2015 annual report

Friendship House, Inc.
P.O. Box 1517
Wilmington, Delaware
19899
www.friendship-house.org
www.facebook.com/friendshiphouseofwilmingtonde
“A Sanctuary And A Stepping Stone”
2015 ANNUAL REPORT
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Mission Statement
Method of Ministry
Pages 1 – 3
Page 4
Pages 5 – 6
Board of Trustees
Page 7
Personnel
Page 8
Affiliated Faith Communities
Page 9
Supporting Businesses & Community Organizations
Page 10
2015 Resource Report
Pages 11 - 13
Clothing Bank of Delaware
Pages 14 – 16
Day Ministries
Pages 17 – 25
Housing Ministries
Pages 26 – 32
Financial Assistance Ministries
Pages 33 – 34
Sites
Back Cover
Friendship House, Inc.
2015 Executive Summary
Its Mission: Based in New Castle County, Delaware, Friendship House is a non-profit Christian corporation in
service to those individuals and families that are or are at risk of becoming homeless. Welcoming to all,
Friendship House strives to serve as a sanctuary and a stepping stone to each person in need through the
traditional spiritual ministries of hospitality, education, empowerment and community.
Its Method: A six stage Empowerment Strategy Program providing homeless people with a strategic pathway
from survival to self-sufficiency
Its Programs: All sixteen core programs attempt to fill the gaps in New Castle County’s homeless service
network. They also strive to build communal bridges of compassion and communication between our corps of
over 1,300 volunteers and the 5,500 people in need whom they serve each year.

Daytime Empowerment Centers: Open to all; providing hot beverages, restrooms, phones, mail and
message services, counseling, referrals and on-site empowerment programs serving about 250 clients
daily. (Two sites in Wilmington; one in Newark)

Feeding Programs: A weekly Sunday breakfast (serving 100 - 150) and nightly supper programs for the
emergency shelter residents at Andrew’s Place and Epiphany House (serving 30).

Clothing Ministry: A Clothing Bank through which over 300 churches, businesses and community
organizations collect and distribute over 150,000 lbs. yearly to more than 10,000 needy individuals.

Transitional Housing: Twelve halfway houses (six for men, six for women with children) providing a
supportive, secure environment for motivated individuals committed to addressing their unresolved
spiritual, social and economic issues. Maximum stay: 9 months for men; 16 months for women and
children.

Winter Sanctuary: Emergency church-based sanctuary from the elements. Daytime - seven days a week.
Evening - on bitterly cold nights (i.e. temperature under 20 degrees).
Empowerment Programs:



Home Base Program: Survival services that provide street-level clients with a Virtual Home (mailing
address, phone number, fax number, message service, internet access, storage locker, escrow savings
account, vital document storage, emergency clothing, hygiene products, etc. )
Job Readiness Program: Case management and supportive services to employable, motivated clients
(state I.D., resume writing, online job searches, computer lab, bus tickets, work clothing, vocational
certifications, etc.)
Life Recovery Program: Faith-based support groups and workshops. Individual consultations and
referrals for motivated clients seeking to address the systemic causes of their homeless condition.
Financial Assistance Programs:


Medical Assistance Fund: Emergency help for uninsured homeless client
Empowerment Fund: Small grants to help jump start client’s recovery strategies
1


Credit Restoration Fund: Matching funds for housing residents that are repaying their outstanding debts
Homeless Prevention Fund: Emergency assistance for church-referred at-risked housed clients
Statement of Financial Position (12/31/2015):
2014
Cash
2015
$570,969
$578,323
$1,590,469
$1,597,054
$141,340
$145,297
$39,531
$53,549
Less Depreciation
($665,550)
($749,291)
Total Assets:
$1,676,759
$1,624,932
Buildings & Improvements
Furniture & Equipment
Leasehold Improvements
2015 Highlights:
Six Year Strategic Plan
1. Board Development
a. Goal: A more informed, pro-active board able to protect the mission, set policy and make
strategic choices
b. 2015 Action Steps:
i. Recruitment of five new board members
ii. Formation of a committee to revise board structure and bylaws
2. Management Succession
a. Goal: Recruit and train the management team able to lead Friendship House through this
transitional phase
b. 2015 Action Steps
i. Revision of job descriptions for CEO and Assistant CEO positions
ii. Redefined management pay scale to maintain balance with a higher CEO salary
iii. Discussion of Bill Perkins’ post-CEO ministry role with Friendship House
iv. Development of four new middle managers hired in 2014
v. Promotion of Mary Anne Matarese to Assistant Director of Housing
vi. Promotion of Kim Eppehimer to Assistant CEO
3. Personnel
a. Goal: Recruit and retain more young staff and volunteers
b. 2015 Action Steps
i.
Five new hires under the age of thirty, four of whom interned at Friendship House
ii.
Fourteen college interns performing 50, 200 or 400 hrs. of on-site directed practice
iii.
Twelve new youth and young adult volunteer service teams composing 78 individuals
4. Infrastructure
a. Goal: Develop preventive maintenance plan for buildings and equipment
Implement a cloud-based data management system
Design social media platforms that are both mobile friendly and internally managed
b. 2015 Action Steps
2
i.
Hiring of Chris Dunmon as facility manager
ii.
Conversion of all clients records to paperless PDF files
iii.
Development of mobile friendly social media platforms
iv.
Redesign of the Friendship House website
5. Ministry
a. Goal: Emphasize “empowerment” as the strategic direction of all programs. Adapt programming
to meet the needs of a more diverse and dispersed homeless population in New Castle County
b. 2015 Action Steps
i.
Conversion of Andrew’s Place Emergency Shelter into the entry-level stage for men’s
transitional housing
ii.
Feasibility study to expand Friendship House Empowerment Center Network to other areas
of suburban New Castle County
iii.
Publication of white paper – Empowerment Ministry: First Principles & Best Practices
Friendship House Ministries
1.
Day Ministries
a. Dramatic drop in age of street-level homeless clients
b. 20% drop in the number of unduplicated day center clients
c. 10% rise in the average daily number of day clients seeking services
d. 50% rise in number of homeless clients seeking daytime winter sanctuary on weekends
e. 25% rise in the number of homeless clients seeking Code Purple winter sanctuary
f. Continued high usage for the on-site computer labs and the FH Job Readiness Program
2.
Financial Assistance
a. More faith communities referring financial assistance requests to FH for screening and budgeting
advice
b. 10% of total 2015 FH income distributed through direct financial assistance.
c. $30,000 spent to purchase birth certificates and sate I.D. for 750 clients
3.
Housing Ministries
a. Andrew’s Place converted to entry-level stage for men’s transitional housing
b. Heroin epidemic driving both the high demand and lower graduation rate for both men’s and
women’s housing programs
c. Bathrooms renovated at Andrew’s Place and Corner House through a grant from Deutsche Bank
Foundation.
d. High demand for FH’s money management program and its escrow savings account to stay on
budget. 2015 Money Management Program Stats:
i.
$62,300 in savings
ii.
$200,000 in client transactions.
4.
Clothing Bank
a. Resignation of both Clothing Bank managers
b. Major upgrades to the CBD employment training program
c. 1,500 on-site volunteers performing 4,700 hours of services
d. 31 paid interns of whom 22 completed the program and graduated with jobs
3
FRIENDSHIP HOUSE MISSION STATEMENT
Based in New Castle County, Delaware, Friendship House is a non-profit Christian corporation
in service to those persons and families that are or are at risk of becoming homeless. Welcoming
to all, Friendship House strives to serve as a sanctuary and a stepping stone to each person in
need through the traditional spiritual ministries of hospitality, education, empowerment and
community.
Specific End Policies
Christian Character:
✞ While Friendship House espouses neither doctrine nor dogma, it will take the spirit and attitude of Jesus of Nazareth as
its model for ministry to others.
✞ It will strive to recognize and affirm each person as a child of God, believing in their inalienable value and capacity for
growth.
✞ It will maintain its local church ownership with special emphasis on collaboration, accountability and transparency.
✞ It will accept no funding that would seek to limit or compromise its mission or method of ministry.
Hospitality:
✞ In all its ministries, Friendship House will always strive to be as inclusive and compassionate as possible, discriminating
against no one because of race, age, religion, sexual orientation, color or political beliefs.
✞ Its style of ministry shall be holistic, focusing on the entire person and not simply on a client’s issues or problems.
✞ It will offer services that enable its clients to maintain their identity and self-esteem.
✞ Since self-esteem also requires accountability, it will challenge staff, volunteers and clients to maintain a standard of
behavior necessary for community and empowerment programs to prosper.
✞ It will welcome any volunteer who desires to walk with the homeless in the spirit of Friendship House.
Empowerment:
✞ Since it understands that Homelessness is more than simply the lack of shelter, Friendship House will strive to create
programs that empower its clients to address their current economic, social and/or spiritual experience of displacement.
The goal is not simply housing, but personal re-integration into society.
✞ Its strategic planning shall be consumer-driven – arising out of the perceived needs of its clients rather than the funding
priorities of the government agencies, corporations or philanthropic foundations.
✞ Friendship House will put special emphasis on transitional housing and job-readiness programs that empower clients to
address their socio-economic issues in a strategic and holistic manner.
✞ It will seek to complement rather than compete with existing human services through a spirit of cooperation and by
developing programs that fill the gaps in the human service network.
Education and Advocacy:
✞ Through the participation of volunteers in our various ministries, Friendship House will seek to help all people see their
stake in the social concerns of the homeless and the marginalized of our community.
✞ Since the poor and the marginalized are often their own best advocates, Friendship House will create arenas for
community interaction like our hospitality centers, our weekly breakfasts and our housing programs.
✞ Friendship House will strive to raise people's consciousness to the structural socio-economic injustices that are the
primary causes of homelessness. It will encourage its supporters to get involved in these justice issues.
Community:
✞ Through every aspect of its ministry Friendship House will encourage people to discover what unites them as children of
God.
✞ To the extent possible it will always seek to develop peer relationships among staff, volunteers and homeless folks who
represent our one community.
4
Friendship House’s Method of Ministry
The Empowerment Strategy Program
Since it first opened its doors twenty-nine years ago, Friendship House has walked with thousands of homeless
persons on their road back to independent, self-sufficient lives. This experience has taught the staff and volunteers
important lessons about the nature of homelessness, recovery and ministry. Over the years each of these lessons
has been incorporated into Friendship House's own specific philosophy and methodology of ministry. The
Empowerment Strategy Program is the articulation of that ministry. Its essence is both descriptive and
visionary. It describes what Friendship House is already doing, but it also defines the need for new programs in
particular areas. The Empowerment Strategy Program recognizes that each of us walks our own road at our own
speed. Its purpose is to develop a pathway from survival to self-sufficiency which person, experiencing socioeconomic displacement may choose to follow. To have any hope for success, such a pathway presumes the
following commitments from both the homeless client and the human service community:
From the Client
Motivation:
Honesty:
Realistic Goals:
Dedication:
Not simply the desire for one's situation to change, but a willingness to take responsibility
for one's own recovery.
The ability and willingness to speak the truth to oneself and others.
The recognition that since no one can do everything at once, a person needs to set
priorities and address his/her issues in stages.
Accepting that change takes time and energy. To accomplish one's goals, one has to give
them the time and energy they demand.
From The Human Service Community
Resources:
Options:
Collaboration:
Relationships:
Rewards:
If people are going to succeed, the appropriate tools, programs and support systems must
be available.
Not everyone recovers in the same way. To each goal there must be several pathways that
people can take.
In an era of diminishing resources, agencies must work together as a team to produce
holistic recovery programs that are in their clients' best interest.
Since most of the underlying causes of homelessness are deeply personal, a relationship
of trust must be nurtured and developed between the client and members of the human
service community.
People need to feel that their hard work is making a difference. Besides accomplishing
their long- term goals, there also needs to be the experience of short-term successes.
The Friendship House ESP Program:
The Empowerment Strategy Program is a six stage process that offers its participants (1.) a survival network to
enable them to stabilize their lives and (2.) various support systems through which they can achieve true
independence and self-sufficiency. Listed on the following page are those programs sponsored by Friendship
House itself. They are only a small part of the survival and recovery programs offered by the larger human service
community. Phases 0 through 2 focus primarily on recovery from the client’s current situation; Phases 3 through 5
seek to develop those life skills necessary to any person seeking to live a full and productive life in today's world.
Such a learning system empowers its participants to exchange their feelings of powerlessness and total
dependency upon the charity of others for the more positive self-image of pro-active students achieving selfidentified goals through their own hard work and dedication.
5
The Empowerment Strategy Program
Program Stages
