Fone-A-FriendInnovation Plan
Fone-A-Friend Non-Profit OrganizationOverview:• Non-Profit Foundation to support homeless people
• Utilizing technology to help educate people in program and enrich their lives
• Set up members in the program with jobs/housing/ and other needs.
Problems:• Homeless people have no or extremely limited access to
technology.
• Homeless people are not educated and trained in modern jobs
• Homeless people need better housing that is affordable and technology friendly
Homeless Databy Sheltered Status 2013• ~2/3rds of all homeless
people are 25 and older
• 18 to 24 represents 10 percent of all homeless people
• ¼ of all homeless are children
# of people
All Homeless 610,042
Sheltered 394,698
Unsheltered 215,344
Goals:• Provide homeless with smartphone devices
• Provide education and training in technological fields
• Help homeless with internship and job placement
• Provide safe, affordable technological smart housing for homeless
Innovation Plan Phases
Phase One
Funding/Partnerships
Setup Main Location
Hire Employees and Volunteers
Sign Up Members
Phase Two
Provide Smartphones to Members
Educate Members
Provide Housing to Members
Analyze Members Data
Phase Three
Streamline Fone-a-Friend Program
Setup other locations in California
Spread operations to other high homeless
populated areas
Phase Four
Expand support to low-income families/ex-
felons/etc.
Expand Globally
Funding:• Grants from Government Programs
• Utilize Crowdfunding sources including Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Classy.org for initial and continuing funding
• Create business plan with growth projections for investors
• Seek investments and partnerships from other businesses, charities, corporations.
Potential Partners:• Cellular Networks - Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.
• Smarthphones -Apple, Google, Ubuntu, Firefox, Amazon, Motorola, Samsung
• Computers - Microsoft, Apple, Lenovo, Ubuntu, Google
• Education - CodeAcademy, Coursera, Lynda.com,
• Housing - Greystar, GHP, UAG, WNG
• Charities - Habitat For Humanity, AmeriCORPS, Boys and Girls Club of America
Technology:• Smarthphones with apps focusing on learning, jobs, and positive
social interactions online
• Laptops for learning, job search, and positive social interactions online
• Security and Data tracking on all devices. To protect people in our program, learn how technology is being used, continue to innovate and better our service for the people in our program.
Homeless Location Data (AHAR)• 22% of all homeless people are
in California.
• California, Florida, Arkansas, Nevada, and Mississippi have the highest percentage of unsheltered homeless people.
State# of
Homeless people
California 136,826
New York 77,430
Florida 47,862
Texas 29,615
Massachusetts 19,029
Location:• ESRI Software to find locations with majority of homeless and low
income people as well as best spots for main charity location and assisted housing locations
• Program will begin in Southern California and expand to other U.S cities and possibly globally.
• Five states account for more than half of homelessness in the United States: California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts. (HUD)
• Set up the people in the program with jobs/housing/ and other needs.
Training/Education:• Volunteers/Employees for teaching and training
• Adopt learning programs from sources like Coursera and CodeAcademy
• Tech coding languages including HTML, CSS, Javascript, Ruby, Python, etc.
• Rewards and motivation techniques to continue participation in programs.
Job Placement:• Partner with technology companies for internships and job
placement
• Provide incentive for companies to work with us as well as for our participants to succeed in our program and their future job.
• Routine check up with members who receive job placement.
Housing:• Set up affordable in-house housing while participants complete the
program
• Provide housing assistance after completed programs
• Make housing technology friendly as well as low cost and cheap.
Future Growth:• Expand charity across the country and worldwide
• Expand to help low-income, ex-felons, mentally disabled etc.
• Expand into prison facilities to train people in jail.
• Continually adapt to new technology and job trends so charity will always be up-to-date.
Sources:• The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress