercentofadultssaidtheyhadbeen
homelessatsomepointintheirlives,butonly9percenthadeverlivedinashelteroronthe
streets(Jencks,1994).Inaddition,youshouldconsideraskingyourself,Coulditeverhappen
tome?Thisnumber,althoughsmall,isincreasingataratewhereitwouldbehardtoignore.So
thequestionishowcanwehelp?
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 5

Whatisholdingusfromhelpingthehomelesscommunityfrompickingupajobor
helpingthemtohittheresetbuttonintheirlives?Whatiskeepingthemsofardownthattheyare
unabletopickthemselvesup?Weknowfirstofall,noonecanwalkintoaplaceofemployment
andgetajobwhentheythemselvesdonotlookpresentable.Ourmissionistogivethesepeople
anewchanceineveryaspectoflife.Furthermore,webelievethatanewchanceispossiblewith
asimpleshowerandproperhygiene.Youmayask,how
doesashowerhelpthehomelesspopulation?Webelievea
freshshower,acleanshaveandawellgroomedlifestyle
promotesselfconfidence.Webelieveitcreatesasenseof
overcominganewdaywithanelevatedattitude.For
usingalternatingtemperaturesduringshowersisanother
waterbasedtherapytoconstrictanddilatebloodvessels
aidsintherecoveryprocess(Robert,n.d.).Weimaginea
showercanhelprecoverapieceofwhotheyareand
maybeonedaythispieceisenoughforthemtogetupand
trytomakeachangeforthemselves.

Appearancesbroadcastmorethanjusthowwe
looktotheworlddisplayingagoodhygiene,youlooklikeacapableprofessional,ableto
handleyourselfwithcareandrespect(Downey,2014).Howlongcanweasacommunitystand
idleandnotbetormentedwiththedesiretohelpourfellowcitizens?Howlongcanweseewhat
isgoingoninourcityandjustconcludeitispartofthenorm?We(StateFarm)believethatto
liftahumanbeingfromthetoughestmomentsinlifeisitsownreward.Wearenotconcerned
aboutmakingprofits,butratherweareconcernedaboutthewelfareofthecityweservein.

Proposal
Ourcultureconsistsofservingothersandwethinkthebestwaytoserveourcommunity
(StateFarm,n.d.)istohelpwiththehomelesspopulation.

Thebasicideaofhowwewanttohelpthehomelesspopulationisbyprovidingproper
hygienetothehomeless
society.Thus,wehave
createdShowerstothe
Homeless(STTH).Weare
hopingthiswouldhelp
establishapositiveattitude
andpossiblyencourage
thesepeopletoventureout
andapplythemselvesto
makethemselvesfruitful
onceagain.Currently,STTHwilldrivetorandomhomelesssheltersinDallasinourcustomized
boxtrucksandprovideshowersandgentlyusedclothingandshoes.
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 6

ThecostofSTTHforthefirstyearwillbe$34,015andapproximately$26,660forthe
followingyear.AfterStateFarmandthecityofDallaspayforthisamount,theserviceswould
beavailableforfreeinourhomelesssociety(clients).Wehavecalculatedthecostwiththeuse
ofvolunteers,whichwouldhelpussolelyfocusthedollarsandcentsintotheserviceweprovide
thesewonderfulpeople.Ourvolunteerswouldconsistofsomeofourownemployees,high
schoolstudentvolunteers,andchurchmembers.Thehighschoolstudentvolunteerswould
receivelettersthatacknowledgetheir
hardwordforthecommunity,which
inturnwouldcreateapositive
influenceinthefuture.Alongwith
thelettersofcommunityservice,the
studentswillgetanopportunityofa
lifetime,wheretheygettoservefor
thelessfortunateandhopefullybring
smilesandhappinesstotheirfaces.

Wewillstartwithrenovating
boxtrucksandoutfittingthemwith
portableshowers,sinks,timers,anda
generator.Theserenovationswill
allowfor2peopleatatimetotakeshowersprivatelywithwarmorcoldwater.Afterthetruckis
equipped,wewillarriveweeklyonSundaysat9:00a.m.atdifferentlocations.Thelocations
wouldconsistofCityHouse,NewBeginningCenter,andTheBridgeHomelessRecovery
Center,whichareallwithin25milesofourStateFarmofficeinDallas,Texas.Forashower,we
willextractwaterfromanearbyfirehydrantnexttothe
sheltersandwewillheatitupaccordinglywiththehelp
ofadieselgenerator.Consequently,withthehelpofthe
generator,wewillhaveshowerswherepeoplearenot
shiveringthrough.

