Homes First 2019 Annual Impact Report

AN NUA L I M PA CT REPORT 2019

VISION

Vibrant communities where everyone has a safe and healthy home they can afford, so that they have hope for a better future.

MISSION

Homes First creates and maintains safe, healthy, affordable rental homes for those who need them most.

HOMES FIRST STAFF 2019 Top Row: Trudy Soucoup, Jena Embry Loes, Amy Sewell, Shannon Michlitsch Bottom Row row: Ron Stewart, Dyana Todd, Keith Garlinghouse, Felly Giorgianni 2 - Homes Fi r st

GETTING READY TO CELEBRATE THE 30 TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOMES FIRST 2020 marks the 30th Anniversary of Homes First. For three decades, we have provided safe and healthy homes that our neighbors can afford; that’s the equivalent length of a conventional home mortgage!

As the need in the community has grown, Homes First has grown, and that’s because of you and your investments.

In 2019, we added three new homes to our portfolio and are managing two new homes for the City of Lacey and the City of Tumwater. We now manage 46 scattered-site properties and serve more than 275 very low income people every year.

Over the past 30 years, Homes First served more than 5,000 people. Our tenants are those who have the hardest time finding and retaining a home. Many are single parents with children, youth, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, people in recovery, as well as people who just need a reliable landlord who treats them with dignity and respect.

In 2019, we embarked on a partnership with Merritt Manor, a new 82-unit family apartment complex aimed specifically at

providing affordable housing opportunities to families considered the ‘working poor.’

They are working hard to get ahead—and an affordable place to live is the first step in that direction.

The Homes First Tenant Services Navigator helps all of our tenants connect with community resources when life throws challenges their way. It can make all the difference to have a person who cares about your wellbeing working with you toward a better future.

It’s only with your support that Homes First can provide stable, affordable homes for individuals and families who need them most in our community. Asking for help isn’t easy. No one wants to be in crisis. With your continued support, you can ease a burden.

With you, we can help another family in need. You can help a parent protect their child from the struggles of poverty. Together, we can house the people in our community who are struggling to survive every day.

- Trudy Soucoup CEO - Amal Noor Joury Board President 2019 A n n ua l I m pa c t Rep ort - 3

HOUSING CHA L L ENG E S The issue of affordable housing has become a particularly urgent one throughout the United States in the past few years, especially as it has been revealed that there is no city in the region where minimum wage can pay for a two-bedroom apartment. And this is before considering things like addiction recovery, mental health recovery, and those with developmental disabilities.

While there has been more attention paid and organizations devoted to combating this pressing issue, Homes First has been working tirelessly on it for almost 30 years. The motivation for our founding goes back as far as the 1950s, and we are now a successful example both of activism and idealism for a good cause and the reality and practicality for the need for funding. Our model shows that the two do not have to be, and should never be, mutually exclusive.

Homes First’s approach to providing safe, healthy, and affordable homes builds community and provides generational affordable homes in a scattered site program that is sustainable.

Brian D. & Family, Home First Tenants.

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TODAY At the end of the day, the goal of Homes First is to make a difference in the lives of people: those with developmental disabilities, veterans, single adults, families, independent youth, and people in recovery from addiction.

Homes First strives to make the south Puget Sound region a place where everyone can live and prosper. Homes First’s core values--respect, dignity, equity, personal responsibility, partnerships, and community, as well as the belief that all important aspects of life begin in the home--drive everything they do.

In addition to helping individuals, Homes First also helps revitalize neighborhoods and helps create real communities, which is both good for business and for people. Our goals of creating and maintaining homes, supporting tenants, and building safe communities, accomplishes all three of these aims. Individuals who enter Homes First homes are able to get on their feet, perhaps for the first time, they are able to save up to improve their lives, which in turn benefits the entire area. Homes First is a living, breathing example that helping people directly helps communities.

But despite all of the success Homes First has had, we know there is more to be done, especially with the growing crisis of housing affordability in Washington State.

Homes First simply can’t help everyone in need, and is forced to turn away more than 800 requests for homes each year.

This is why donations are more crucial than ever, and why success stories are the best way to connect with our community.

And like a good activist organization, our work is never done and the ideas for how to help even more people never stop. Innovation is how Homes First was founded and how we will continue to change the conversation around ‘the right way’ to provide housing.

