Just about everyone’s heard the term “vicious cycle.” Many homeless people have experienced at least one. For example, not being able to secure a home until signed up for services that require recipients to have a fixed address. Or not being able to get an entry-level job without experience that requires having had at least one job.

Fortunately, it’s possible to combat these and other vicious cycles with a “virtuous circle” that embraces performers, performance venue owners and operators, social and traditional media, and providers of services to the homeless. We and others have made this virtuous circle work successfully, so we thought we’d put the major steps together and post them here, to encourage others to give it a shot.

1. Identify, reach out to, and engage a local venue with the message of building a bigger client base and a better reputation by hosting regular events featuring artists who are donating their time and talent to help a featured local provider of help to the homeless and other challenged communities. (If and where a local venue can’t be donated, work with local agencies, businesses, and individuals to raise enough money to rent that venue or an appropriate alternative.)
2. Identify, reach out to, and engage at least one local performer with the same message.
3. Arrange an initial show at the venue featuring the supporting performer(s).
4. Promote the heck out of the event, the performer(s), the venue, and the featured local help provider, and get them all to do the same. Focus on social media and local public and commercial media outlets. Need some help here? Eventbrite is a popular online ticketing service that offers lots of tips for promotion, and is free to use if you don’t charge for tickets to your event. Brown Paper Tickets lets you post events and sell tickets for free, and charges ticket buyers incredibly reasonable “fair trade” fees for delivery and credit-card processing.
   (This is also another area where raised funds can help, for the purchase of news release distribution and perhaps even local ads. Local sponsors might also be engaged to pay for tickets to be given away where appropriate.)
5. Lather, rinse, repeat. Expand where possible.

The great thing about this approach is that it can largely be executed with little to no actual spending of money required. All it takes to get started is one person willing to reach out to and persuade a single artist and a single venue owner or operator. Once they’re on board, they can help to select and reach out to one service provider. Then, all three can collaborate on the promotion and outreach.

So, are you that one person? Someplace near you, there’s at least one artist. one venue owner or operator, and one services provider looking for more exposure and potential supporters. Try it out, see how it goes, and let us know…

We’re Helen and Michael. We have been involved in programs and funding intended to help the homeless for more than a decade. (She’s a grant writer. He’s a donor and volunteer.) Here’s what we’ve learned that’s led to creation of this site and what we’re hoping to see grow from it.

The homeless need more than places to live.

They need their lives back (or in some cases, real lives for the first time).

To get and keep those lives, they need skills and support services, ranging from literacy to work habits to addiction recovery.

To ensure consistent access to services, it helps a lot to have a fixed address — preferably of a place to live.

In other words, “homes – with benefits.”

The programs we’ve seen that appear to be the best at providing short- and long-term help to homeless people find ways to provide homes and services.

Homes With Benefits intends to be a clearinghouse and a showcase for such programs and the people behind them, to help to grow existing programs and encourage creation of new ones.

We think that we can do this by helping to to connect those who are delivering and want to deliver such programs with those who are supporting and want to support them.

We think that we can encourage such connections by partnering with creative and performing artists and the owners and operators of venues who are looking for ways to “give back.” (We’ve both done music promotion, too.)

Of course, we need to form an official, legal non-profit, and do a bunch of other things to begin realizing these goals. But we had to start somewhere, so we’re starting here.

If you’re interested in helping, with ideas, time, money, or other resources, or just want to follow what we’re trying to do, drop an e-mail to info@homeswithbenefits.org. Real human beings will read every message and write every response. And no, we won’t share your information with any other organizations.

More to come soon. Stay tuned. Thanks in advance for any help, advice, or encouragement you’d care to provide. Oh, and please — tell your friends!

Sincerely,

Michael Dortch (http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldortch; http://www.facebook.com/michael.e.dortch)

Helen Volhontseff (http://www.facebook.com/helen.volhontseff)