community need and then working with other groups to meet that need. “We work with the seriously mentally ill, substance abusers and chronically homeless,” explains HamedMoore. “Our goal is to keep them from coming into a shelter.” In addition to the temporary housing program, Trust offers a program of support to former Trust residents during their first year in a new residence. That support can be assistance with credit, skills development or even music therapy, all of which are contracted out. Even with its successes, Hamed-Moore says, Trust’s $500,000 annual budget places it in a precarious position. “We have a large concentration of nonprofits, and it has become increasingly more difficult to be a nonprofit under one million dollars.” In September, the boards of Trust and Bethany Hall, a home for women recovering from addiction, were in talks to determine how they might work together for greater efficiencies. Bethany Hall’s budget is about the same as Trust’s. “We will see more and more nonprofits finding synergy, working together to serve the community,” predicts Hamed-Moore. Photo by Don P:etersen
Dan Merenda, president of the Council of Community Services, says that even though nonprofits bring millions of dollars to the regional economy, their future is uncertain.
ROANOKE BUSINESS
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