2019 A n n u a l I m pa c t Rep ort - 5

VA LUES BEGI N AT HOM E RESPECT:

Instead of judging people by their past, stand by them and help them build their future.

Treat them with respect and value the work it has taken for them to survive.

DIGNITY:

Show each tenant that they are valued and worthy of being treated well, regardless of their past history.

EQUITY:

When we approach each tenant with a lens to what they need individually to be successful, they can believe that we want the best for them. They will also better understand our expectations and the outcomes.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:

Life is full of choices. Some are made for us and some we make for ourselves. We encourage tenants to choose to be the creator of their own destiny, seek solutions, and take positive actions so they can find and retain a home.

We work to empower people to make life sustaining choices.

PARTNERSHIPS:

Rather than being the answer to all our tenants’ needs, we seek to partner with other groups to ‘share the load’. Community partnerships include the formal and informal community connections, collaborative projects, and relationships that address tenants needs and goals.

COMMUNITY:

Building ongoing long-term relationships with organizations which complement our program and meet the needs of our tenants is a powerful community development strategy.

It makes a network of services to make our community stronger.

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Volunteers from 1998 hard at work landscaping at one of our homes.

With founding Executive Director, Mary Ann Swain, Back row left

T H A N K YO U TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to the following individuals who gave their time to support the operations of our office and to make our Heroes for Housing breakfast fundraiser run smoothly:

Thank you to the following individuals who gave their time to support the operations of our office, our ability to better share our stories:

Kim Cadoo

Val Gerst

Josefina Magana

Drew Cassidy

Troy Kirby

Anthony Taing

Colin Davis

Bruce Livingston

Celeste Wade

Gery Gerst

Valerie Gerst Nicole Glotzer

GROUP VOLUNTEERS Big thanks to the many groups who help us maintain our homes and assist our disabled tenants with keeping their yards beautiful: JBLM 627th Air Base Unit Keller Williams Red Day Group Saint Martin’s University Students

Thurston County Realtors The Coho Group of Windermere Agents WSECU Employees

Cheryl Hanks Michele Horaney Dyana Todd

You can also find Homes First on VolunteerMatch.com Want to join our team? volunteer@homesfirst.org

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C OMMUN I T Y F U N DR AIS ING I NI TIATI VES We are so grateful for the community members and groups who chose to support Homes First’s mission by hosting their own fundraising events either live or on social media in 2019. Your initiative made it possible for Homes First to be a little more innovative in our approach to solving the housing crisis! Let’s do it again in 2020!

2 0 1 9 FAC E B O O K F U N D R A I S E R S

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DA N C E TO M A K E A D I F F E R E N C E E V E N T “The Dance to Make a Difference (DTMD) program connects our dance community to local charities, so they can help make a difference for those in need. At a time when the homeless population has grown so quickly, with many local governments struggling to find long term solutions, Homes First provides a direct solution to the top reason given for the rise in homelessness: lack of affordable housing. Every tenant who has a home is a tenant who is better able to support themselves and work towards independence from public assistance. Extending a helping hand helps others help themselves. That is what Homes First does. That is what our DTMD program is all about.�

- Loanne Dang, DTMD Organizer 2019 A n n ua l I m pa c t Rep ort - 9

F I N A NC I A L S AN ADDITIONAL 22 PEOPLE RECEIVED HOMES THROUGH HOMES FIRST IN 2019, BRINGING OUT ANNUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED TO 277 PER YEAR!

2019 INCOME $1,889,286

A

Property Purchases - 43% $804,820

B

Property Expenses - 38% $709,848

C

Admin Staff - 12% $235,083

A

Public Funds for Acquisition & Rehab - 46% $876,140

B

Rental Income - 45% $854,771

C

Events & Fundraising - 7% $137,275

D

Grants - 1% $21,100

2019 EXPENSE $1,889,286

- 6% D Operations $111,198

E

Fundraising - 1% $28,337 Net Assets: $1,430,053 as of 12.31.2019

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Representative only.

Not audited financial statement.

LE GA C Y GI VI NG You can plan to make a gift of cash, stocks, or real property to Homes First and establish a Legacy Gift of homes to your community. It is a great way to preserve your values, inspire others around you to give, and forever leave your mark on a community that has been a big part of your life. When you make a donation of real estate to Homes First, you won’t have capital gains exposure because you’re gifting—not selling—the property; this means your charitable gift, and your tax deduction as well, will be maximized.

