SALT Outreach Mobile Drop-In Center

My name is Eric Camarillo. I started a non-profit when I was 23 as I was searching for a way to make a difference in my community. I am the President/CEO of the organization SALT Outreach. I have received my bachelors in Social Work, masters in Non-profit Management, and my CNP certification (Certified Non-profit Professional). I experienced homelessness for about 6 months in Chicago which was the result of my own stubbornness but it did help me to empathize with the homeless population. We started with providing food for them, it evolved into eventually providing clothes through a clothing trailer. We then evolved into offering haircuts and showers through a mobile shower trailer. We partner with local organizations and businesses to provide even more services and resources. An individual can come, eat a meal, take a shower, get a haircut, and get clean clothes before getting to an interview.

Homelessness is seems to be an issue that is unsolvable. On any given day there are 3,000 homeless individuals on the street in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole covering central Florida. That number is just the ones that can and are willing to be counted. In surveying the homeless we found that majority of the homeless in downtown Orlando where we serve are only able to shower once a week. Some actively looking for a job have not showered in three months. There are many programs targeting chronic homeless individuals, but hardly any providing the needs of the people before they enter chronic homelessness.

The project we have started and are proposing is to continue to provide a low barrier mobile drop-in center for the homeless to come and be fully equipped and empowered for obtaining and maintaining employment eventually transitioning to supportive, permanent housing.

Downtown Orlando does not currently have a functioning full-service day center or drop in center for the homeless population. Due to COVID-19, the only other small drop-in center is closed for an undetermined time and the other drop-in center only serves homeless individuals that can prove a mental illness. We continued to serve through the COVID-19 Pandemic supplying our staff and the homeless with proper PPE to help keep them safe. Through the drop-in center we have been able to grow and develop relationships with the homeless which has been helping us get them into databases where the homeless provider network can see what further needs they may have as well as see if they qualify for housing. A drop-in center is needed in order to truly engage the homeless and being mobile helps us to meet them where they are rather then them coming to a building. We are aiming to support the other homeless organizations getting the homeless into services and programs they need to continue on their journey to being independent.

A homeless individual comes and registers for services. We then have them wait for their shower. If they want a haircut they can get a haircut first if they choose. Right before their shower we call them up and give them underwear, socks, a shirt, pants, towel, and hygiene products. They then shower for 15 minutes in our four bathroom shower trailer. Afterward we refer them to one of our partners on site who can input them into a system where they placed in a queue for housing should they qualify. We operate three days a week from 9am to 3pm sometimes longer if needed. We are actively fundraising for a laundry trailer with eight washers and eight dryers as well as a box truck retrofitted with lockers to help them with storage as well. Our Mobile Drop-In Center will consist of three vehicles that will pull three trailers. We currently have a 15 passenger van for shuttling to and from outreach, a GMC 2500, and we need a Box Truck. We have our clothing trailer, shower trailer, and looking to get our laundry trailer. This would help us to provide all necessities for someone living on the street.

We serve those experiencing homelessness. To find out what their needs are we always conduct surveys and focus groups before our adding our next trailer or vehicle. We spent five years serving just food to about 300 homeless individuals bi-weekly as a platform to get to know them and their needs. While we do serve chronic homeless individuals we also want to support those who recently became homeless before they enter chronic homelessness. In order for the homeless to qualify for most housing programs they have to have been homeless for at least a year. For those that are capable, we provide necessary resources to them as they interview, apply, and look for work. For those that are chronically homeless we also meet their basic needs and as we develop a relationship and trust is built, they start to seek additional services. The homeless know our brand and trust us. When they know we are operating they come as we are low barrier and truly treat them as friends, calling them by name, greeting them with hugs. As times change we also evolve in the way we provide their needs, through COVID-19 we provided an abundance of masks and sanitizer.

Elevating opportunities for those left behind is the dimension that we aim to strive for. The homeless are left behind. We saw an example just recently. When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit most food shares stopped, shelters stopped taking walk ins, day centers stopped operating, the homeless who had jobs lost them, and those looking for jobs had to stop. Stay at home orders could not keep them safe since they did not have a home to go to. They were left behind. SALT Outreach being mobile and outside has allowed us the flexibility to respond in a unique way.

I had become a Christian when I was 22 years old. I saw a lack of young adults, a lack of consistent outreach, and with the consistent outreaches that were in operation I saw a lack of results. I realized that the reason young adults were leaving the church was because they didn't see the church making a real difference in the communities around them. I realized that because Christ's method of evangelism was not being emphasized, which is meeting needs and creating genuine relationships, that outreach became more of a ritual than an actual movement. I pitched an idea with two of my friends, we prayed together and came up with a name, we recruited young adults who were passionate about outreach, found them volunteers, and initially started several different outreach projects one of them being the homeless outreach. The idea was to have consistent outreach that creates a lasting impact within our communities emphasizing meeting their needs (not what we THINK their needs are, but what they tell us the needs are) and creating genuine relationships with those we serve. The homeless outreach is our largest outreach engaging volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to serve the forgotten.

I was homeless once. I tried to start a business when I was 21 in Illinois, I had $1,000 in my pocket, with a big vision that was totally unrealistic. I was planning to be in Illinois for two weeks but that turned into 6 months. I remember having to sleep in my car in the winter in Illinois, waking up to get as clean as possible in a 7-11 bathroom, putting on my suit and tie and going to Panera to meet with potential clients and candidates. I used all my money within two weeks but if I had a dollar I would buy a piece of bread at Panera and split it in two for lunch and dinner. If I didn't have any money I would rotate to different Mexican restaurants to eat the free chips you get before your meal and leave right after. I look back and learned a lot about myself at that time, the love of money had blinded me. I have experienced homelessness and I know what it is like. I can relate to them. I can empathize with them. It really could be anyone and can happen at anytime.

I have been told I have a high emotional IQ. I can show empathy and feel what people are feeling. With my past experience of being homeless, with having taken in two different homeless individuals to help them to get back on their feet, I believe I understand them and can really relate to them. I ended up getting my bachelors in social work which helped to sharpen my ability to show empathy, connect them with resources, and empower them to accomplish their goals. My certification as a Certified Non-Profit Professional and my Masters in Non-Profit Management has taught me how to manage and run my own non-profit organization in every aspect. Along with my graduate certificate in Fundraising it has been helping us to grow our capacity by developing new channels for funding. We have been volunteer run from 2011 all the way through to February of 2020. We have had at least 150 different volunteer young adult leaders come through our organization at one time having as much as 35 at one time. I have had to learn leadership the hard way but overtime I have learned how to appreciate, empower, and motivate our leaders to be the best they can be and to sue their talents for God and their community. The experience of dealing with conflicts and the many situations that comes with dealing with young adults has also made me a stronger leader today. Growth never ends and I am prepared to continue learning.

I took in a homeless friend of mine. I knew him from the street and would meet for lunch and I got to know him. One day he called me from the hospital. He had a stroke. The flap that opens and closes on top of your lung when you eat stayed open. So when he would eat or drink he would cough uncontrollably. I visited him in the hospital a few times and he was let out, in my opinion, prematurely in winter. Florida winters do not have snow but I remember that winter to be pretty cold. I did not believe he would survive on his own so I spoke to my roommates and we set up a room in the back of the house. My roommates reluctantly agreed. Michael had business equipment in storage for printing T-Shirts and graphic design from before. We took it out of storage after about a month and to empower him we searched for clients together. His first check was about $1,000! What was supposed to be one month turned into three, then six, and eventually one year. It wasn't easy but he continued to grow his client based eventually moving out!

I remember in September of 2012, at our one year anniversary event, we had 850 people from all over Florida wanting to be a part of SALT Outreach or start one where they live. At this time we had about 20 leaders. I had to rely on google and youtube in the beginning to learn how to run a non-profit. What we were lacking at that time was structure, I knew I had to really focus in on developing structure or we could potentially lose our momentum. I was working as a dental assistant at this time. I did a crazy thing and quit my job. The dentists I worked for asked me how I would make money and I didn't have an answer for them. I felt a strong conviction from God that this is what I had to do. So I quit and for six months I didn't have a job. I focused on SALT and on school. God somehow provided for my needs without any money coming from the non-profit. I believe in SALT outreach, in our mission and vision, and taking that time to develop myself I implemented the structure needed for SALT to properly function.

