THE ROAD HOME
Butler helped launch The Road Home's HousingWorks Employment Plan, a pilot program that experiments with innovative methods of providing employment services to formerly chronically homeless individuals who live in permanent supportive housing. By bringing together a wide range of public and private agencies to collaborate across systems, this partnership helps to create a "culture of employment" among both clients and various service providers. Initial results show that the pilot generated jobs, increased access to supportive services, and provided evidence that "everyone is employable" if the right programs and supports are in place. Results and learning are being shared around the country.
BAYAUD ENTERPRISES
Butler invested in efforts by Bayaud Enterprises to improve and expand work opportunities available for homeless people and low-income veterans in the Denver, CO metropolitan area. Through extensive collaboration with service providers, private employers, and public agencies, Bayaud introduced a successful program to employ individuals who have experienced homelessness and poverty. Collaboration between public and private partners is key to the program. Bayaud also plays a leadership role in the seven county regional initiatives to boost employment for this population.
NEW CITY KITCHEN
Butler was an early funder of the New City Kitchen project, a social enterprise that provides training and employment placement to people who have been homeless. Based in Portland, OR, New City Kitchen is a partnership that draws together the collective strengths of the faith community and the nonprofit sector to train clients for work in commercial kitchens. Trainees gain hands-on experience, coaching from employment specialists, and job placement assistance. A key element to the success of the program is the cultivation of collaborative relationships with potential employers and the ability to connect the trainees directly with employers.
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE
We support the Center for Community Change ("CCC") as part of a focused strategy to increase funding for affordable housing. A housing trust fund is dedicated public revenue for affordable/low income housing. CCC's Housing Trust Fund Project provides intensive technical assistance to advocacy campaigns around the country and works with campaigns to implement their housing trust funds. Housing trust funds support hundreds of thousands of affordable homes each year. For each dollar that a housing trust fund invests in affordable housing, about another $7.00-$10.00 are leveraged from other public and private resources. In 2011-2012, seven new housing trust funds were created (plus nine in Massachusetts Community Preservation Act communities) and more than $244 million in revenues were added to housing trust funds.
LONDON CITIZENS
Butler was a seed funder for London Citizens Affordable Housing Campaign, dedicated to ensuring access to permanently affordable housing in the British capital's poorest boroughs. London Citizens – the UK's largest and most diverse community alliance, with over 140 social institutions in membership – was chosen in 2012 to establish the UK's first ever urban Community Land Trust in London's east end. Butler's support has enabled London Citizens advocacy to organize local residents, identify a site, bring together like-minded developers and architects, and engage with the site owners over the transfer of land for ownership by the local community. London Citizens will look to replicate the model across east London, as a way of ensuring a permanent legacy of affordable housing across the land that will be opened up from the Olympic Games.
BREAD FOR THE CITY
We have been privileged to support Bread for the City, a multi-faceted non-profit based in Washington DC. Bread is well known for its high quality comprehensive services and strong advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged populations. Butler grants have invested in the legal advocacy to help people retain safe and affordable housing. Our funds have supported job readiness programs for individuals who need assistance to develop skills to compete in the job market. Butler has also invested in Bread's efforts to train citizen advocates to organize for social change in their communities.