ThesoapswehavefoundarefromAmazon,andwe
willbeworkingwithchurchessuchasI.P.CTabernacle
andTheCathedralwithdonations.Thedonationswillbe
collectedfromthesechurchesandtheywillconsistof
disposablerazors,shavingcreams,toothbrushes,gently
usedclothingandshoes.Theseitemswouldgointogreat
detailinhelpingelevatetheselfconfidenceinthese
people.Alongwiththosechurches,wewillcontactmore
churchesintheDallasareaandincreasetheamountof
resourcesavailabletous.

Wewillhaveupto2peopleinthetruckatonce
takingshowersandwewillalsohave1to2volunteers
insidetheboxtruckatanygiventimeforsupervision.
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 7

Wewillapproximatelyprovide100showerswithinthis7to8hourperiod.Thepeoplewhoare
intendingontakingshowerswouldhavetocollectanewpairofclothesandshoes(iftheydonot
alreadyhaveanyingoodcondition)thathavebeenprovidedbytheSalvationArmyordonations
beforetheycomein.Thevolunteerswillbetheretokeepthefloorscleananddryandalsoto
helpsupplythepeoplewithanythingthatisneeded.Therewillbeatimersetineveryshower,
whichwouldbecalibratedwiththedoorsofeachshower.Whentheshowerdoorsareopen,the
clockresetsitselfandrightwhenthereisabout1minuteleftoutofthe8minuteshowera
notificationsoundwillturnon.Oncethereisabout30secondsleft,thenotificationsoundand
thetimerwouldstarttoblinktogettheattentionoftheperson.Inthisway,peoplewouldrealize
howmuchtimetheyhaveandwouldallowthemtorinsethemselvesoffquickly.Afterthe
peopleareoutoftheirindividualshowers,wewillhavethemdisposeoftheusedtowelsinthe
dirtylaundrybasket.Foraestheticsandcleanlinesssake,wewouldonlyusewhitetowels
becauseitwouldallowforustosafelyusebleachandnothavetoworryaboutdestroying
coloredtowels.

Aftertheyhavetakenashower,theyareallowedtoshaveorbrushtheirteethandthen
areexpectedtoleavethetruck.Wewillapproximatelybeabletoprovideupto100showersper
weekandbeonthepremisesanywherebetween7to8hours,orunlessifthereisnomorepeople
toprovidethisservicefor.Aftertheday,wewillheaddirectlyouttoalocallaundrymatand
immediatelywashallthedirtytowels.Therestofthevolunteerswillbeinchargeofgettingthe
truckcleanandbacktoproperform.Weexpectgrowthinstantly,mainlyduetothelarge
homelesspopulationaroundus.However,forthefutureweareexpectingtopurchaseanother
truckandtrytoconcentrateonanotherareaofthecity.Currently,ourconcentrationwillbe
aroundtheRichardsonandPlanoareas,butwewilldefinitelystarttryingtofindotherlocations.
Alongwithafuturepurchaseofatruck,wewillalsopurchaseanotherdieselgeneratorwhich
willallowustoprovidethesamequalityofservice.Ifeverythingisgoingwell,wewouldalso
liketostartprovidingbrownbaglunchesaftertheinitialfirstyear.Webelievethiswouldhelpto
brightenuptheirdayinanotherway.Wearehopingthatthebrownbagswouldnotcostasmuch
because1loafofbreadcostslessthanadollarandsomebologna,ham,turkey,andcheese
shouldnotbemuchmore.Inhopesofourbrownbaglunchesbeingasuccess,wealsohopeto
partnerwithStarbucks,Chipotle,PaneraBread,andChickfilA.Thesecompaniesalwaysenjoy
helpingothersout.

Picturedbelowisthecurrentproposedscheduleforourservices.Inourproposed
schedule,wewillbeworkingonDecember25,2016(Christmasday)andJanuary1,2016(New
Yearsday).Thesedayshighlightourcommitmentandourseriousnessofthisissue,andiswhy
weareaskingforvolunteerswhoarecommittedtothis.Thisisanallyearschedulefrom
October30,2016toOctober22,2017;however,thesamesetofvolunteerswillnotberequired
toworkeverySunday.Wewilltakeourvolunteersbasedon3monthrotations,inwhichthe
samegroupofpeopleworkforasingle3monthrotation.Webelievethishelpstocreateabond
withthepeoplewhoweprovidetheshowersforanditalsohelpstoprovideacontinuityofcare.
Furthermore,listedbelowareallthelocationsanddatesofwhenourtruckarrives.

