Presented By

Amber Mawji
Angie Han
Christine Paik

To Dallas Chamber
of Commerce

Dream House
It's all yours

April 25, 2016

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Background .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Definition of Homelessness ............................................................................................................. 4
What Triggers Homelessness? ........................................................................................................ 4
Homelessness in Dallas ................................................................................................................... 5
The Proposal ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Outline ............................................................................................................................................ 6
Build Day ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Social Effects .................................................................................................................................. 7
Affordability ................................................................................................................................... 8
The Schedule ................................................................................................................................... 9
Staffing ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
Organizations ................................................................................................................................ 10
Partners ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Volunteers ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Budget Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 11
Authorization ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Target Questions ......................................................................................................................................... 12
References ................................................................................................................................................... 13

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Introduction
Within 24-hours, around 360,000 births and 150,000 deaths occur worldwide. 4.38% of the
worlds population comes from the United States alone. An increasing portion of this percentage
is due to homelessness.
During the year 2015:

564.708 people were experiencing homelessness in United States (Henry, 2015)

4% of the United States homeless population is in Texas (Henry, 2015)
20,452 U.S. families with children were unsheltered

These statistics are only an estimate of the growing concern of

homelessness in the United States, including large cities such as Dallas,
Texas. Dallas has experienced an increasing number of homeless
individuals in the past few years. As a long time community builder,
KB Homes would like to contribute our time to help improve the city
of Dallas. Dallas is one of the largest cities so it would be a great place
to start making changes on a big scale. Dallas can be a model for other
cities that are facing the same issue. We want to make a big impact for
the people who dont have the opportunity to get back on their feet. Our purpose for this proposal
is to address the homeless problem, explain what triggers homelessness, examine the growth of
homelessness in Dallas, and explain how the Dream House Initiative will help Dallas become a
better place to live.
The short-term goal of the Dream House Initiative:

To create awareness of homelessness in Dallas, Texas

Promote community engagement by building homes together
To collect recycling donations and raise enough money to provide at least 100 tiny homes

Our future goal with the Dream House Initiative is to become a major foundation fighting the
growth of homelessness. Creating a community for homeless people provides them with more
than just a temporary house, but a home to claim their own until they get back on their feet.

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Background
Definition of Homelessness

By definition, the term homeless refers to a person

without a home. However, there is more meaning to
the word homeless than the word itself. These are
individuals who:
Are living in a place not meant for human
habitation (i.e.: car, streets, under bridges, etc.)
Have lost their temporary or permanent
homes for various reasons
Have children
Are under the age of 18 with unstable housing
Have fled from domestic violence and lack the support or resource to maintain living in a
stable environment

What Triggers Homelessness?

Life is unpredictable. There are certain times when life starts to fall apart. For some, losing their
job can cause a spiral of unemployment where eventually they no longer have the financial
ability to be in a stable environment. On the other hand, many individuals are homeless due to
domestic violence, drug abuse, and addiction to alcohol, mental illnesses, and jail time. Figure 1
illustrates the percentages of what situations lead to homelessness.

Figure 1: Percentages of what leads to homelessness

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Homelessness in Dallas
According to the annual report from Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, the total Dallas homeless
population increased from 2,972 in 2013 to 3,314 in 2014.
Furthermore, we recognized that the face of homelessness is changing in
Dallas. In the past years there were more veterans, unmarried men and
women, people with disabilities, and chronically homeless individuals.
Today, there are more working poor who are struggling to maintain their
jobs while trying to find a safe place to spend the night with their
families. There are many instances where young individuals who have
been released from prison are emancipated from foster care and
abandoned by their parents. Now the fastest growing homeless
population is homeless families, especially women and children.
In January 2015 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development surveyed and
identified 64,197 families with children who were homeless in United States. This represented
37% of the total U.S. homeless population. Texas is one of the five states that accounted for
more than half of the total homeless population of families with children. Texas has 4% or 7,413
people who were identified as homeless family with children, which is shown in Figure 2. From
this, we discovered that there is a trend emerging where children are separated from their parents
and sent to other family members for support or in shelters for youth.
Figure 2: Estimates of Family Homelessness

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According to MDHA 2014 Point-in-Time homeless Count and Census:

There was a 60% increase in homeless families within Dallas County in 2013
Homeless children and youth made up 24% of the total homeless population
More surprisingly 502 unaccompanied children were discovered in 2014, representing a 108%
increase in 2013 to 2014 of homeless youth separated from their parents.