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Drop-In Centers for the homeless is usually a building. As far as we know we are the only organization aspiring to be a full functioning mobile drop-in center. A well respected donor of ours went to visit a day center that is a multi-million dollar operation and asked what the biggest challenge was. The response was that they cannot move. Day centers and drop-in centers are dependent on the homeless coming to them. We can go to them where they are or wherever they congregate to initiate those relationships. Overhead is lower and with volunteers we can keep labor costs low. What makes this an amazing concept is with less than $200,000 any one can have the equipment they need to run this concept. The beautiful thing about drop-in centers is it provides basic needs to deepen relationships which in turn leads to the homeless being transitioned to other services and resources and eventually to housing. We have a partnership with the Homeless Services Network where they come out bi-weekly and we refer those that we create relationships to them to get them in line for housing programs. We have already seen some of our friends on the street already get notified that they will be moving into housing soon! It being outside helps it to be lower barrier than a building, makes disease harder to spread (like COVID-19), and makes it more attractive for the homeless to come accept services so we are able to collect that data.

I attended a meeting recently with Barbara Pope who studied homelessness in nine US cities and published issue briefs on her findings. Her findings indicated for long term outcomes front lines homeless services play a critical role in building, "human-centered solutions to homelessness." The article continues to say that,"Effective outreach is critical to locating, engaging, and building relationships and trust among people in unsheltered situations." This includes service providers like us. A key is that we need to continue to work with the coalition of organizations here in the city for our efforts to have long term effects on homelessness. We have established those relationships and are working closely with the advisor to the mayor on homelessness, Lisa Portelli, to make sure we are well positioned to support the ongoing efforts of the city and other organizations. The city actually provided funding to us during COVID-19 to increase our frequency of outreach days and to make sure we are able to provide all the necessities during this time.

The way our services plays a key role in ending homelessness is by finding, attracting, and engaging the homeless population. Every time someone shows up for services we register and enter them into the Homeless Information Management System (HMIS) which is run and monitored by the Homeless Services Network. We create and deepen the relationship with the homeless and then refer them to the other organizations that can further help them. On site we have the Homeless Services Network that comes twice a week and we refer our friends over to them (Coordinated Entry Specialists) to get in line for housing programs.

We have found that 20% of those that we serve have never been served at another homeless organization and are new to the HMIS system. We also found that some homeless individuals that would just come for food, will after a few weeks decide to actually shower, we are hoping that as we build trust that they will accept the referral to be put into the Coordinated Entry system which gets them in line for housing!

We started to operate three days per week in mid March. We were able to serve up until this point close to 600 unique individuals, providing about 2,500 showers over about 3 months, or at least 10,000 shower annually. On a daily basis we serve 60 to 80 on Tuesday and Thursday and 90 to 110 on Sunday. In one year we estimate having our complete drop-in center operational which includes showers, clothing, hygiene products, haircuts, storage, laundry, transportation, and adding case management. We are also hoping to have our drop-in center operating 6 days a week which would double our numbers. If one fifth of our clients are new to the system every month we are looking at serving at least 2,000 unique homeless individuals per year providing approximately 20,000 showers per year. With the COVID-19 Coronavirus we believe homelessness will just continue to increase. One article from the Los Angeles Times estimates a 45% increase in homelessnessdue to the Pandemic. We believe in one year we would have helped support 100 individuals move into housing.

Our goal is to expand to every major city that needs a drop-in center or additional drop-in center services. In 5 years we estimate that we will be in at least 10 major cities. We estimate we will be serving at that time 20,000 unique individuals per year and provide approximately 200,000 showers per year. We believe we would be able to help support at least 1,000 people move into housing.

In one year we would need to have raised at least $80,000 for the remaining box truck and laundry trailer and at least an additional $200,000 to run for a full year at 5 days per week combined with in-kind donations. We would need to hire two additional staff people with one of them being a case manager for diversion services. We would then be able to serve 2,000 unique individuals in a year, providing 20,000 showers, 10,000 loads of laundry, and at least 2,000 haircuts. As a result, we are hoping to help support moving at least 100 homeless individuals into permanent supportive housing.

In 5 years we would have 10 fully operational drop-in centers in 10 different cities. We believe this would result in us serving 20,000 unique individuals in a year, providing 200,000 showers, 100,000 loads of laundry, and 20,000 haircuts. As a result, we are hoping to support moving 1,000 homeless individuals into permanent supportive housing. This would require about $2,000,000 a year in operational expenses and a one time $2,000,000 investment to purchase all the equipment. We would have at least 60 employees.

Most grassroots organizations that serve the homeless seem to just fizzle out. All homeless organizations seem to fight for the same funding which leaves the underdog grassroots organization to fend for themselves. We have a strong base of private donors which come mostly from the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Seventh Day Adventists usually donate to health and evangelistic related causes. Myself being a Seventh Day Adventist Christian was able to tap into the church as we seem to be the only non-profit among the millions of Adventists in the US serving the homeless. We created an opportunity for Adventists to give to help those who are homeless. However, in order for us to get to the next level we need to find at least a one time funding source that the other organizations are not already tapping into. Once we are a full equipped drop-in center then we can tap into city funding, state funding, and can show an even deeper impact.

I believe once we get there we can continue to show the value we bring to the table as a mobile drop-in center which will also help us in duplicating our master copy. I do believe that to reach our 5 year goal we will need to have developed a more sustainable source of income. We will need to start a business to generate income. Currently when our shower trailer is not in use we rent it out for public events and outreach events.

To overcome the first barrier for initial funding we are heavily looking to get corporate sponsors. They will give a donation to be a sponsor on our trailer. The money we receive from that will help us to purchase the additional equipment and help us with ongoing operational expenses. I am also applying for different grants that seem to be targeted more toward grassroots organizations as a way to help build our capacity. We will continue working with the city to see if there are future funding opportunities there to cover operational costs so we can use the other income and donations we receive to help obtain the rest of the equipment, to help with future operational costs, and to help fund future business endeavors to create consistent income. Hiring a development director will be a key first step in helping to build capacity.

To start a business we will need to pick the brains of business leaders in the city, and seek advice from trusted and skilled advisors. There are many directions we could go but we want to make sure that we are  responsible with how we invest our money and that we invest in a business model that will work. We are building an advisory board that can help with this aspect as we know this is going to be key to our future growth and expansion goals to be able to serve more people.

1. Homeless Services Network - We use the Homeless Management Information System to help gather data of the homeless we serve and they also bring their coordinated entry team bi-weekly to get those that we serve in the list for housing programs.
2. Project ID - Project ID helps to provide identification, social security cards, and birth certificates to those who have lost it.
3. The Florida Health Department - They provide Hepatitis A vaccines for the homeless population as this has been a huge outbreak among the homeless.
4. Hope & Help - They provide STD screenings for our friends on site.
5. Essential Eye Care - Provides reading glasses to the homeless and once a month agreed to help with prescription glasses for one individual.
6. Bombas Socks - Provides us free socks for the homeless.
7. Clean the World - Helps to provide us hygiene products.
8. The Hilton Orlando - Provided rooms for two of our employees during the COVID-19 pandemic so our staff could rest easy knowing they were not potentially putting their family at home at risk after their shift.
9. Orlando Utility Commission - Provided solar panels on our shower trailer so we could be completed mobile
10. First United Methodist Church, Orland Central Seventh Day Adventist Church, Lake Buena Vista Seventh Day Adventist Church, and Harvest Baptist all partner with us as they allow us to use their location and their amenities.
11. Food Not Bombs, the Islamic Center of Orlando, and Who is Hussain help provide food for outreaches.

Etc.

The model is made up of three vehicles that can each tow a trailer, three trailers, 5 staff members (one of them a case manager for diversion services), and on site at the very least having the local homeless service provider who can link the homeless to housing programs. The three vehicles is a box truck, a 12 to 15 passenger van, and a pick up truck. The three trailers are a shower/bathroom trailer, a clothing/hygiene trailer, and a laundry trailer. Ideally, we would need a location with a hose hook up and black water dumping sewage access. The provides the major elements of a normal drop in center with the difference being that this is mobile and we can meet the homeless where they are.

