Board members are expected to contribute financially, but we have had several board members who are formerly homeless and have not had the personal resources to donate. In these cases, the board members have donated volunteer hours or have raised money for Helping Hands.

Helping Hands is in transition from being the provider of largely emergency assistance (of cold-season shelter, and year-round food, clothing and referrals) to being a resource for more permanent solutions to homelessness. This fall we are launching our first housing program, and we have the intention of creating a transitional center, with a year-round shelter under discussion. These new programs will result in a significant expansion of our small staff (currently only two full-time and several part-time employees). To realize these goals, we have to expand our base of support both private and public, so that we can match grant money that is increasingly becoming available to us with our own resources. Our Board is also in transition, from the founding board of volunteers to a governance board that can more strongly support these new developments with its expertise, resources and social networks.