Date Location
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 8

October30,2016 CityHouse
November6,2016 NewBeginningCenter
November13,2016 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
November20,2016 CityHouse
November27,2016 NewBeginningCenter
December4,2016 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
December11,2016 CityHouse
December18,2016 NewBeginningCenter
December25,2016 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
January1,2017 CityHouse
January8,2017 NewBeginningCenter
January15,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
January22,2017 CityHouse
January29,2017 NewBeginningCenter
February5,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
February12,2017 CityHouse
February19,2017 NewBeginningCenter
February26,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
March5,2017 CityHouse
March12,2017 NewBeginningCenter
March19,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
March26,2017 CityHouse
April2,2017 NewBeginningCenter
April9,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
April16,2017 CityHouse
April23,2017 NewBeginningCenter
April30,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
May7,2017 CityHouse
May14,2017 NewBeginningCenter
May21,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
May28,2017 CityHouse
June4,2017 NewBeginningCenter
June11,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
June18,2017 CityHouse
June25,2017 NewBeginningCenter
July2,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
July9,2017 CityHouse
July16,2017 NewBeginningCenter
July23,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
July30,2017 CityHouse
August6,2017 NewBeginningCenter
August13,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
August20,2017 CityHouse
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 9

August27,2017 NewBeginningCenter
September3,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
September10,2017 CityHouse
September17,2017 NewBeginningCenter
September24,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
October1,2017 CityHouse
October8,2017 NewBeginningCenter
October15,2017 TheBridgeHomelessRecoveryCenter
October22,2017 CityHouse

Staffing
We(StateFarm)willbepartneringwiththeMetroDallasHomelessAlliance,Austin
StreetCenter,andavarietyofhomelessshelterslocatedinDallas,Texastoprovideshowering
servicestothehomelesspeople,includingacleanoutfit.

NumberofVolunteersNeeded5
VolunteersDuties:
o Manageallneededinventoryandsupplies
o Drivetothedesignatedlocation
o Beawarethetruckisproperlymaintainedandinworkingcondition
o Standatatableoutsideofthetruckandhandeachpersontheirneededessentials
includingatowelandoutfit
o Sanitizetheentiretruckinsideinthemorningandatnight
o Placetimersinsidetheshowersandsetthemforeightminutes
o Resetthetimersforthenextperson
o Twovolunteerswillstandinsidethetruckbythedoorforsupervision
o Collecttowelsaftereveryshower
o Takethetowelstothelaundromatandwashanddrythemattheendofeachday
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 10

CostofHavingVolunteers$0.00

Youmightwonderhowarewemanagingtokeepthecostofhavingvolunteersamountto
zero,andthatisbecausethepeopleweareaskingforhelpwillbedoingitasameansofcharity
workorcommunityservice.Forexample,wewillaskforhelpfromlocalchurchesandteachers
inhelpingcollectgentlyusedclothing,shoes,andotherhygieneproductstohelpusprovidea
higherqualityofservicetothepeoplewearetryingtotakecareof.Teacherslovepushingtheir
studentstodogoodnotonlyintheclassroom,butintheircommunityaswell.Therefore,wecan

usetheinfluenceofhighschoolteacherstogetsomeoftheirstudentsasvolunteersforour
cause.

Inreturn,thesestudentswillgetextracreditfromteachersandtheywillfulfillvolunteer
servicerequirementswhichwouldgoalongwayintheiracceptanceintoacollege.Thisservice
willrequirecompletededicationfromourvolunteersandthesevolunteerswillbepartofalife
changemovement.Inaddition,thevolunteersthatworkwithuswillmakearealworld
difference,whileincontrastatsomeplacesvolunteersareinvoluntary.Wewouldwantour
volunteerstohaveapassiontowardsthisservice.

Budget
StartupCost
TruckExpenses:
($5,000x1RVTruck) $5,000.00
($1,500x1Generator) $1,500.00
($10,000xRemodeling)







$10,000.00
TotalTruckCost $16,500.00
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 11

SanitaryExpenses:
Towels(200x$2.00Pertowel=$400) $400.00
Soap(400x$.20PerBarofSoap=$80.00) $960.00
LaundryFees($30/weekx52weeks)





$1,560.00
TotalSanitaryExpense $2,920.00

LegalFees:
CityPermit $450.00
VehicleRegistration








$325.00
TotalLegalFees $775.00

TotalStartupCost $20,195.00

RecurringCost
Staff:
2StudentVolunteers
2ChurchVolunteers
3StateFarmEmployees
TotalStaffCost $0.00

Showers:
Shower($2.00PerShowerx100WeeklyShowersx52weeks=$10,400)
$10,400.00
TotalCostofShowers $10,400.00

