From Concept to Practice

By: Hannah Kim

How do we plan on taking our Homeless Sponsorship Idea from concept to practice in the next few weeks?

Here are some of the steps our group needs to take in the next few weeks to devise a more detailed implementation plan for our novel solution:

• Further secondary research on giving circle examples and best practices from around the world
• Further analysis of the financial and human resources required to make our solution run smoothly and sustainably for the long term (i.e. 5 – 10 years, not 1 – 2 years)
• Contact Hope for Freedom Society: Ask for outreach workers’ input on criteria for selecting the most appropriate homeless clients for our program, as well as their ability to manage any tenant issues once clients are housed
  • Also verify concrete number of candidates who would fit selection criteria
• Contact local banks like and Tri-Cities mayors and discuss whether mortgage rate, property tax, and utilities payment discounts (respectively) for giving circle investors are feasible
• Follow up with Dave Teixeira (Dave.ca Communications), Coquitlam Alliance Church, and Tri-Cities realtors to verify whether potential homeless sponsors (e.g. giving circle investors and donors for rent subsidies) and support service volunteers can actually be identified
• Answer tough questions, such as the ones posed by Coquitlam Alliance Church and Tri-Cities Homelessness Task Group:
  • What if client does not get a job by the end of 12 months, and further is not self-sustainable by the end of 2 years?
  • How long must donors and investors commit to this cause?
  • Exactly how will we mobilize People and Capital to manage any tenant issues, attract and retain investors, manage investment funds, liaise with external partners, and take care of other administrative duties to run our program?

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