Table 1 (below) shows different school district around Dallas that they survey for
unaccompanied children in 2014.
Dallas ISD
Garland ISD
Grand Prairie ISD
Mesquite ISD
Irving ISD
Winfree Academy
Charter School
Other
Total

122
75
171
2
90
14
28
502

Table 1: Unaccompanied Children in 2014

There is an increasing need for more shelters, transitional housing programs, and support
services for women and children.

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The Proposal
Outline
KB Homes will reduce the number of homeless single mothers in the Dallas area by providing
temporary homes.
We will help the homeless population of Dallas by providing them a place to go to at the end of
the day. Not only will they be given homes, but also education and services will be provided to
mothers and children inside the community. To accomplish this goal we will reduce the number
of homeless single mothers worrying about the shelter of their children and provide homes to
those that currently need help.
These temporary homes will not only benefit the homeless population, but will be eco friendly
since we will be using recyclable material. The recycled materials provided by our partnered
organization, Recycle Revolution will provide us with glass, cardboard, wood, and such
materials so we can build these homes. It is a win-win situation where both waste is reduced and
shelters are built for the homeless.
The projected cost for this project will be $44,300.00 for one year. These costs will cover
purchase of land, reconstruction, advertisement, food for the volunteers, materials for the house,
and the conference rooms.
We will be accepting volunteers and donations of any size. It will be a great opportunity to help
the community as well as the Dallas society.
Build Day
KB Homes will have a Build Day where we gather volunteers to talk about our short plan as
well as start building the temporary homes. Our planning meetings will be held professionally in
conference rooms provided in hotels. We will discuss the methods of Gregory Kohan, the artist
that is influencing our design for the tiny temporary homes. We encourage donation and hope
volunteers will get friends and family together to get the job done efficiently. We will also
provide contact information and a sign of agreement by the volunteers so we can ensure that they
will show up at the actual Build Day. We need the number of volunteers that are signed up to
help, in order to make sure that the homes will be finished by the move in date.
Social Effects
An individual without a permanent home has no place to sleep or stay except the streets. There
are numerous reasons why a person ends up without a home. The number one reason is
unemployment. Left without a job, an individual does not receive an income to pay for a home or
even an appropriate meal. Sometimes homelessness is seen as a crime and these people are
charged with vagrancy.

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Homeless Statistics
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Unemployment Domestic Abuse

Jail

Family Status

Illness

Graph 1: Homeless Statistics

Unfortunately, there are a total of 20,452 U.S families with children that were left without homes
in 2015. The number of people that are homeless is increasing each year since 2013. The
homeless that are left with children are mostly single mothers. Every day they are found in
unsheltered locations such as under bridges or inside abandoned buildings.
Affordability
These single women with their children are often left with nothing because they have
experienced domestic abuse. In most situations,
they try to run away from the circumstance and
they end up on the street. Michael Faenza,
president of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance
stated, The biggest factor in preventing and
ending general homelessness is providing housing
that is accessible to the working poor and to
lowest-income people. They need to be given a
home to start off with so they can build up their
confidence and start looking for a job. Low
income people or jobless people cannot afford
homes on their own, and that is why we are here
to build these Dream Houses.

[You dont want people to be homeless? Put them in a house ]

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The Schedule
Below is the estimated timeline of our proposed project. The project will be completed over the
course of a year. After the proposal is approved, we will sustain this schedule with similar dates,
which will be reevaluated after 2016.
Kicking off the year from January to February, we will start advertising about our plan to gather
volunteers. We will encourage posting ads through organizations such as recycling and food
donation sites to help the homeless. We will begin our Build Days in March where we meet the
volunteers willing to help build the homes. We will discuss our step by step plan as well as get
their confirmation and applications through a hard written copy. In the middle of March through
June, we will begin actually building these temporary homes. Our influential artist, Gregory
Kohan will also be there showing us how to build these tiny homes out of recycled material. The
building of homes should take around three months at the max. In July we will wrap up our
project. At this point we will start accepting applicants of homeless mothers that have children.
After the deadline of the application, we will make a final selection of those that will be living in
our Dream Houses. In the following October, we will begin our official Move in Day. Applicants
that have been approved will be allowed to live in these temporary homes until they find a decent
job and income to move out on their own.