TruckExpenses:
Maintenance($0.46/milex4,600miles=$2160) $2,160.00
Insurance($105.00/Monthx12months=$1260)




$1,260.00
TotalTruckExpenses $3,420.00

TotalRecurringCost $13,820.00

TotalProjectCostforYear1






$34,015.00

ProjectedCost
Website $1,260.00
FutureTruck $5,000.00
RenovationofNewTruck $10,000.00
Food(100BrownBagsx$2.00PerBag)





$10,400.00
TotalFutureCost $26,660.00

TotalCost $59,340.00
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 12

Budget Analysis
TotalfundingfortheShowerstoTheHomelesscomesoutto$34,015forthefirstyear.
Thiscostwouldbeenoughtoshoweranestimated5,200peopleeveryyear.Weneed$17,010to
startourproject.WewillbeginbypurchasinganRVfor$5,000thenweneed$10,000to
customizeit.Customizationincludestwoshowersandasinkpertruck.Wewouldalsoneeda
generatorforwarmwater,soap,andtowelsforsanitation.Wewillbeprovidinguptoa100
showersatacostofabout$2.00pershower.

Inthenearfuture,afterweareabletoaccomplishonehundredshowersperweek,we
wouldliketopurchaseonemoretrucksowecanincreasethenumberofpeoplewereach.In
addition,tothetraditionalmethodsofreceivingfunds,ourcompanywillinvestmoneyona
websitewherewewouldmakeitveryeasyforourdonorstologinfromtheircomputersorany
device.Fromourwebsite,donorswillhavetheoptiontomakeaonetimedonation,butwewill
alsoencourageourdonorstosetupaveryeasyrecurringmonthlydonation.

Authorization request
Morethan2,000men,women,andchildrenarelivingonDallasstreetsorinsheltersand
withpoliticiansturningablindeye,thenumberwillonlyincreaseinthenextfewyears.Trying
tofindworkandbeinghomelessisnearlyimpossible.Additionally,thestressofnothaving
moneyandnothinggoodhappeningtoyouinweekscanbecomeburdensomewhenlookingfora
job.WhatifItoldyouthatwecanhelpmanyindividualstopullthemselvesoutofthathorrible
situation?WehaveastrongbeliefinourShowertotheHomelessprojectandwealsostandby
thethoughtthatshoweringthematleastonceaweekcanhelpsomeonelikeMichael,3whosaid,
IcouldnotmakeittomyjobinterviewonTuesdaybecauseIdidnotfeelconfident.
Homelessnessdamagespeople'scapabilitythroughlossofskills,throughaninabilitytothink
aboutemploymentwhilstworryingabouthousing,andthroughtheirhealthbecomingimpaired
whilsthomeless(Crisis,2011)

IbelievethatwithyourfundssomeonelikeMichaelwouldnothavetomissajob
interview,wherehislifecanbechangedinaninstant.Hewouldnothavetothinkdoeshesmell
ordoeshelookpresentable.Rather,hecanfocusonhisinnateandlearnedabilities.Linda
Lingle,aformergovernorofHawaiioncesaidWehavecomedangerouslyclosetoaccepting
thehomelesssituationasaproblemthatwejustcan'tsolve(Lingle,n.d.).Now,theonly
questionwehaveis,whatareyoureadytodo?

References
SHOWERS TO THE HOMELESS 13

43EmpoweringChrisGardnerQuotes.(2016).Addicted2success.com.Retrieved21September
2016,fromhttp://addicted2success.com/quotes/43empoweringchrisgardnerquotes/

Blackburn,B.(2016,March22).TentCityclosurenearsassurveyfindsincreaseinDallas
homelesspopulation.Retrievedfromhttp://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallascounty/as
tentcityclosurenearssurveyfindsbigincreaseindallashomeless
population/97187534

Crisis.(2011).Causesandconsequencesabouthomelessnesscrisis.RetrievedOctober21,
2016,fromhttp://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/causesconsequences.html

Downey,L.(2014,February9).Thebenefitsofpersonalhygiene.Retrievedfrom
http://www.livestrong.com/article/140722thebenefitspersonalhygiene/

Jencks, C. (1994). The Homeless. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Lingle,L.(n.d.).BrainyQuote.com.RetrievedOctober21,2016,fromBrainyQuote.comWeb
site:https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/lindalingl168361.html

NationalAlliancetoHomelessness.(n.d.).Snapshotofhomelessness.Retrievedfrom
http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/snapshot_of_homelessness

StateFarm.(n.d.).Statefarmmission.RetrievedOctober13,2016,from
https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/company-overview/company-profile/mission