2022 Gratitude Report

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2022 GRATITUDE REPORT

Empowering Houston’s Homeless

Our Mission

To provide essential and next-step services to restore hope and help end homelessness in Houston.

1 Message from the Chair 2 Your Support - By The Numbers 3 Restoring Lives 4 Message from the CEO 5 15 Years of The Beacon 6 2022 Financials 8 Message from the President 9 Come to the Table 10 Those who make it possible 12 Contents We wish to thank Chris Kuhlman (ckpro.com) and Alese Pickering (alesepickering.com) for their in-kind services of photography and graphic design to make this Gratitude Report possible.

The Heartbeat of this City’s Greatness

Dear Friends of The Beacon,

A neighbor and I were chatting recently while walking our dogs. He asked how I was doing and what I thought of Houston. I told him what I tell everyone: I love Houston.

As a newcomer, I sometimes find driving here to be a little daunting. Yesterday, I was in the car with a native Texan who was zipping across several lanes on I-10 to get to an upcoming exit. She said calmly, “You’ll get used to it; you just have to be assertive.” After my heart calmed down and I released my white-knuckled grip on my seat, I figured she was probably right. I’ll get used to it.

But since I prefer walking my dog over driving, I got to spend a little more time talking with my neighbor about why I love this city. He agrees and observed, “There just seems to be room for everyone here.” His remark reminded me of the central role The Beacon plays in making Houston a truly great city. Because the true measure of a city is not its booming economy, its great restaurants, its entertainment, or even its diversity. The true measure of a great city is the way in which it treats its poorest and most vulnerable citizens. And at the epicenter of that metric, Houston has The Beacon.

The Beacon is Houston’s “front door” for housing and other basic, lifegiving services for the most vulnerable. And what one finds at this front door is deep, soulful caring, along with behind-the-scenes efficiency, expertise, and undaunted commitment to care for people who have become accustomed to being treated as unwanted and unseen. At The Beacon, Love warmly greets each person with the assurance that they belong, that they have an advocate, a comforter, and a guide. “Come in. We are here for you.”

And in being there for people who are experiencing homelessness, the staff, volunteers, and contributors of The Beacon are making room for everyone, even the most vulnerable among us. It is the front door for so many services and is the heartbeat of this city’s greatness.

Of course, I have seen a glimpse of the underbelly of Houston as well. No city is without its challenges. But even in this instance, The Beacon is working in partnership with civic leadership, law enforcement and businesses to develop creative and cooperative solutions to ameliorate encampment situations. Other non-profits, businesses and government officials are working closely to move the needle, helping individuals and our community.

As I’ve told my neighbor, I love Houston. At the center of my affinity for this great city is The Beacon – a place that is making room for the least of these in a quiet and resolved spirit of compassion that is uniquely beautiful. Thank you for being a partner in this ministry that is a model for the nation.

Sincerely,

Houston’s Progress in Reducing Homelessness: Housing First Explained

The Beacon is a key partner in The Way Home, our community-wide homeless response system. Learn more about this nationally recognized approach to solving homelessness in the article written by Michael Kimmelman for The New York Times on June 14, 2022 entitled, “How Houston Moved 25,000 people From the Streets Into Homes of Their Own.”

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Your Support Helped Us Meet Essential Needs

61,951 meals (breakfast and lunch)

18,897 hot showers

14,048 loads of laundry

2,993 mail checks

2,411 case management visits

The Beacon served more than 4,600 unduplicated individuals in 2022 thanks to your generosity!

And Provide Next-Step Services

1,402 housing assessments completed

1,638 legal matters closed

171 households received housing navigation services

35 women received transitional housing and services via Brigid’s Hope

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Restoring Lives

Launched in August of 2021 thanks to funding from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, ClearYourRecordHarrisCounty.org continues to reach and equip individuals with the ability to check any past criminal history that is legally eligible to be sealed. In doing so, these individuals become more employable and have more opportunities for housing.

LAST YEAR:

More than 4,360 unique users submitted their name and date of birth to see if they had any records that qualified.

More than 2,800 of those individuals had at least one record that was eligible to be cleared and more than 1,300 were eligible to have their entire record cleared. 61% indicated they planned to submit the necessary forms (also available on the website) to formally apply for the request to have their records cleared.