HERE’S HOW DONATING A HOME TO HOMES FIRST WORKS IN THREE EASY STEPS: 1 . T E L L U S A B O U T YO U R P R O P E RT Y We will work with you to gather all the details and documents we’ll need to start the donation process. Call us to get started.

2 . W E W I L L D O A S TA N DA R D P R O P E R T Y REVIEW Upon the receipt of all documents and information, we will work with you to run a standard review, including title search, tax and lien search and environmental violations search to determine if we can accept your home as a charitable donation.

3 . W E ’ L L D O T H E PA P E RWO R K A N D S E N D T H E C L O S I N G D O C U M E N T S F O R YO U TO SIGN We’ll ensure the closing documents get to you for signing. Your title company will take care of the deed transfer and recording, notifying all necessary state and municipality authorities to complete the transfer. We will take over all taxes, maintenance and insurance responsibilities, and send you a tax-deductible receipt.

For more information: Shannon Michlitsch, CFRE openingdoors@homesfirst.org • 360-236-0920 x250

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GROWTH THROUGH THE YEARS

Founding Board of Directors & staff.

First House BEFORE

AFTER

Growth of Homes First Over 30 Years

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Board member Chris Lowell and Founding Board Chair Billie Heath,1992

PROVIDING AFFORDABLE RENT

Volunteers building a house in 2002

Heroes for Housing Fundraiser

Homes First Tenants

Homes First Rent Versus HUD Fair Market 2019

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HOW YOU C A N HEL P CONTRIBUTIONS Annual Pledge with Auto Monthly Pay Check/Cash , 019 e In 2 rs gav Online Giving e e nt s of volu 0 hour Legacy Giving 1,30 ervice s Workplace Giving r@ ntee Combined volu first.org es e Fund Drive hom ontribut C o t Bequests Memorials Stock Property

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Heroes for Housing Breakfast Landscape Support Advisory Committees Tabling at Events/Outreach Administrative Support Tenant Newsletter Editor Painting Support All Trades needed to help turn properties into homes

D O N AT E SUPPLIES/TOOLS Air Compressor Air Hose Chop Saw Finish Nail Gun(s) Skill Saw Small Table Saw Storage Sheds

Want to support our work? donate@homesfirst.org

“I volunteer for Homes First because I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to live in safe, affordable housing. Homes First provides this opportunity to many people in need.�

- Skip Thompson 14 - Homes Fi r st

D ONORS With much gratitude we want to give a heart-felt thanks for your support: A and R Solar SPC

Melody Borcherding

Amazon Smile

Bruce Botka

Paul Gamble and Jeri Van Dyk

Ivy Bowers

Carolyn Cox

Karen Fraser

Linda Crabtree

Laura Frawley

Cameron Daniels

Mark Furman

Gail Dahlhoff

Jose Galvan

Tina Davis

Steve Garrett

Juana Alcala

Dianne Brandstetter

Richard P Allen

Tim Braniff

Myra Davis

Christine Garst

Meggan Anderson

Bron’s Automotive

Barb Davis

Tonya Gebbeb

Annette Deines

Marny Bright

Allison Dellwo

Val and Gery Gerst

Jennifer CallenPresley

Dusti Demarest

Sheryl Apte Association of Washington Cities Logan Bahr

Kay Caromile

Olympia Federal Savings

Melanie Bakala

Krosbie Carter

Mitch Dietz

Dawn Baker

Cash & Carry Smart Foods

Kate Dixon

Maggie Balagot Andrea Ballard Bruce Batson Lois Beck Beth Becker David and Kathleen Bellefeuille-Rice Stacie Belman Alyssa Benson Daniel Berner Susan Bieker Larry Blume Susan Lawson and Bob Swanson Theresa Bobzien Herinckx Mary Lou Boles

Beth Doglio

Shannon Glenn Howard Goldberg and Marcia David Kevin Gordham Gray Graham

Barb Dorcy

Jeannine and Ronald Granberg

Myra Downing

Kelly Green

Craig Chance

Carmina Drummer

Dustin Greene

Jane Chapman

Susan Dubuisson

Natalie Child

Shawana Dutton

Carolyn Guinotte

Kandice Clark

Robert Edington

Loretta Clark

Gary Edwards

Debra Clemens

Neil Falkenburg

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

Gail Feagans

Kathleen Casper Brian Cassidy Donald Chalmers

Nancy Connery DeAnn Conway Thomasina Cooper

Fred Finn First United Methodist Church Ann Flannigan Don and Margaret Foran

Jeannie Gruber Karen Hall Cynthia Halstead Shy-Anne Haney Cheryl Hanks and Seldon Hall Elizabeth and Richard Hauser Leah Hawtin Amy Head Mark Hegg Tonya Hennen