Attached is a document which outlines our mobile drop-in center when it is complete and what we are working toward (does not include staffing but includes details of equipment, services, results, and housing strategies):

SALT Drop-In Center Vision Overview

1. Our current revenue comes from private donors through online and social media (This will account for about $100,000 this year, this includes a membership program which involves donors giving consistently on a monthly basis).
2. Grants (I currently just started applying to grants, this accounts for $18,100 so far this year)
3. City Funding (This currently accounts for about $81,500 so far this year)
4. Renting out shower trailer when not in use for events (such as weddings and other events with limited access to bathrooms and outreach events. This so far accounts for about $10,000)
5. Corporate Sponsorship (Renting space on trailers for corporations to add their logos in exchange for impressions from our trailers being on the road and outside during outreach, advertising on our social media platforms, special spot on our website explaining their business/corporation. This accounts for about $5,000 this year and $10,000 last year)
6. Donating Cars (A website where people can donate their vehicles and their vehicles will get picked up and sold where we get 80% of the earnings. So far this accounts for about $500 this year.)
7. Churches (I speak at churches for a donation for the non-profit and/or offerings from the congregation, last year this amounted to about $5,000, this year has been slow due to Pandemic have not been able to use this as an income source this year.)
8. We will be working on a thrift store with a unique concept to help generate income due to the amount of donated clothing we can't use.

1. Orlando Utilities Commission - $10,000 - Corporate Sponsorship - 11/20/2019
2. Strengthen Orlando, inc. - $6,600 - Grant - 03/18/2020
3. City of Orlando - $81,393 - Hired us to operate in the city for homeless - 4/10/2020
4. Construction Company (preferred to be anonymous) - $5,000 - 11/08/19
5. Florida Conference of SDA - $4,800 - Grant - 11/07/2019
6. Well Care - $900 - Corporate Sponsor - 03/30/2020
7. Council of South Pinellas, Inc - $1,034.90; $1,034.90; $1,001.40; $753.65; $753.65 - income from renting trailer - 05/05/2020; 05/11/2020; 05/26/2020; 06/09/2020; 06/24/2020
8. Universal Orlando Foundation - $1,500 - Grant - 06/24/2020
9. Orange County Safety Grant -$10,000 - Grant - received award letter in February - this is a reimbursement grant which was postponed due to COVID-19
10. Economic Injury Disaster Loan - $33,900 - Debt - 06/17/2020

The rest is mainly private donations through online channels including social media

Our goal is to raise at least an additional $80,000 to add the box truck and the laundry trailer, and to raise at least the full operating expenses for next year which is $200,000. We will be seeking this through our own income with renting trailers, online fundraising, grants, and governmental support.

Expected expenses for 2020 are estimated to be about $125,000. We started operating three days a week in mid march and are expecting to run through the end of the year at three days a week at the very least.

The Elevate Prize money could help us to getting the remaining equipment needed for the mobile drop-in center and provide funding for one full year. As I mentioned before there is competition for funding for homeless services in any city, Orlando included. Having a funding source outside of that will allow us break through that ceiling giving us a platform to really take things to the next level. Professional management and development services are needed since we have a young board and a young leadership team. Guidance from experts in their respective fields will equip us to grow our own capacity. We have not been able to create as much awareness as we would like to the idea of this mobile drop-in center. With a tailored media and marketing campaign we could potentially build a huge following from all over the world to help us accomplish our vision of multiplying this in every major city that needs it.

I am currently working full time as a senior long term disability specialist with the Hartford. I believe with the additional funding it will help me to be able to quit my job and transition full time into the organization. Throughout the life of the organization I have led it while working, sometimes multiple jobs, majority of the time while I also was in school. I believe me going full time can also greatly increase the capacity of the organization.

1. Funding and revenue model -We recognize that we need to develop a business model that can generate consistent revenue, we will need support in developing this.
2. Talent recruitment - We recognize for sustained success we need on staff a development director and marketing director.
3. Mentorship and/or coaching - I do not have a mentor, but I truly desire one. Having a dedicated mentor or coach can help me to challenge myself and grow even faster.
4. Board members or advisors - We are currently in the process of building an advisory board but we want to find advisory board members that align with our values and are passionate about the cause.
5. Legal or regulatory matters - We have been looking for a good non-profit lawyer so ask for advice as we continue to grow.
6. Monitoring and evaluation
7. Marketing, media, and exposure - This is needed to gain more public support

None come to mind that we have not already reached out to but as I learn about and see more organizations I will continue to reach out to them for potential partnerships to further the cause!