With special project funding from Indeed and the National Employment Law Project, The Beacon is working to expand the technology that powers this self-service record clearing tool to other counties in Texas.

The Way Home is a collaborative model to prevent and end homelessness in Houston, Pasadena, Conroe, Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties.

The Beacon has been a vital partner in The Way Home efforts since 2014.

Message from the CEO

3,223 number of people experiencing homelessness in the three-county area

13% of the individuals experiencing homelessness indicated they were homeless due to the COVID-19 pandemic

For more information, go to homelesshouston.org

Thanks to your generous support last year, our staff was able to continue the important work of providing essential and next-step services to restore hope to help end homelessness in Houston. We were able to increase the number of individuals served via the Day Center as the pandemic abated and we bolstered our efforts in housing case management as a partner in the Community COVID Housing Program (CCHP).

Now in its second phase, one of the anticipated outcomes of this communitywide effort is to end chronic homelessness and reduce encampments. The Beacon expanded its housing navigation team to nine people last year and more than 171 households received services in partnership with other CCHP agencies. I was so pleased to know that the gentleman featured on the cover of last year’s Gratitude Report was one of the individuals who is now safely housed. Mr. Harvey had been a regular at The Beacon for years, but thankfully, he no longer needs our services.

Our team has been recognized as experts in this tough work and are working regularly at the City of Houston Navigation Center to help gather documentation and move individuals into housing when its available. Many of these individuals were recently living in encampments and it takes a lot of time and attention to move them from living unsheltered into a new environment.

I am also grateful for the strides we have made to knit all of our program staff to work in unison for the good of each individual that comes through our doors. Regular trainings and in-person meetings have fostered a collective sense of purpose at The Beacon and it plays out in the daily activities that happen amongst our essential services team, housing case managers, legal staff of Beacon Law and our Brigid’s Hope program.

Thank you for making this work possible. We are honored to earn your continued support!

In service,

5
findings of the most recent Homeless Count and Survey:
area’s homeless population has dropped
Key
The
by 64% since 2011
2021 GRATITUDE REPORT Empowering Houston’s Homeless

15 Years of The Beacon

2008

Attorneys who were parishioners of the Cathedral began providing free legal services. What was once known as Cathedral Justice Project is now Beacon Law and part of The Beacon.

2008

Brigid’s Hope, also originally a mission of the Cathedral, becomes part of the organization. Staff and long-time volunteers continue their work to support the women in their 12-month journey.

2007

Funds were raised by Christ Church Cathedral to construct the John S. Dunn Outreach Center and The Beacon Day Center opened on January 6, 2007.

2011

The first Come to the Table event raises $200,000.

2014

The Beacon becomes part of The Way Home, the community-wide homeless response system to address homelessness with a housing first intervention. Housing assessments are offered at the facility five days a week.

2015 Facility remodeling, and improvements are completed.

2019

COMPASS, a separate non-profit organization serving the homeless started by the Cathedral in 1981, merges with The Beacon.

2020

All program services shift and resume during COVID-19 pandemic to keep clients, volunteers and staff safe.

2022

Faithful Founders who helped to plan, design, raise funding for and invite others to support The Beacon’s mission are celebrated at Come to the Table.

Thriving in Place

Last year, a doctoral student from the University of Texas Medical Branch piloted a new life skills class at The Beacon, now known as TIP, based on occupational therapy principles. The curriculum of TIP class continues to evolve and expand as we tailor services to help our clients truly “thrive in place”. The overall goal is to create a trauma-informed care environment so that clients can feel supported to take actionable steps toward becoming housed.

TIP class continues to take place weekly with staff supervision and support and currently includes meditation, creative writing and art therapy activities in addition to coping and life skills. Using a person-centered approach, client feedback is actively being sought to guide the curriculum and we have begun a series of client “focus groups” to further explore program needs and opportunities.

Recently, Martin, a new class attendant, shared this comment: “It was raining this morning, and if I didn’t have a mountain of laundry, I would have stayed in my tent. So really I just came for the laundry...but instead I got smiling faces, a Honey Bun, some watercolor paints, and a chance to get some things off my chest. I’m sure glad I didn’t stay in my tent this morning.”

2022 Financial Results

*Includes in-kind contribution of $513,308 from Christ Church Cathedral for rent and parking.

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Total Revenue $4,454,351 Contributions* $2,710,766 Government Grants and Contracts $958,917 Special Events $765,482 Other Revenue $19,185 Total Expenses $4,971,966 Program Expenses $3,980,587 Fundraising $247,809 Management and General $743,570 REVENUE
Unaudited
EXPENSES

Board Leadership

Executive Committee

The Very Reverend Gary Jones, Chair

Bess Wareing, President

Susan Reeves, Vice President

Mike Grimes, Treasurer

Gay Gulledge, Secretary

Alisa Stamp Mengwasser

Past President

Gregory Funderburk

Catherine Fowler McDonald

Board Members

Fredricka Brecht

Barbara Bushong

Ann Tyrrell Cochran

Ben Colodney

Bradley B. Dennison

Godfrey Grey

Kelly Kemp

Ashley Parsons

Harry C. Pinson

Loretta Ray

Alan Stuckert

Bob Thurmond

Advisory Board

The Right Reverend C.

Andrew Doyle

Deborah Duncan

Elena Marks

John Nau

Matthew Oren

Courtney Sarofim

Charles Tate

Expanding and Evolving

Dear Beacon Supporters,

As I step into my role as President of the Board of Directors at The Beacon, I know I stand firmly on the strong foundation forged by you and all those who have given of their hearts and souls to make this place what it is today: the front door to Houston’s coordinated homeless response system.

Our Ardell Ray Day Center, where we provide hot meals, laundry service, showers and other essential services is known throughout the city and county as a central hub where those most in need can have their immediate needs met while also beginning the journey to find permanent housing. What fewer people understand is that our Day Center is just one of the many programs at The Beacon that benefits those living on the margins.

We partner with many other incredible agencies in this work, but make no mistake, the steadfast generosity and participation of supporters like you have made The Beacon unique in its ability to expand and evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of this dynamic city. Whether it is increasing meal service during times of extreme weather events or partnering with the city to access and utilize funds to get our clients into housing, it is your consistent support that allows us to quickly and effectively respond to the greatest needs of our community.

A little more than two years ago, a subset of our Board of Directors formed a Visioning Task Force to dream big about our future. We spoke to city and county leaders, many of our partners in the homeless response system, and visited agencies in other states to get a deeper understanding of how homelessness issues are evolving and how we might best adapt to meet those changes and challenges.

We were both humbled and inspired by what we learned. The Beacon is highly valued by this community and our reputation reaches well beyond Texas; however, our challenges are significant and constantly changing. As a result of the work of this group, we have added a new permanent committee to our governing Board. Entitled the Mission and Exploration committee, the work of this group will be to stay abreast of the changes in the landscape while ensuring we keep a sharp focus on our founding mission: to restore hope and end homelessness in Houston. Together with our Governance, Finance and Development committees, we believe we have created an even more expansive and holistic approach to the good work that’s been happening here for over 15 years!

The health of our organization is what allows us to attract and retain the amazing staff and talented leadership we enjoy. And, of course, their skill, expertise and passion for the work is, in turn, what inspires confidence and generosity from our supporters. I happen to have a bird’s eye view of this reciprocal relationship and, take my word for it, it is nothing short of miraculous!

Please know that all you do to support The Beacon is wholeheartedly and enthusiastically appreciated! Come visit us and see your generosity in action.

With gratitude,

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More than $750,000 was raised at Come to the Table to support our programs and services as we honored our Faithful Founders

Linda and Richard Bischoff

Frances and Norman Kittrell

Wick and Rob Rowland

Judy and Charles Tate

Carol and Andy Vickery

We are so grateful to all our restaurant and chef partners for making this event a success!

Chef Committee

Mark Holley Davis Street at Hermann Park

Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi Kata

Robata Sushi + Grill

Ryan Lachaine Riel

Ara Malekian Harlem Road

Texas BBQ

Mike Puccio The Beacon

Luis Roger BCN and MAD

Chris Shepherd

Claire Smith Alice Blue

Jeff Weinstock and Max Torres

Cake & Bacon

Garden Party Restaurants

1751 Sea and Bar

Double Trouble

Feges BBQ

Harold’s Restaurant, Bar & Terrace

Low Tide Kitchen & Bar

Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Save the Date!