Stage 0: "Survival": The goal is to minimize the struggle of homeless persons to meet their physical needs, thereby allowing them to
direct more of their time and energy to recovery. Programs include: the Wilmington Empowerment Centers, the Newark Empowerment Center,
Breakfast Program, Winter Sanctuary Program, Code Purple Emergency Shelters, Jesus House, The Clothing Bank of Delaware, the Home Base
Program, the Client Savings Program, the Medical Assistance Fund
Stage One: "Accessing Resources and Developing A Plan": The goal is to help homeless people identify causes of their
homeless conditions that are within their control and develop short-term strategies for resolving these issues. Programs include: the
Wilmington Empowerment Centers, the Newark Empowerment Center, the Job Readiness Program, the Empowerment Center Computer Labs,
Life Recovery Program, Andrew’s Place Shelter for Men.
Stage Two: "Strategic Problem Solving": The goal is to help motivated homeless persons implement the short-term strategies
which they have developed in Stage One by providing the necessary resources and appropriate living environments. Programs include: the
Wilmington Empowerment Centers, the Newark Empowerment Center, Epiphany House, Ashford House, Patterson House, Andrew’s Place,
Criswell House, Daughtry House, Calvary Corner House, the Empowerment Computer Labs, Job Readiness Program, Life Recovery Program,
CBD Employment Program, Credit Restoration Fund and the Empowerment Grant Program.
Stage Three: "Strategic Living": The goal is to provide a living environment where graduates of Stage Two programs can expand
their problem solving strategies into a new life-style that will enable them to achieve their long-range goals. Programs include: Burton
House, Calvary Corner House, Concord House, Palmer House, Elizabeth House, the Empowerment Technology Centers, the Credit Restoration
Fund and the Empowerment Grant Program
Stage Four: "Re-entry to Independent Living":
The goal is to support formerly homeless persons as they continue to
implement their life strategies in the independent settings of their new careers and homes. Programs include: the Transitional Housing
Aftercare Program, Concord House, Elizabeth House, the Empowerment Computer Labs, the Credit Restoration Fund, the Samaritan Fund and the
Richard Stewart, Jr. Fund
Stage Five: "Strategic Crisis Management": The goal is to help formerly homeless persons incorporate change and choice into
their life-strategies so that they will possess the ability to weather their first major life crisis after returning to independent living.
Programs include: the Transitional Housing Aftercare Program, Concord House, Elizabeth House, Ties That Bind Support Group, Life Recovery
Program, the Empowerment Technology Centers, the Credit Restoration Fund and the Samaritan Fund.
6
2016 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Kenneth Copeland:
Sharon Gidumal:
Robert Black:
James Bray:
President, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Newark, DE
Vice President, Resurrection Parish Newark, DE
First & Central Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
Treasurer, Trinity Episcopal Church, Wilmington, DE
William Perkins:
Executive Director, New Castle, DE
David Allen:
Theodore Ashford III:
Meg Aument:
D.L. Casson:
Michele Fields:
Limestone Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
At Large, Wilmington, DE
Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew & Matthew, Wilmington, DE
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Claymont, DE
Silverside Church, Wilmington, DE
Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Newark, DE
Concord Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
Trinity Episcopal Church, Wilmington, DE
Grace United Methodist Church, Wilmington, DE
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Wilmington, DE
First & Central Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE
Newark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
At Large, Chadds Ford, PA
Immanuel, Church, Highlands, Wilmington, DE
New Castle Presbyterian Church, New Castle, DE
Skyline United Methodist Church, Newark, DE
Carol Heggan:
Linda Heller:
Alan Jewett:
Dede Johnston:
Suzanne Jones:
Helen Meredith:
Virginia Morley:
Jana Nazari:
Robert Pasteris:
Kay Preston:
Sheila Sharpe:
Janet Spring:
Barbara Weaver:
7
2016 FRIENDSHIP HOUSE PERSONNEL
Administrative Team:
William Perkins:
Executive Director
Marc Marcus:
Kim Eppehimer:
Roxane Blake:
Donald Drane:
Assistant Executive Director
Assistant Executive Director
Office Manager
Strategic Planning Facilitator
Day Ministry Team:
William Perkins:
Marc Marcus:
Co-Director of Day Ministry: Women’s Day Center, Weekend Ministries
Co-Director of Day Ministry: Men’s Day Center, Newark Ministries
Joshua Klein:
Paul Kielar:
Joseph Reinhart:
Pamela Ray:
Genell Walls:
Patricia Gross:
Mindy Dowsett:
Carly Wilt:
Manager, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Men
Program Worker, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Men
Program Worker, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Men
Manager, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Women
Program Worker, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Women
Program Worker, Wilmington Empowerment Center for Women
Manager, Newark Empowerment Center
Program Worker, Newark Empowerment Center
Housing Ministry Team:
Marcy Perkins:
Director of Housing Ministry
Mary Anne Matarese: Assistant Director of Housing Ministry
John Owens:
Ronald Krier:
Gordon Umberger:
James Thomas:
Benjamin Sargent:
Eugene Talley:
Program Coordinator, Andrew’s Place
Program Worker, Andrew’s Place
Program Worker, Andrew’s Place
Program Worker, Andrew’s Place
Program Worker, Andrew’s Place
Program Worker, Andrew’s Place
Shirley Pritchett:
Shawn Helmick:
Kathleen Stocksdale:
Manager, Women’s Transitional Housing
Program Worker, Women’s Transitional Housing
Program Worker, Women’s Transitional Housing
Paul Slowick:
Keith Diggs:
Manager, Men’s Transitional Housing
Program Worker, Men’s Transitional Housing
Clothing Bank Ministry Team:
Katherine Griffin Graham:
To be named:
Director of Clothing Bank Ministry
Manager, Clothing Bank of Delawar
8
AFFILIATED FAITH COMMUNITIES
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCHES
CALVARY
COMMUNITY
CONCORD
CORNERSTONE
CHURCH OF THE COVENANT
EBENEZER
ELSMERE
FIRST & CENTRAL
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
HANOVER
HEAD OF CHRISTIANA
LIMESTONE
LOWER BRANDYWINE
NEW CASTLE
RED CLAY CREEK
RIVER CROSSING
ST ANDREW’S
TRINITY
UNITED IN CHRIST (MAINE)
WESTMINSTER
WHITE CLAY CREEK
CATHOLIC CHURCHES
HOLY ANGELS
HOLY FAMILY
RESURRECTION PARISH
ST JOHN THE BELOVED
ST PATRICK’S
ST THOMAS MORE ORATORY
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
LUTHERAN CHURCHES
HOPE
LUTHERAN COMMUNITY
SERVICES
OUR REDEEMER
ST MARK’S
ST PAUL’S
ST PHILLIP’S
EPISCOPAL CHURCHES
BAPTIST CHURCHES
ASCENSION
CALVARY
CHRIST CHURCH, CHRISTIANA
100
GRACE (MIDDLETOWN)
GRACE (WILMINGTON)
IMMANUEL, HIGHLANDS
STS ANDREW & MATTHEW
ST ANNE’S
ST BARNABAS
ST DAVID’S
ST JAMES
ST NICHOLAS
ST THOMAS
TRINITY/OLD SWEDES
CALVARY
CORNERSTONE FELLOWSHIP
EBENEZER
EIGHTH STREET
MT OLIVE
NEW CANAAN
OGLETOWN
SOLID ROCK
METHODIST CHURCHES
ALDERSGATE
BETHEL A.M.E. CHURCH
CHESTER BETHEL
CHRISTIANA
CORNERSTONE
DELAWARE KOREAN
EBENEZER
ELAM
EZION-MT CARMEL
GRACE
HILCREST
KINGSWOOD
LINDEN LITHICUM (MD)
MT JOY
MT LEBANON
MT SALEM UAME
MT ZION
NEWARK
PENIEL
PENINSULA - MC CABE
RED LION
ST MARK'S
ST PAUL'S UMC
ST PAUL’S UAME
SIMPSON
SKYLINE
METHODIST ACTION PROGRAM
9
OTHER
DENOMINATIONS
AWAKENED HEART
CALVARY CHAPEL
CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
EASTPOINT COMMUNITY
CHURCH
THE JOURNEY
LIFE COMMUNITY CHURCH
LIFE PATH CHURCH
LOVE OF CHRIST
MONTHLY MEETING OF
FRIENDS (KENNETT SQ, PA)
MONTHLY MEETING OF
FRIENDS (WILMINGTON)
MT. ZION SEVENTH DAY
ADVENTIST CHURCH
MT. ZION CARMEL CHURCH
NEW ARK UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST
NEW COMMUNITY CHURCH
R.C.C.G. ABUNDANT LIFE
CENTER
SILVERSIDE
TEMPLE BETH EL
TEMPLE BETH EMETH
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
FELLOWSHIP OF NEWARK
TH
WEST WILMINGTON 7 DAY
ADVENTIST
WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN
CENTER
WORD OF LIFE CHRISTIAN
CENTER
SUPPORTING BUSINESSES
& COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
BANKS
BANK OF AMERICA
BARCLAYS
CAPITAL ONE
DEUTSCHE
JP MORGAN/CHASE
M&T
WELLS FARGO
BUSINESSES
AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES
AMAZON
ANYTIME FITNESS
ASHFORD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY
CAFFE GELATO
CAKES BY KIM
CHEMOURS
CHRISTIANA CARE
DEBOIS TEXTILES
DUPONT COMPANY
DUNKIN DONUTS
EDIS
EXELON
FLOWERS BY YUKIE
FIT GYM
FORTE
FOX & ROACH REALTORS
GLAXOS SMITH KINE
GRANGER
GRASSROOT HANDCRAFTS
HEART & HOME
HILTON
HORIZON SERVICES
IBM
KELLER WILLIAMS
MARRIOTT
NEWARK SHOPPING MALL
NUCLEAR ELECTRIC
PANERA
PATHMARK
QUALITY H&AC
RAWLINS ORTHODONTICS
SCHAVI & DATTANI
SIEMENS
STAPLES
TRAIL CREEK OUTFITTERS
TRANS UNION
UNITED HEALTH GROUP
VERIZON
W.L. GORE
COMMUNITY
ASSOCIATIONS
BOYS SCOUTS OF AMERICA
BUSINESS WOMEN’S
ASSOCIATION
CHARITY COMPANY
CHURCH WOMEN UNITED
COKESBURY VILLAGE RESIDENTS
COMMUNITY INTERACTION
COUNTRY HOUSE CHAPEL
DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY
DE VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES
FRIENDSHIP HOUSE PIONEER
GROUP
GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA
GREAT DAMES
HARMONY WEAVERS GUILD
HOCKESSIN LIBRARY
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
KENDAL AT KENDAL
MOM’S HOUSE
NEWARK NEW CENTURY CLUB
NEWARK ROTARY
ONE WARM COAT
OPERATION WARM
PEO SISTERHOOD
TELECOM PIONEERS
RONALD Mc DONALD HOUSE
RSVP KNITTERS
ST PAUL’S WOMEN
SUAKIM COURT
TEENS FOR JEANS
URBAN LEAGUE
URBAN PROMISE
WILMINGTON GARDEN DAY
WILMINGTON ROTARY
WOMEN OF ALDERSGATE
FOUNDATIONS
ASHFORD FAMILY FOUNDATION
BHA FOUNDATION
C E BENNETT FOUNDATION
CONDIT TRUST
CHICHESTER DUPONT
FOUNDATION
CHRISTMAS SHOP
DEBLEY FOUNDATION
EDERIC FOUNDATION
FUND FOR WOMEN
HARKNESS FOUNDATION
HELEN GREENE FUND
IGH CHARITABLE FUND
LAFFEY-MC HUGH FOUNDATION
LAWTON TRUST
MC DONALD FOUNDATION
RUTH CAMPBELL FOUNDATION
WEST LEGACY TRUST
SCHOOLS
A.I. DUPONT UPPER SCHOOL
ARCHMERE ACADEMY
ASPIRA ACADEMY
BRANDYWINE SPRINGS
ELEMENTARY
CAB CALLOWAY SCHOOL OF ARTS
CHRISTIANA HIGH SCHOOL
DEL TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
DELTA ACADEMY
EASTSIDE CHARTER SCHOOL
FAIRVILLE FRIENDS SCHOOL
MT PLEASANT ELEMENTARY
NEUMANN UNIVERSITY
NEWARK CHARTER SCHOOL
PADUA ACADEMY
PILOT SCHOOL
SALESIANUM SCHOOL
SANFORD SCHOOL
ST. ANDREW’S SCHOOL
ST. ANNES EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
ST. MARK’S HIGH SCHOOL
TALL OAK’S ACADEMY
TATNALL SCHOOL
TOWER HILL SCHOOL
URBAN PROMISE
URSULINE ACADEMY
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
WEST TOWN SCHOOL
WILMINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL
WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY
FRIENDSHIP HOUSE
RESOURCE REPORT
2015
In 2015, it cost approximately $108,000 a month or $25,000 a week for Friendship House to operate its
various ministries to people in need throughout New Castle County. Of its total operating expenses of
$1,290,400 in 2015, only 4% went to administrative costs. An additional $24,600 was spent on capital
improvements and equipment upgrades.
In 2015, Friendship House spent:





25% on Day Ministries (Empowerment Centers, Feeding Programs, Winter Sanctuaries, etc.)
46% on Housing Ministries (Andrew’s Place, Transitional Housing Programs)
15% on Clothing Ministries (Clothing Bank of Delaware)
10% on Financial Assistance Ministries
4% on Administration & Fund-raising
In 2015, Friendship House received $1,325,000 in income, 95% of which was in direct public support.
The remaining 5% came from program and miscellaneous income. Of this amount:





40% was from faith communities, local businesses and community organizations
36% was from individual giving and fund-raisers
19% was from foundation grants
4.5% was from program income (program payments, matching funds for grant programs)
.5% was from miscellaneous income (interest, reimbursements, speaker stipends, etc.)
2015 capital improvements included:



the renovation of the Calvary Corner House bathroom
the renovation of the Andrew’s Place shower room
the repair of storm damage and the removal of several large trees in Women’s Transitional
Housing
2015 major equipment purchases included:



A cargo trailer for the Clothing Bank
New computers and printers for the five computer labs
New computers, printers, and scanner for the program site offices
11
2015 Financial Statement & 2016 Budget
Income
2015 Actual
2016 Budget
Corporate Giving
Faith Communities
Businesses
Community Organizations
$536,300
$565,100
General Giving
$484,500
$545,000
Foundation Grants
General Operating
Designated
$243,000
$280,000
Program Income
Program Payments
Matching Funds
$58,000
$70,000
$2,400
$5,000
$1,325,000
$1,465,100
$27,500
$27,350
$799,500
$984,800
$274,800
$305,400
Individuals
United Way
Fund-raisers
Misc. Income
Interest
Reimbursements
Speaker Stipends
Total:
Expenses
Operating
Administration/Fundraising
Book-keeping
Advertising/Publications
Fundraising Charges
Printing
Postage
Payroll
Salaries
Benefits
Taxes
Physical Plant
Rent
Utilities
Insurance
12
Furniture/Equipment
Maintenance
Telephone/Internet
Cable
Security Systems
Program Expenses
Fees for Services
Programming
Supplies
Gas/Tolls
Program Rebates
Financial Assistance
$188,700
$224,300
$0
$1,000
$1,290,400
$1,541,850
Misc. Expenses
Total
Operating
Balance Sheet as of 12/31/2015
2014
Cash
2015
$570,969
$578,323
$1,590,469
$1,597,054
$141,340
$145,297
$39,531
$53,549
Less Depreciation
($665,550)
($749,291)
Total Assets:
$1,675,759
$1,624,932
Buildings & Improvements
Furniture & Equipment
Leasehold Improvements
Program Operating Expenses
Program
2015 Actual
2016 Budget
Day Ministries
$336,400
$475,000
Housing Ministries
$582,200
$645,000
Clothing Ministries
$185,200
$200,000
Financial Assistance
$131,300
$150,000
$1,235,100
$1,470,000
Total:
13
Friendship House
Clothing Bank of Delaware
2015
Staff:
Location:
Hours:
Katherine Griffin-Graham
1603 N. Jessup St. Suite 3
7:30 AM – 3:00 PM (Monday thru Thursday)
Introduction:
Sixteen years ago, Friendship House developed the Clothing Bank to fulfill three primary missions:
• to improve the free distribution of high quality donated clothing by coordinating the efforts of
the businesses, churches, schools and community organizations of New Castle County
• to provide entry level employment and training to disenfranchised women
• to create entry level volunteer opportunities for churches, businesses and community
organizations
Program Description:
CLOTHING MINISTRIES:
(Drives, Distributors & Volunteer Groups)
Donations:
The vast majority of clothing donations to the Clothing Bank come through large-scale drives sponsored
by local churches, schools, businesses and community organizations. The Clothing Bank staff helps
volunteers organize the drive, pick up the donations with the CBD van and provide tax receipts to each
donor that desires them. More than thirty groups sponsored annual drives for years. Other sites serve as
drop-off sites in their local community. Having come to know the Clothing Bank, many individuals
become loyal supporters that drop their donations off directly to the warehouse.
Distributors:
Over the years, more than three hundred human service agencies have relied on the Clothing Bank to
meet their clients’ clothing needs. This network of community partners is one of the things that make the
Clothing Bank unique among outlets for donated clothing. By distributing clothing only through
referrals from vetted community partners, the Clothing Bank can guarantee its donated clothing is going
where it is most needed. As the central hub for clothing distribution in New Castle County, the Clothing
Bank can also screen for duplicate orders and allocate resources more justly.
14
2015 CBD Clothing Ministry Statistics:
Clothing
Drives
Donations
Sorted
Clothing
Distributed
B Grade
Clothing
Individual
Orders
Community
Distributions
44
154,200 lbs
124,000 lbs
48,200 lbs
5,680
185
Volunteer Opportunities:
The Clothing Bank of Delaware offers a broad spectrum of both individual and group volunteer
opportunities to the churches, schools and businesses of the Friendship House coalition of corporate
sponsors. In 2015, 1,465 volunteers performed more than 4,700 hours of service on site at the
Clothing Bank. Thirty of these volunteers served on a monthly basis. The CBD staff excels at finding
ways for small and large groups to involve themselves in this ministry in a hands-on way.
Employment/ Training Ministry
(Training, Employment and Job Placement)
The Friendship House Clothing Bank employs women entering the work force for the first time in their
lives or after lengthy unemployment. In recent years, the majority of these women have also been exoffenders. Each woman receives a paycheck while relearning the skills necessary to find and maintain
employment. About thirty women annually participate in the Clothing Bank Employment Program. 60%
of these employee-trainees are also residents of the Friendship House transitional housing program
where they engage in an intensive life-skills program that enables them to address and resolve other
issues like budgeting, parenting, recovery from addictions, credit restoration and career planning. Every
woman who is accepted into the employment training program is motivated to work and committed to
change. Because of their various life issues, however, nearly all begin the program professionally “out of
shape”. The initial job skills to be mastered may simply be:




Getting organized enough to show up for work on time each morning
Having the energy to work hard for 40 hours a week
Staying focused on the task at hand
Being able to follow instructions and take corrections
Eight weeks of employment at the Clothing Bank have proven sufficient to make most trainees reliable,
punctual, courteous and hard-working employees. Besides successfully fulfilling all the tasks typically
associated with warehouse work, each woman receives some intensive customer service experience.
Despite their success at the Clothing Bank, however, many trainees still struggle to find full-time work.
Most are also dealing with major employment impediments like lack of private transportation, bad
credit, felony convictions and being a single parent without reliable child care. Such women struggle to
find another job and many have to settle for part-time or minimum-wage jobs that will not enable them
to make it on their own. The current economic recession has only made a bad situation worse.
15
To help offset these competitive disadvantages, Friendship House has upgraded its employment-training
in several ways over the last four years. In 2008, it installed online technology centers at each of its
major ministries, including the Clothing Bank. With the employment process going digital, Clothing
Bank trainees need basic typing, computer and internet literacy simply to apply for a job. In 2009, the
Clothing Bank increased its paid trainee positions from four to five. This expanded work force enables
each trainee to devote more time weekly with her job coach in upgrading her vocational skills and
searching for jobs online and in person. In this highly competitive job market, the Clothing Bank also
gave many trainees work extensions as part-time employees while they continued to search for their next
job. Lastly, in 2010, Friendship House opened Epiphany House, an entry-level shelter that provides
newly hired homeless trainees with emergency shelter, communal support and on site case management
during their first six weeks of employment.
2015 CBD Employment Training Statistics:
Total Trainees – 31
Released/Resigned
Graduated/unemployed
Graduated/Employed
8
1
22
16
FRIENDSHIP HOUSE
DAY MINISTRIES
2015
Introduction:
Most homeless people encounter Friendship House for the first time at one of its various day ministries.
These ministries include:






Men’s Day Center (Wilmington)
Women’s Day Center (Wilmington)
Newark Empowerment Center (Newark)
Financial Screening and Counseling for Church Referrals (Wilmington & Newark)
Sunday Breakfast Program (Wilmington)
Winter Sanctuary Program (Wilmington & Newark)
An open door when most others are closed, these Friendship House ministries offer the homeless
daytime sanctuary and vital survival services. As a referral and screening source for more than twentyfive churches, the three day centers are a life line for individuals and families at risk of losing their
housing. They also serve as empowerment centers where motivated homeless clients receive the
professional case-management, the communal support and the financial resources they require to rebuild
their lives. In 2015 the Friendship House Day Ministries saw approximately 5,500 individuals and
families.
Men’s Day Center
Staff:
Location:
Hours:
Marc Marcus, Josh Klein, Paul Kielar, Joseph Reinhardt
226 N. Walnut Street, Wilmington
5:30 A.M. – Noon (Weekdays)
The Men’s Day Center is one of several social ministries located in Old Asbury United Methodist
Church. Its primary services included:





Early Morning Hospitality: Sanctuary from the elements, rest rooms, hot beverages
Home Base Program: Lockers, mailing address, phone lines & message service, fax & email
address, clothing referrals, bus tickets for appointments, financial assistance for birth certificates
& state ID, client savings program, 12 step support program
Job Readiness Program: Online computer lab, job coaches, resume upgrades, bus tickets for
work-related appointments, matching funds for work clothing and equipment, skills workshops,
etc.
Consultations & Referrals: Client intakes & case management, referrals to affiliated human
service programs
Financial Screening: Screening of at risk housed clients seeking financial assistance from
affiliated churches
17
2015 Men’s Day Center Statistics
1,951 Unduplicated Clients:
Age:
18 – 25
25-35
35 – 50
50 - 65
over 65
293(15%)
507 (26%)
585 (30%)
509 (26%)
57 (3%)
Length of Contact:
New 2015
1 – 3 yrs
3 – 5 years
5 – 10 yrs
> 10 years
780 (40%)
391 (20%)
234 (12%)
263 (14%)
283 (14%)
General Client Status (12/31/2015):
Street Level
Engaged
Homeless
Short-term
Program
Long-Term
Program
Prison
Dead
Housed
556 (35%)
159 (10%)
191 (12%)
207 (13%)
97 (5%)
29 (<1%)
352 (24%)
The client services in highest demand continue to be:






Early morning hospitality (118 clients per day)
Assistance with identification documents (12 clients per week)
Bus tickets for appointments, interviews or employment (40 clients per week)
Access to storage lockers (70 clients per week)
Clothing orders (18 clients per week)
Access to the online computer lab (35 clients per week)
2015 Trends:



Friendship House remains the day ministry of choice for homeless and at risk clients in need of
early morning hospitality, weekend winter sanctuary, Code Purple sanctuary and financial
assistance.
Greater percentage of Day Center clients are also enrolled in case management of other statefunded social service programs that refer them to Friendship House for specific services
The street population continues to get younger. Addiction, poor life skills and lack of education
are the primary handicaps to their progress.
18
Women’s Day Center:
Staff:
Location:
Hours:
Pam Ray, Genell Walls, Patricia Gross
720 N. Orange Street, Wilmington
6:30 AM – 2:45 PM (Weekdays)
Located in the basement of the Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew, the Women’s Day
Center’s primary services include:





Early Morning Hospitality: Showers, rest room, hot beverages, sanctuary from the elements
Home Base Program: Mailing address, phone lines & message service, fax & email address,
clothing & food referrals, bus tickets for appointments, financial assistance for birth certificates
& state ID
Job Readiness Program: Online computer lab, job coaches, resume upgrades, bus tickets for
work-related appointments, matching funds for work clothing and equipment, skills workshops,
etc.
Consultations & Referrals: Client intakes & case management, referrals to affiliated human
service programs
Financial Screening: Screening of at risk housed clients seeking financial assistance from
affiliated churches
2015 Women’s Day Center Statistics:
1,198 Unduplicated Adult Clients (not counting children)
Age:
18 – 25
25 – 35
35 – 50
50 – 65
over 65
179 (15%)
276 (23%)
431 (36%)
278 (23%)
34 (3%)
New 2015
1 – 3 years
3 – 5 years
5 – 10 years
> 10 years
392 (33%)
216 (18%)
132 (11%)
275 (23%)
183 (15%)
Length of Contact:
General Client Status 12/31/2015 (Estimated by Staff):
Street
Level
Shelters
Short-term
Program
Long-term
Program
Living with
Friends or Family
Housed
120 (10%)
299 (25%)
84 (7%)
216(18%)
301 (25%)
178 (15%)
Average Daily Attendance:
85 (75 morning/25 afternoon)
19
The client services in highest demand continue to be:





Early morning hospitality & showers (25 clients per day)
Assistance with identification documents (12 clients per week)
Bus tickets for appointments, interviews or employment (20 clients per week)
Referrals for food or clothing (20 clients per week)
Access to the online computer lab (80 clients per week)
2015 Trends:



The Women’s Day Center remains the only gender-specific empowerment center for women. As
such, it serves as a much needed sanctuary for single and abused women.
Online computer lab continues to see very heavy use, especially for online job applications and
searches for affordable housing.
A large number of other social service agencies refer their clients to the Day Center for
supplementary services they themselves cannot provide.
Newark Empowerment Center:
Staff:
Location:
Hours:
Marc Marcus, Mindy Dowsett, Carly Wilt
69 East Main Street, Newark
1:00 – 4:00 PM (Weekdays)
Now in its ninth year of operation, the Newark Empowerment Center serves the social service needs of
homeless or about-to-become homeless people in the Greater Newark Area. To date, the Center has
helped More than 5,200 households. Open weekday afternoons at Newark United Methodist Church, the
Empowerment Center is overseen by Marc Marcus, who is supported by two part-time staff persons and
a team of 45 church volunteers. Primary services included:




Hospitality: Rest room, hot beverages, light meals, sanctuary from the elements
Home Base Program: Mailing address, phone lines, clothing & food referrals, bus tickets for
appointments, financial assistance for birth certificates & state ID
Consultations & Referrals: Client intakes & case management, referrals to affiliated human
service programs
Financial Screening: Screening of at risk housed clients seeking financial assistance from
affiliated churches
20
2015 NEC Statistics:
856 Unduplicated Clients (Not counting children)
Age:
18 – 25
25 – 35
35 – 50
50 – 65
> 65
103 (12%)
188 (22%)
308 (36%)
205 (24%)
52 (6%)
New 2015
1 – 2 years
2 – 4 years
4 – 6 years
> 6 years
399 (47%)
240 (28%)
128 (15%)
45 (5%)
44 (5%)
Length of Contact
General Client Status: 12/31/2015 (Estimated By Staff:)
Street Level
Shelters
Programs
Prison
Living With Friends
or Family
Housed
86 (10%)
12 (2%)
154 (18%)
25 (3%)
103 (12%)
506 (55%)
The client services in highest demand continue to be:





Hospitality (20 clients per day)
Assistance with rent and utilities (5 clients per day)
Bus tickets for appointments, interviews or employment (5 clients per day)
Referrals for food or clothing (2 clients per day)
Access to the online computers (3 clients per day)
2015 Trends:



The NEC has established itself as the primary center for homeless services in the greater Newark
area.
A larger number of NEC homeless clients are also in case management with other HUD-funded
social services.
Both the City of Newark and the University of Delaware have engaged the NEC as a collaborator
on programs and issues relating to the Newark homeless community.
Outreach Ministries:
Wilmington:
Ten of its sponsoring churches automatically refer clients to Friendship House for screening when
clients call them for financial assistance with rent or utilities. Two or three other churches occasionally
refer clients for screening.Recognizing they often do not have time or professional expertise to conduct
21
thorough interviews for financial assistance, the church staff person in charge of outreach refers people
seeking financial assistance to the Friendship House Men’s or Women’s Center. The church informs the
appropriate Center of the client’s name and request. If the client contacts Friendship House, the staff
schedules an appointment. During the interview with the client, a Friendship House case worker
determines the cause of the financial emergency and the feasibility that assistance from the referring
church will help to end the emergency. The case worker then calls the church to make a
recommendation about assistance. The Day Centers get roughly three times as many referrals for women
with children in need as they do for men.
Newark:
Eighteen Newark churches and synagogues regularly refer clients to the Newark Empowerment Center
for financial counseling and screening. Roughly eighty percent of all clients coming to the Newark
Empowerment Center are looking for financial assistance. Of these, roughly twelve percent are referred
by one of the center’s sponsoring churches. The other eighty-eight percent have either heard about the
NEC Center from another client or from a Newark social service agency.
2015 Outreach Program Statistics:
Fund
Amount
Homeless Prevention Grants
(Security Deposits, Rent, Heat, Utilities, Etc.)
Empowerment Grants
(Equipment, Uniforms, Education, etc.)
Totals
Clients Served
$65,997
433
$9,076
63
$75,073
496
Sunday Breakfast Program:
Staff:
Location:
Hours:
John Owens, Bill Perkins
Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew, Wilmington
Sunday Morning (5:00 – 8:00 AM)
The Sunday Breakfast Program is Friendship House’s oldest ministry. Presently, the Sunday Breakfast
Program consists of seventeen churches and community groups that supply the required food and
volunteers on a rotating basis. In addition, Dunkin Donuts and Panera Breads supply pastries and the AG
Department at the University of Delaware provides the breakfast program with 70 – 120 dozen eggs on a
weekly basis. Through this coalition of generous and caring individuals and businesses, 120 – 160
homeless men, women and children not only are fed a hot nourishing breakfast, but are also enabled to
begin the Lord’s Day of Rest in fellowship and dignity.
Sunday breakfast attendance in 2015 averaged about 135 people. Although crowded, the parish hall is
not over capacity and clients are not required to leave as soon as they have eaten. After each Sunday
22
breakfast, guests and volunteers are invited to participate in an ecumenical chapel service hosted by
parishioners of the Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew. More than ever, the Sunday
Breakfast is an excellent introductory volunteer experience for people new to homeless ministry.
Winter Sanctuary Program:
The winter of 2015 – 2016 was mercifully brief. After exceptionally mild temperatures in December,
there were eighteen nights in January and February when the wind-chills had fallen into the low teens.
Unfortunately most of this intensely cold weather came in two clusters of about seven days each. One
was the Martin Luther King weekend blizzard; the other was the sub-zero Valentine’s Day weekend.
When things get this bad, everyone involved in homeless ministry goes the extra mile. Emergency
shelter residents are allowed to remain inside during the day. Opening before sunrise, the homeless
drop-in centers of New Castle County offer daytime sanctuary from the elements to those who cannot or
will not stay in a shelter. From November through March, Friendship House also opens weekend winter
sanctuaries in Wilmington at First and Central Presbyterian Church on Saturdays and Trinity Episcopal
Church on Sunday.
Especially vulnerable to sub-freezing nights are the homeless folks who sleep outside every night in
abandoned buildings and dumpsters, in vans and box trucks, as well as in hidden campsites throughout
New Castle County. Used to be cold all the time, it is hard for them to tell the difference between what
numbs and what kills.
Winter sanctuary continues to see an increasing number of young adults. On many nights, they are as
much as 40% of the total population. For various reasons, most refuse to stay at the local shelters,
preferring to try pot luck with a friend which often means sleeping outside.
Code Purple Night Sanctuary:
Staff:
Bill Perkins, John Owens (Wilmington)
Marc Marcus, Mindy Dowsett (Newark)
Location:
Wilmington: Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew & Matthew
Newark:
Newark United Methodist Church
Newark United Church of Christ
Calvary Baptist Church
Holy Family Roman Catholic Church
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark
St Thomas Episcopal Church
First Presbyterian Church of Newark
St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
For the last twelve years Friendship House has been offering “Code Purple” night sanctuary on bitterly
cold nights in Wilmington; seven years ago it expanded this ministry to Newark. In New Castle County,
Code Purple weather is understood to be whenever the night-time temperature falls below 20 degrees
23
Fahrenheit. While every winter night is a hardship for those without proper clothing, shelter and warmth,
there are at least a dozen times each winter when the weather is so severe that extended exposure to the
elements will prove deadly. On such nights the typical survival strategies of those homeless men and
women who refuse to stay in emergency shelters prove inadequate and people die.
On Code Purple nights in Wilmington, Friendship House offers emergency sanctuary to the chronically
homeless at the Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew. The shelter opens at 2:30 P.M. (after the
Friendship House Day centers close for the day) and closes at 8:30 P.M. (when the Salvation Army
Code Purple night shelter opens for the night). Staffed by Bill Perkins and seven different volunteer
teams, the evening sanctuary serves 130 – 170 chronically homeless men and women each evening. The
volunteers provide soup and sandwiches; Friendship House provides the hot beverages, paper and
cleaning products. Over the past winter Friendship House offered Code Purple winter sanctuary sixteen
nights in Wilmington.
On Code Purple nights in Newark, Friendship House and a coalition of eight Newark faith communities
offer emergency sanctuary from dusk to dawn. Nine local churches serve as the host site on a rotating
basis. From 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM on Code Purple nights, teams of volunteers from local faith
communities and community organizations offer hospitality to homeless guests in a church common
room with access to bathrooms, a light evening meal, hot beverages and blankets. In the morning, guests
are provided with a light breakfast and bus tickets, meet with Marc Marcus to plan out their day, and are
encouraged to seek emergency shelter through Friendship House in Wilmington. Counting Christmas
Eve, Code Purple Sanctuary in Newark occurred sixteen times and averaged about 27 guests per night.
Daytime Sanctuary:
Weekdays
Staff:
Location:
Josh Klein, Paul Kielar, Joe Reinhardt (Men)
Pam Ray, Genell Walls, Patty Gross (Women)
3rd & Walnut St, Wilmington (Men)
720 North Orange St, Wilmington (Women)
On weekday mornings, the Friendship House Empowerment Centers in Wilmington open their doors
long before the sun or the city rises. During winter the number of homeless men and women coming to
early morning hospitality averaged one hundred thirty people per morning.
Weekends
Staff:
Location:
Bill Perkins
First & Central Presbyterian Church (Saturday 6:00 – 10:30 AM)
Trinity Episcopal Church (Sunday 8:00 – 11:00 AM)
On weekends, daytime winter sanctuary occurs at three of Friendship House’s sponsoring churches.
Every Saturday morning of winter (6:00 – 10:30 AM) for the last eighteen years, First & Central
Presbyterian Church supplies both the space and volunteers for early morning hospitality. About one
hundred thirty-five homeless guests take advantage of this open door every Saturday. On Sunday
mornings from 5:30 to 8:00 AM, the Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew & Matthew makes available its
24
auditorium for Friendship House to serve the homeless a hot breakfast. On a rotating basis, seventeen
different faith communities prepare and serve this meal to about one hundred forty individuals and
families per week. After breakfast ends, Trinity Episcopal Church lets Friendship House offer winter
sanctuary to about thirty-five guests each Sunday in its AA meeting room until eleven AM.
Volunteers Make the Difference
Space and money make physical comfort from the elements possible. God has also blessed us with
hundreds of people willing to leave their warm homes and families to spend time with brothers and
sisters that have neither. Over the last winter more than three hundred twenty -five people volunteered at
either weekend winter sanctuary or Code Purple night sanctuary. These included members of our
sponsoring churches, the staff of several local businesses, high school and college students, youth
groups and fraternities. Their participation transformed our church basements, auditoriums and
conference rooms into sanctuaries where everyone felt welcomed and blessed by their time together.
25
Friendship House, Inc.
Housing Ministries
2015
Introduction:
Each night, Friendship House is able to provide on-site housing to up to seventy-five homeless men,
women and children. Transitional housing is designed to enable motivated homeless clients make the
transition from homelessness to independence and self-sufficiency. Transitional housing provides a
secure, supportive, home-like and respectful environment for those men and women ready to work hard
on their issues through a rigorous and holistic program. It also offers each resident intensive case
management and empowerment services. Because most residents have already demonstrated their selfdiscipline and commitment before entering the program, transitional housing generally requires less on
site staff supervision. Friendship House currently operates twelve transitional housing sites – six for men
(Andrew’s Place, Criswell House, Burton House, Daughtry House, Concord House and Corner House)
and six for women (Epiphany House, Ashford House, Patterson House, Elizabeth House and Palmer
House I & II).
Most candidates for the Friendship Housing Transitional Housing Programs are highly motivated, but
also high risk candidates for success. Virtually all are battling addiction issues. Half of them have a
criminal record. One in three was physically or sexually abused as children. One in five lacks either a
high school diploma or a GED certificate. For more than twenty years, Friendship House has not
measured these candidates by the size of their problems, but by their willingness to confront them in a
holistic and strategic manner. If applicants have the patience, perseverance and commitment, Friendship
House gives them their chance. Most applicants come from residential treatment programs and/or prison
where they have demonstrated the above qualities and that they are "program oriented".
For the last twenty-six years, the Friendship House Transitional Housing Programs have been
remarkably successful in empowering those motivated residents that are willing to work hard for as long
as it takes to change their lives. Although only half complete the lengthy and rigorous program, most of
those graduates maintain their newly attained independent lifestyle for a significant period of time. They
include some of the organization’s greatest success stories – heroic men and women that have overcome
incredible odds to assume positions of leadership and responsibility in their community. They are people
that “own” their life journey and are using their past to build a better future. Although surviving from
paycheck to paycheck themselves, they find their fulfillment in living for others. They are parents, AA
sponsors, peer ministers and Friendship House staff.
Men’s Transitional Housing Program:
Director:
Staff:
Locations:
Marcy Perkins
John Owens, Ronnie Krier, Gordon Umberger, Paul Slowick, Keith Diggs
Andrew’s Place, 720 N Orange St.
Criswell House, 724 N. Madison Street
26
Burton House, 1305 N. Rodney Street
Daughtry House, 1503 W 13th Street
Concord House, 1909 Lancaster Ave.
The Men’s Transitional Housing Program is a four stage holistic program designed to help motivated,
homeless men re-establish themselves as independent, self-supporting members of our society able to
assume their responsibilities to their families, co-workers and friends. Of the roughly one thousand men
who have participated in the Transitional Housing Program over the last twenty-five years, the vast
majority have been dealing with addiction and relationship issues that have cost them their families,
their jobs and even their freedom. Everyone comes to the program wanting to work on their external
issues: employment, fines, child support, bad credit, probation, etc. The men who make it are those with
the courage and endurance to deal with their internal issues: recovery, self-esteem, relationships and
personal beliefs.
Stage One Housing: Andrew’s Place & Criswell House
Andrew’s Place Conversion Project
Andrew’s Place began in 1989 as a collaborative ministry of Friendship House and St Andrew’s
Episcopal Church to provide emergency winter sanctuary to homeless, elderly men. Since its opening,
Andrew’s Place has served nearly 1,200 elderly residents. In its early years, it was a bare-bones
sanctuary from the elements whose primary purpose was to keep chronically alcoholic street-men from
freezing to death. It did not take long, however, for the shelter’s supportive communal atmosphere to
begin to transform lives. Gradually the shelter season was extended from six to nine months and
empowerment services were added to provide residents with the catalyst needed for them to re-establish
themselves in independent housing. In recent years, Andrew’s Place has become less of an end-of-line
shelter and more of a stepping-stone to a better life. The average stay of an Andrew’s Place resident has
gone from three years to four months.
Coincidental with these changing demographics of traditional Andrew’s Place residents has been the
State of Delaware’s decision not to subsidize the length of residential addiction treatment programs
beyond time limits imposed by private insurers. As a result, most public treatment programs have
reduced their residency from 180 to 30 days.
With both of these patterns in mind, in 2015 Friendship House converted Andrew’s Place from a
seasonal emergency shelter for elderly men into an entry-level empowerment shelter opened year round
that is an integral part of the its long-term transitional housing program. It would also make Andrew’s
Place available to motivated homeless men of all ages.
This conversion represents an opportunity to empower an additional 60-80 motivated homeless men
each year to make the transition from homelessness to independence and self-sufficiency. For the elderly
homeless clients, the new Andrew’s Place provides a therapeutic community and the individual case
management that they require to take full advantage of the new housing opportunity afforded by HUD’s
Housing First Initiative. For graduates of residential treatment programs, the empowerment shelter will
enable Friendship House to accept more men into its Transitional Housing Program. Finally, the new
Andrew’s Place allows Friendship House to expand the eligibility criteria to include employed homeless
27
clients of its Daytime Empowerment Centers who need a short term stay and who are committed to
addressing the underlying causes of their current situation and making the transition back to independent
housing.
Andrew’s Place residents that find employment and desire a long-term program will be transferred to
Criswell House. While still in Stage One, the Criswell House residents enjoy more freedom, and are
expected to exercise greater personal responsibility for working their program. During their six week
stay in this dormitory style residence, program participants are required to maintain employment, make
weekly program payments, follow the shelter rules, maintain their sobriety and actively participate in the
various shelter empowerment programs.
Stage Two Housing: Daughtry House & Burton House
Sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church, Daughtry House and Burton House provide three to six
months of transitional housing to Criswell House graduates who have demonstrated a high level of:



Commitment to their recovery program
Self-discipline and personal responsibility
Willing participation in case management with Friendship House
In the last twenty-six years, more than eight hundred fifty men have participated in the program with a
graduation rate of slightly less than 50%. The average resident saved over $1,000 during his stay in the
program. In December, 2008, Westminster Presbyterian Church donated the use of Daughtry House to
the Men’s Transitional Housing Program. With this extraordinary gift, both Stage Two houses are now
located on the same site, enabling the residents of both to form one therapeutic community.
Stage Three Housing: Concord House
For those residents actively engaged in longer-term recovery strategy programs, Friendship House
provides an additional four months of subsidized housing at Concord House. Typical Stage Three
residents are enrolled in college, paying down significant debt, receiving family counseling or are
beginning a new career. Stage Three residents also serve as peer ministers and weekend house monitors.
Stage Four Housing: Aftercare Program
Every graduate of Men's Transitional Housing has the option of maintaining his case management
relationship with Friendship House. About 30% of the graduates take advantage of this service, at least
during their first year in independent housing. With staff on site at Criswell House and Daughtry House
every evening, graduates know that they can drop in and catch a Friendship House staff person without
having to make an appointment. Some graduates maintain a regular relationship with their Friendship
House counselor for many years. Others maintain a more casual contact with Friendship House, coming
for alumni events, attending an on-site twelve step meeting or seeking emergency service. To encourage
greater participation in the aftercare program, Friendship House dramatically expanded its graduate
support services in 2013 by offering rent subsidies to those graduates that continue their case
management and budgeting with Friendship House as well as designating Concord House as a six month
safe house for men housing graduates that are experiencing a financial set-back.
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2015 Stats:
101 Unduplicated Residents
Age:
18 – 25
26 – 35
19 (19%)
Length of Residency:
Left Stage 1
36 – 50
18 (18%)
12 (12%)
Left Stage 2
21 (20%)
Exit Status:
Evicted
11 (11%)
52 (51%)
In Residence
12/31/2015
34 (34%)
Opted Out
Over 50
46 (46%)
Housed/Employed
16 (16%)
In Residence 12/31/2015
28 (27%)
46 (46%)
2015 Trends:
The demand for the men’s transitional housing program is at an all-time high. Unfortunately, most
candidates with addiction issues are admitted after less than six week of treatment. Heroin continues to
rage at epidemic levels in Delaware. Increasingly younger applicants to the program are in recovery
from IV drug use, not alcohol or prescription drugs. With the unemployment rate below 5%, new
residents are finding it easier to get jobs. Most jobs, however, continue to be part-time and low-paying.
The stress of working two part-time jobs on different schedules often contributed to residents opting out
of the structured, highly disciplined lifestyle of transitional house.
Women’s Transitional Housing Program
Director:
Staff :
Location:
Marcy Perkins
Shirley Pritchett, Sandra Helmick, Mary Ann Matarese
Epiphany House, 722 N. Union St.
Ashford House, 720 N. Union St.
Patterson House, 718 N. Union St.
Palmer House, 1004 & 1006th N. Lincoln Street
Elizabeth House, 1918 W 9 St
The Women’s Transitional Housing Program is designed to assist single women and mothers with
young children who have already demonstrated a commitment to addressing their issues in a holistic
manner. The program continues to enjoy a reputation as a good program for women in recovery from an
addiction; an increasing number of these women come to Friendship House directly from prison. With
the addition of Epiphany House in June, 2010, it is now a four-stage program.
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Stage One Housing: Epiphany House
Epiphany House offers short-term shelter and counseling to recently released female ex-offenders and/or
graduates of residential treatment programs. Epiphany House also serves as a probationary first stage for
women interested in Friendship House’s long-term transitional housing program for women. Applicants
accepted into Epiphany House will be required to:




Comply with all shelter rules and daily schedule
Keep all appointments with program case workers
Actively participate in all on-site meetings and programs
Develop and begin to implement a personalized recovery strategy that addresses issues such as
recovery from addictions, probation/parole requirements, employment needs, and
educational/vocational training needs
As an entry-level program, Epiphany House also provides residents with more daily structure, on-site
supervision, individual case management, life skills workshops and employment training than the
subsequent transitional housing stages. Because most residents enter without any resources, Friendship
House cares for all their physical and financial needs. Residents that get a job, exhibit personal selfdiscipline and demonstrate their commitment to implementing their personal recovery strategy will
graduate to Stage Two of the Women’s Housing Program.
Stage Two Housing: Ashford House & Patterson House
Stage Two Housing emphasizes development of self-sufficiency. The houses provide a secure,
supportive, home-like and respectful environment for those women ready to work hard on their issues
with an emphasis on developing self-sufficiency and personal growth. While Ashford House tends to
house single women, Patterson House is designed to provide transitional housing for women with
children. Stage Two residents have house keys, more flexible daily schedules and more responsibility
for their daily needs. Living in community, residents are responsible for their own meals, hygiene
products, transportation and personal needs. Residents are also expected to make a weekly program
payment and save 15% of their net income with Friendship House. On-site programming includes
parenting, budgeting, nutrition and aftercare recovery sessions. On the completion of their stay at
Ashford or Patterson House, residents may graduate to Stage Three.
Stage Three Housing: Palmer House & Elizabeth House
Stage Three Housing offers more self-reliant transitional housing for those Ashford House and Patterson
House graduates who have demonstrated a high commitment to their programs. Stage Three residents
are responsible for all their daily living expenses, pay $240 monthly program payment and save 25% of
their net income. For many women, this is the first time in their lives that they have had their own
housing for which they are totally responsible. Able to house four families in their own apartments at
any one time, Palmer House is designed as a program that offers continuity of shelter, assistance and
support with a greater degree of both independence and responsibility. Elizabeth House offers greater
independence to four women with or without children in a more communal setting. Women graduating
from Stage Three have usually eliminated a significant portion of their outstanding debts, saved enough
30
funds to move into their own apartments, maintained employment for at least eight months and acquired
a landlord reference through Friendship House.
Stage Four Housing: Aftercare
The staff of the Women’s Transitional Housing Program continues to walk with their graduates through
our various aftercare programs. These services are designed to help each graduate handle the many real
life challenges of managing independent housing as a single parent. Most graduates continue to meet
with the Women’s Housing staff on a regular basis during their first year in independent housing. As life
gets busier and their lives become more stable, this contact becomes more intermittent. For most
graduates, the housing team evolves into a resource to be accessed when they are in need. Sometimes, a
graduate simply needs a sounding board about a problem or is looking for the appropriate professional
resources. Often, they are in crisis and will re-enter weekly case management until they have resolved
their problem. To encourage greater participation in the aftercare program, Friendship House
dramatically expanded its graduate support services in 2013, with the opening of Elizabeth House, a six
month safe house for women’s housing graduates that are experiencing a financial set-back.
2015 Stats:
51 Unduplicated Residents
Age
18 – 25
26 – 35
15(30%)
36 – 50
23 (45%)
Over 50
13 (25%)
0 (0%)
Length of Residency:
Left Stage 1
13 (25%)
Left Stage 2
Left Stage 3
18 (35%)
5 (10%)
In Residency 12/31/2015
15 (30%)
Exit Status:
Evicted
14 (28%)
Opted Out
9 (17%)
Housed/Employed
In Residency 12/31/2015
13 (25%)
15 (30%)
2015 Trends:
The demographics for the women’s transitional housing program have changed dramatically in the last
five years:
•
•
•
The majority of candidates come from middle class suburban families.
Three out of four residents are under the age of thirty-five.
Opiates are the primary drug of choice.
31
•
•
•
One in four were evicted or opted out in their first thirty days of residency.
More than half the residents chose a relationship over their program.
Five women became pregnant and had a child during or immediately after their residency.
Not surprisingly, the women’s transitional housing program had its lowest graduation rate in twenty
years. Younger residents have less life experience. Many have never worked or lived on their own. Most
lack the stamina and concentration to complete long-term life recovery tasks. The women’s housing
staff continues to experiment with the ways and means to improve their odds for survival and recovery.
32
Friendship House
Financial Assistance Ministries
2015
Empowerment Fund:
The primary purpose of empowerment grants is to provide limited financial assistance to
disenfranchised clients with realistic strategies of recovery. The Friendship House Church Referral
Program now includes thirty New Castle County churches that refer people seeking financial assistance
from the church to Friendship House for screening and consultation. Where appropriate, Friendship
House assists the household and is reimbursed by the referring church.
Medical Assistance Fund:
The Medical Assistance Fund was founded to assist homeless clients with various medical needs. The
expansion of Medicaid and CHIP coverages to more people in need has greatly reduced the amount that
the Medical Assistance Fund had to pay to cover the cost of clients’ prescriptions and glasses.
Credit Restoration Fund:
The Credit Restoration Program assists Friendship House clients who are participating in its budgeting
program and seeking to restore their credit by eliminating their outstanding debts. Client payments are
matched on a 1:2 ratio. With so many clients unemployed or underemployed in 2015, fewer people had
surplus income with which to pay down their outstanding debt.
Samaritan Fund:
The Samaritan Fund was established in 2000 to assist participants in the Empowerment Strategy
Program with matching funds to address major obstacles on their journey to self-sufficiency.
Starfish Fund:
The Starfish Fund was established in 2014 by G.W.A.C.S. (God Wants All Children Serving) to assist
day center clients with small empowerment grants needed to begin their life recovery journey.
Richard Stewart, Jr. Memorial Fund:
The Richard Stewart, Jr. Memorial Fund matches the savings graduates of the women’s housing
program accrue during their time in the program. This fund was established by the Stewart Family in
memory of their son Richard, who died in the World Trade Center Bombing.
2015 Financial Assistance Statistics:
33
Fund
Amount
Clients Served
Credit Restoration Matching Funds
$10,077
65
Medical Assistance Grants
(Glasses, Prescriptions, Dental, Clinic Visits, etc)
$13,442
637
Homeless Prevention Grants
(Rent, Heat, Utilities, Etc.)
$65,997
433
$9,076
63
$34,546
2,002
$133,138
3,200
Empowerment Grants
(Security Deposits, Equipment, Uniforms,
Education, etc.)
Home Base Program Funds
(Certification, ID, Transportation, Lockers,
Groceries, Etc.)
Totals
34
FRIENDSHIP HOUSE, INC.
P. O. BOX 1517
WILMINGTON, DE 19899
www.friendship-house.org
Business Office:
1503 W. 13th St.
Wilmington, DE 19806
PHONE (302) 652-8133
FAX (302) 652-8641
EMAIL fhroxane@aol.com
Day Centers:
Men’s Day Center
226 N. Walnut St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 652-8278
FAX: (302) 652-1372
Women’s Day Center
720 N. Orange St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 652-8033
FAX: (302) 652-7801
Men’s Emergency Shelter:
Newark Empowerment Center
69 E. Main St.
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 544-0165
Clothing Bank of Delaware:
Andrew’s Place
720 N. Orange St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 652-1940
Office and Warehouse
1603 Jessup St.
Wilmington, DE 19802
(302) 654-1390
FAX: (302) 654-1076
Transitional Housing:
Criswell Houses For Men
724 N. Madison St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
Concord House For Men
1909 Lancaster Ave.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Burton House For Men
Daughtry House For Men
1305 N Rodney St.
Wilmington, DE 19806
Epiphany House For Women
722 N. Union St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Patterson House For Women
With Children
718 N. Union St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Mark Palmer Houses for
Women With Children
1004 & 1006 N. Lincoln St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
35
Calvary Corner House for
Men
1 Boxwood Rd.
Newport, DE 19804
Jane Ashford House For
Women
720
(302)
N. Union
428 - 0St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Elizabeth House For Women
1918 W. 9th St.
Wilmington, DE 19805