Schedule of Dream House Project-2016

January 2, 2016 Land is selected for home building
January 7, 2016 Reconstruction of land begins
February 3, 2016 Ads posted by donation and recycling organizations
March 2, 2016 Build Day begins - discuss plan with volunteers
March 10,2016 Volunteer enrollment papers due
March 14, 2016 Recycle Revolution will bring recycled materials for our use
March 25, 2016 Official Build Day begins - start building temporary homes
July 3, 2016 Project Wrap Up - start accepting applications of homeless mothers
July 10, 2016 Applications due - final decisions are made
August 2, 2016 Official Move in Day
Table 2: Schedule of Dream House

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Staffing
KB Homes is excited to provide homes and safety for those mothers and children that do not
have the proper shelter
Organizations

Recycle Revolution- a recycling collection program established in the DFW area who accept
almost any recyclable material from businesses and communities of all shapes and sizes. KB
Homes will use the recycled materials from this organization such as cardboard, glass, and
wood to build our Dream House.

Partners

Genesis Womens Shelter & SupportThey provide counseling for mothers and
children that have gone through tough times. The
Genesis Womens Shelter & Support helps
navigate these women through their lives and
build a successful future. Certified professionals
will educate not only the children, but also the
mothers as well with job readiness programs.

Dallas Police Department

There will be no point in having this community
of homes if we do not have safety for these
people. The Dallas Police Department will help
us with onsite security 24/7 providing a safe
environment to live in.

Artist Gregory Kohan

He is the creator of tiny homes. We are inspired
by his idea and we will use his methods and ideas
to make unique and creative homes for the
homeless.

Volunteers
We will accept volunteers that are willing to help and get ready to build homes with their bare
hands. Most volunteers will know about our program through advertisements. From flyers to
Facebook ads, we need as many volunteers we can get.

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One-Year Budget for Project

Item

Total

Land Cost with Fee

Reconstruction of Land
Advertisement for Volunteers

$16,000.00
$24,360.00
$400.00

Food for Volunteers

Rooms for Meetings (Hotel)

$1,000.00
$550.00

Cost of Houses ($95 per house)

($95x20 houses per year= $1,990)

$1,990.00

Grand Total

$44,300.00
Table 3: Dream House Budget

Budget Analysis
KB Homes will build about 20 homes per year with a cost per home of $95. The cost of land and
reconstruction of land will be what takes up most of the budget. The actual cost of the temporary
homes only takes up a small percentage due to the use recycled materials.

Authorization
Our company, KB Homes is developing a housing community to help homeless mothers with
children regain their footing with free temporary housing. The Dream House Initiative is exactly
what the city of Dallas needs to reduce its homelessness problem. With a 50% investment of the
grand total cost, we are confident that our Dream House Initiative can give needy mothers a safe
refuge and improve the safety of children in homeless communities. Our proposal is a simple,
effective way to:
1. Provide single homeless mothers a safe place to house their children as well as a
permanent mailing address.
2. Create safe homeless communities that give a refuge during times of need.
As well as providing homeless mothers and children a place to live, the project will build
communities and will aid in the economic advancement of homeless people. Ultimately this
initiative will help to decrease homelessness in the City of Dallas. Please join us in the fight
against homelessness in Dallas!

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Target Questions
1. How are land and property rights affected?
a. KB Homes is purchasing land to house these tiny homes
b. Not meant encourage squatting but act as a temporary home
2. Are there any requirements that are need to access
a. Single mothers with children on a first come, first serve basis
3. How are you promoting stability?
a. Providing a safe, stable home environment
4. Where are the donations going toward
a. Materials needed to build the homes
b. Purchase of property
5. How do we choose priority for the homes?
a. First come, first serve basis

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References
(2014, March 07). Retrieved April 21, 2016, from What I Learned About My Family and Myself
From Being Homeless. Web. 07 Mar. 2014
2014 Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Census. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
https://www.scribd.com/doc/238451422/2014-PIT-Report-Final.
Henry, M., Shivji, A., De Sousa, T., & Cohen, R. (2015, November). The 2015 Annual
Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2015-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
KB Homes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2016, from http://www.kbhome.com/
(n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2016, from
http://www.nationofchange.org/sites/default/files/UtahReducesHomelessness011814.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2016, from
http://www.nationofchange.org/sites/default/files/UtahReducesHomelessness011814.jpg
[Photograph found in Genesis Women's Shelter]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from
http://www.genesisshelter.org/
[Photograph found in Homeless Houston]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
http://www.homelesshouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/loss_of_job_pie.gif
Siaperas, T. (2015, December 23). Lack of affordable housing leading cause of homelessness in
Dallas, report finds. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/12/lack-of-affordable-housing-leading-causeof-homelessness-in-dallas-report-finds.html/
TSIAPERAS, T. (2014, August 28). Number of chronically homeless in Dallas County drops.
Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140828number-of-chronically-homeless-in-dallas-county-drops.ece
U.S. Population. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.worldometers.info/worldpopulation/us-population/

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