Come to the Table 2023 will take place on Thursday, September 21st

Event chairs: Kimberly and Bradley Dennison

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$100,000 and up

Anonymous Foundation

The Brown Foundation

Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County

Wayne Duddlesten Foundation

Episcopal Health Foundation

The Hamill Foundation

Harris County Community Services Department

Houston Endowment, Inc

National Employment Law Project / Indeed

The Powell Foundation

Texas Access to Justice Foundation

$99,999 - $25,000

Leslie L Alexander Foundation

Anonymous Foundation

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc

Christ Church Cathedral

CM and Edna Peyton Cotton

Family Foundation

John S Dunn Foundation

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Equal Justice Works

The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation

Paige and George Hagle

Harris County Justice Administration Department

The Hildebrand Foundation

Bilinda and Brian Matusek

Vivie and Chris O’Sullivan

The Sarofim Foundation

Vivian L Smith Foundation

Isla Carroll Turner Friendship Trust

The Jack Jr and Nance Foules Wier

Endowment

The Wortham Foundation

$24,999 - $10,000

The Banjo Fund

The Barnes Family Charitable

Fund

Linda and Richard Bischoff

Nicole Boudreau

Kathy and Tom Brackin

Fredricka Brecht

Robin and Mike Bullington

Martha and John Clanton

Ann and Tres Cochran

Marian and Paul Cones

Courtney and Andy Coolidge

Pat and Jim Cooney

Meredith and Colby Cress

The Dennison Family Giving Fund

Cece and Mack Fowler

Caroline M Greene Trust

George and Mary Josephine

Hamman Foundation

Betsy and Carl Isaac

Sis and Hasty Johnson

Carmen and John Knapp

Ramona and Doug Krenek

Jennifer and Elliott Kruppa

Sara Lewis

Isabel and Ransom Lummis

Marathon Petroleum Night Court

Trish Freeman and Bruce

Patterson

Karen and Harry Pinson

Lulu Bryan Rambaud Charitable

Trust

Fairfax and Risher Randall

Florence Hargrove Ray

Susan and Robert Reedy

Debbie and Andrew Roff

Wick and Rob Rowland

St Francis Episcopal Church

St John The Divine Episcopal

Church

St Mark’s Episcopal Church

St Philip Presbyterian Church

JJ Stevak

Sysco Houston, Inc

Judy and Charles W Tate

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Carol and Andy Vickery

Bess and Matt Wareing

Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation

Lue and Rich Weiss

Young Fund

Barb and Robert Zorich

$9,999 - $5,000

Chinhui Juhn and Edward Allen

Nancy C Allen

Nina Andrews

Shelley and Geoff Bracken

Cameron Management

Deirdre and Francis Carr

Citgo Petroleum Corporation

James Cowan

Linda Cox

Erica and Lorin Crenshaw

Mary Elizabeth McBeth and James

Crump

Rickie and Stacy Duke

Debbie Francis

Frost Bank

Kristie and John Gibson

Gray Reed Foundation

Guy Hagstette

Harris County Community

Supervision and Corrections Department

Sunny and Mac Haik

Frank Hood

Kirkland & Ellis, LLP

Catherine and Bruce McDonald

The Medallion Foundation, Inc

Alisa and Drew Mengwasser

Nancy Powell Moore

John K Nau

Cabrina and Steven Owsley

Patterson + Sheridan LLP

The Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw

Pittman Foundation

Chrysi and George Polydoros

Alice and Risher Randall Jr

Catherine and William Randall

Isla and TR Reckling

Lisa and Russell Sherrill

The Stewart Foundation

Bill Stewart

Ashley and Dustin Sullivan

Susan and Walker Taylor

Julie and Bob Thurmond

Anna Timberlake

The Twardock Family Charitable Fund

Blanche and Jon Tyson

Cary and David Welsh

$4,999 - $1,000

Sharon and Stephen Adell

Carolina Aguilar

Amegy Bank

Edward H Andrews Foundation