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D ONORS Margo McEwen and Woody Hill

Susan Hettinger

Suzi Justin

Lehnis

Maureen Hill

Danille Kettel

Legacy Plumbing

Christine Hoffmann

Kristen Kilgore

Betty Lochner

Jeanette and Melvin McKague

Vicki Lynch Kimball

Dawn Lord

Gary Mersereau

Denise Luikart

Michelle Mewhinney-Angel

Hometown Property Management Cameron Hunt John Hutchings Jacquelyn Jacobs Peggy and Jay Jamerson Michael Jameson Christina Janis Costco Cathy Johnson Dave Johnson Michael Jones Nathaniel Jones Amal Joury

Melanie Kincaid Kandy King Mark Kitabayashi

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

Kroger

Rob Machalek

Michael and Cheryl Micheletti

Dani Madrone

Scott Michie

Pete Kmet

Doug Mah

Sam Mitchell

William Knight

Thomas Malone

MOD Pizza

Jon and Karen Kooiker

Katie McVay Mangino

Alexis Miller

Zach Kosturos

Michael Mason

Barb Lantz

Heather Maxfield

Jan Lauter

Kathy and Mike McCormick

Alan and Jane MountjoyVenning

Jennie McDonald

Omey Nandyal

Martin McElliott

Shawna Naslund

Keith KloveeSmith

Marcy LaViollette Amy Leneker David and Jane

Roxanne Moulton

Jason Needham Kai Neizman

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D ONORS The Nelson Team LLC Carl Nelson Peggy Nelson Eddie Nelson Network For Good Dave Nicandri Miles Nowlin OBEE Credit Union Olympia Downtown Alliance Olympia Federal Savings Olympia Master Builders Renee Oram

Drew Phillips

Shana Osmer

Pat Pieroni

Nichole Ossa

Juan Pineda

Jaycie Osterberg

Miguel Pineda

Carolyn Othieno

Dudley and Marianne Pitchford

Michael OtterJohnson Leslie Owen Leslie Panowicz Marianne Partlow Dave Pearsall Ken Pekola Kathryn Perciful Nate Peters Sandra Peters Phillips Burgess LLC

Lisa Poundstone Port Blakely Cynthia Pratt Marjorie Price Providence Health & Services Ralph’s Thriftway

Kim Young & Kathy Baros Friedt Rickman Dallas Roberts Donna and Gergen Robinson Ann Rockway Aaron Rodriguez Jeannine Roe Karen Romanelli Tim Rudloff Lillian and Douglas Ryan Noreen Ryckman

Kathy Randich

Allison Savin

Karen RemyAnderson

Beth Schluter Charlie Schneider

Katherine

Cheryl Selby

Amy Sewell Herbie and Suzy Sewell Logan Shaw Linda Smith Maxine Smith Karen Smith R. Peggy Smith Peri Smith Michael Smith John Snaza Mary Soehnlen Trudy Soucoup Sparkuhl

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DONORS Beverly Vincent Deborah and Lex Vinsel Steven Vocke Nichole Wachtman Corinne Watts Diane Weeden Dan and Mary Weiss Aram Wheeler Joellen Wilhelm Robert Williams Teena Williams Steven (Skip) Thompson Enterprises LLC.

Lisa Thompson

Kevin Sparks

Harriet Strasberg

Scott Spence

South Puget Sound Carpenters, Local 129

Keith Stahley James Stanton III Hallee Starborn Michael Steadman Ronnie Stewart

Studio West Dance Booster Club Meghan Sullivan

Dyana Todd Rae Anne Toth Jon Tunheim Steve Tupper Heidi and Tony Usibellis United Way of Stanislaus County

Courtney Williams Sue Wise Lynn Wofford Corinn Wohl Kristy Woodford WSECU Shelle Young Kim Young Mikel and Jo Ann Young Trevor Zandell

Eileen Swarthout

Venables Pest Management

Cyndi and Jerome Zechmann

Stephanie Stocker

Wendy Tanner

Karen Verner

Lynda Zeman

Monica Taylor

Elyse Villanueva

Stormans INC

Linda Terry

Linda VillegasBremer

Darren and Julie Zemanek

Diane Stiles

StoryOly

Every effort has been made to list everyone who has donated, sponsored, volunteered and gave in-kind. If we have missed your name or made an error, please let us know at openingdoors@homesfirst.org.

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SPONSORS & IN-KIND DONORS A& R Solar Academy Mortgage Amazon Smile Association of WA Cities Bron’s Automotive Cabinets by Trivonna Chehalis Indian Tribe CoHo Team Windermere Community 1st CU (Generations) Community Foundation of South Puget Sound Costco Wholesale Evergreen Home Loans First United Methodist Church

Greene Realty Giving Fund Guild Mortgage Haggens foods Heffernan Foundation Henderson Law Group Heritage Bank Kroger Legacy Plumbing Lifespan construction, Inc Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd Media Marketing INKIND Mod Pizza Obee Credit Union Olympia Downtown Association

Olympia Federal Savings Olympia Master Builders Panorama PNW Carpenters Port Blakely Prime Locations Providence Health Smart Foods SPSCC Squaxin Island Tribe Stormans Story Oly

Studio West Dance Booster Club the Norcliffe Foundation Thriftway TwinStar Credit Union Venables Inc Washington Federal Foundation Winco Foods WSECU

Special thanks to our founding partner:

Want to be a sponsor?

Email us at sponsor@homesfirst.org

GRANTS City of Olympia Heffernan Insurance Brokers Squaxin Island Tribe

Target The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

Thurston County The Tulalip Tribe

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YOU HAV E T HE P O WE R TO C H A NG E L I VES HOST AN OPENING DOORS PROGRAM Invite your colleagues, friends, family, neighbors, or faith group friends to a one-hour presentation of the Homes First Mission. The presentation can be held at your place of work or worship, your home, a coffee shop or restaurant or at the Homes First office.This is NOT a fundraiser and we do NOT ask for money but is our way to have the community know us better.

MEMBER OF A CLUB OR CIVIC GROUP? Connect us with them and we would be happy to speak at one of their meetings to share our mission and community impact.

C O N TA C T Shannon Michlitsch to select a convenient date for you.

360.915.8176 openingdoors@homesfirst.org 2 0 - Homes Fi r st

S AV E T H E DAT E 7 TH ANNUAL

HEROES FOR HOUSING WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

BREAKFAST: 7:45 a.m.

PROGRAM: 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

The Capital Event Center at ESD 113 6005 Tyee Dr SW Tumwater, WA 98512

2019 SPONSORS:

:

sFirst.o

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation WSECU

More atioenroes m r o f In rg/H

Home

2019 PREMIER SPONSORS:

Security Properties Residential Cabinets by Trivonna Heritage Bank Lucky Eagle Casino Olympia Construction

Pardiman Productions Prime Locations The CoHo Team of Windermere Agents TwinStar Credit Union

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P ROUD MEM BERS OF:

WA Landlords Association

B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S

S TA F F

as of 12-31-19

as of 03-01-20

Amal Joury, President/Chair

Dannette Molina

Chris Lester, Vice President

Nate Peters

Kai Neizman, Treasurer Mary Roberts, Secretary Thomasina Cooper

Aaron Rodriguez Jeannine Roe Kevin Sparks Hallee Starborn

Leatta Dahlhoff 22 - Hom es Fi r st

Trudy Soucoup, CEO Jena Embry Loes, Director of Operations Amy Sewell, Office Manager Shannon Michlitsch, CFRE, Development Director

Ron Stewart, Property Manager Dyana Todd, Tenant Services Navigator Keith Garlinghouse, Maintenance Coordinator Felly Giorgianni, Jr., Maintenance Technician

Celebration & HEROES for HOUSING

Awards

WA STATE GOVERNOR’S MANSION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2020

at

5pm

Help Us Celebrate Our Real Community Heroes!

By invit ation only !

C O N TA C T Homes First | 5203 Lacey Blvd.SE, Ste. A, Lacey, WA 98503 360.915.8176 | openingdoors@homesfirst.org 2019 A n n ua l I m pa c t Rep ort - 23

5203 Lacey Blvd. SE, Ste. A, Lacey, WA 98503