Anonymous

Baird Foundation, Inc

Burke and Elizabeth Baker Family Fund

Scott Bartosh

Bill Billman

Stephen Bingham

Jessica and Lee Bischoff, II

William George Bowen

Rena R Bullock

Mary Stewart Burgher

Barbara Bushong

Charles Calvit

CarMax Foundation

Vera and Ben Colodney

Coxes Corner Charitable Trust

Cathy and David Crabtree

Carl Curtiss

Amrah Zain Dadabhoy

Natalie Danckers

Keith Davis and Rick Newlin

Linnet F Deily

Dylan Dickens

Carole and Samuel Dodson

Alexandra (Ali) Donnelly

Anne and Jim Dougherty

Sheila Douglas-Williams

Drilling Info, Inc

Barbara and John Edgerton

Joy and Tim Ellwood

Jennifer Enos

Hannah Erdman

Etoile Cuisine et Bar

Julie and Bobby Falcon

James David Fairbanks

Carl W Farley

Debbie and Ron Fash

Dudley Forster

Caroline and George Francisco

Kelly and Greg Funderburk

Susanne Galtney

Marilyn Golub

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

The GoodCoin Foundation

Kristy Greenwood

Shirley and Mike Grimes

Kaki and R Kent Grubbs

Paul W Guillory

Gay Gulledge

Caitlin Halpern

Ann Hamilton

Barbara and William Hamilton

Austen C Harris

Lisa Head

Nathan Hennessey

Oscar Hernandez

Eileen and Brandon Hoff

Daniel Hopper

Houston Astros, LLC

Daily Howard

Elizabeth and Tom Howley

Josepha Immanuel

Mahmood Jawaid

Matt Johns

Katie Johnson

Kristin and Logan Johnson

Jila Bakker and Dave Jones

Franchesca Jones

MS Kalsi

Beverly Kaufman

Frances and Norman Kittrell

Prashil Kumar

Rebecca Landes

Jacob Lipp

Nancy and Earle Martin

Ann and Steve Mason

Erin May

Gill and Mike McCord

Keith McFarland

Eleanor McMurtrey

Sharon and Tom McNearney

Linda and Martin Meador

Patty and Brant Mills

Sofia Montero

Hallie and Tyler Moore

Karina Morgan

Harjap Nanva

Vanessa Nenna

Kimberly Nettles

Mary Ann Newman

Okpara Family

David Oliver

Daniel Orfield

Bob Orr

Hayden and Danny Ostendorf

William Nicholas Padon

Mark Pellerin

Kay Pieringer

Erin Pleva

Sue and Hobert Plunkett

Pamela and James Pool

Joy Posoli

Winnie and Ben Powell

Christina and Joe Powers

Lisa and Mike Puccio

Cynthia and Jerry Pyle

Varun Ratta

Susan Reeves and Brett

McCleneghan

Remnant House Ministries

Bob Richter

Elicia Rideau

Sarah Rilling-Hall

James L Roberts

Nathalie and Charles Roff

Alexander Roinesdal

Kelly and Marcos Rosales

Lisa and Dana Roy

Linda Sadler Memorial Fund

Nidhin Sam

Sherry and John Schmidt

Sabrina Schnitzer

Alexander Shirsat

Barrett Sides

Macquel and Jim Smith

South Main Baptist Church

Solace and Jim Southwick

Mary C Spanjers

St Paul’s Episcopal Church

St Paul’s United Methodist Church

Jena and Brandan Still

Pradeep Suresh

Madison Kruger and Scott Swain

Frances Lenora and Paul B Terry Jr

Melissa Torbet

Twin Eagle Resource Management, LLC

Christopher VanGundy

Celia and Larry Vaselka

Lisa Witten

Paula and Paul Yale

Richard Yannaco

Sherman Yu

$999

- $100

Paige Abernathy

Clay Abington

W Kendall Adam

AIG

Owen Amadin

Ricardo Anaya

Gretchen and David Anderson

Libby and John Anderson

Frances and Vijay Andrandes

Anonymous

Sheila and James Armsworth

Tess Arrington

Robert Ash

Elizabeth Ashton

Brenda and Tommy Atkins

Timothy A Austin

Aveva Inc

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Your support helped us change lives. Thanks to those who made gifts of $100 or more between January 1 and December 31, 2022
Physical: 1212 Prairie Street, Houston, Texas 77002 Mailing: 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002 713-220-9737 beaconhomeless.org info@beaconhomeless.org CONNECT WITH US The Beacon (Houston) @thebeaconhouston

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