Q.U.E.E.N.S. Butterfly House: Queens start up proposal

ID

307

OrgName

Q.U.E.E.N.S. Butterfly House

PhysicalAddress

MailingAddress

4723 N 129th Ave Omaha, NE. 68164

Website

queensbutterfly.org

SocialMediaAccounts

Facebook

Name

Demetrius D. Gatson

Title

Executive Director/Founder

EmailAddress

dgatson@queensbutterfly.org

Phone

+1 (402) 805-3603

Team

No

TeamExplanation

OrganizationalChart

Currently I am the only employee at Queens Butterfly House.

OtherCompletedProjects

Queens Butterfly House is a new organization. I am currently in the process of working with an attorney to obtain my 501 (c)3. I do however have a fiscal sponsor which is Rise Academy (Reentry Program).

ProposalTitle

Queens start up proposal

TotalBudget

0.0

LB1024GrantFundingRequest

1000000.0

ProposalType

Combination of capital project and service/program

BriefProposalSummary

This proposal is for funding a Safe House (transitional Home). Queens Butterfly House will be a 501 (c)3. The goal of this proposal is to allow Queens Butterfly House to purchase a home and provide safe, affordable, and stable housing for women returning from incarceration to the North Omaha metro area. Queens Butterfly will provide Various cognitive classes such as Thinking for a change, Moral recognition therapy, and 7 Habits of a highly effective woman. Queens butterfly is a part of the Safe House Network reentry project created by Ms. Susan Burton in Los Angeles California. I am currently a Reentry specialist for The Rise Academy. Which means I have a connection with many of the ladies currently. I have also been working with Rosalyn Cotton Parole Board Chair on the elements of what makes for a successful safe Home. Queens is on a Quest for Understanding, Educating, and Empowering Nobel Sistahs. By allowing these ladies to live Holistically into becoming the best version of themselves. My dream is to place Queens in North Omaha to 1. bring up the property value in the community by beatifying and maintaining the property. 2. Have a home for these returning citizens to have access to transportation, Heartland Workforce Center, and Metropolitan Community College. Queens has plans to collaborate with Metro to provide education in each lady's field of choice. I have also spoken with and will collaborate with the Nebraska Department of Corrections which will provide a small grant to each individual that may be indigent. This grant will only cover the first 90 days of a resident's stay. After which time they will pay 30% of their income for rent with $500 being the maximum. As a formerly incarcerated individual who was once part of the problem, I know that I am closest to the solution. My qualifications extend further than my lived experience. I am currently a Social Work/Criminology student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as well. I want to be able to not just show but to explain the steps of reentry to each lady through holistic support and by holding them accountable for themselves. Queens brings it's own supportive staff via the Safe House Network.

Timeline

Once the proposal/grant is awarded Queens will be able to purchase the house, outfit it, and move forward with the opening of the Queens Butterfly Safe House and Cognitive self-change programming.

PercentageCompletedByJuly2025

1.0

FundingGoals

Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development) Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha)

Community Needs

Other Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)

OtherExplanation

Provide education and mental Health/substance abuse counseling to returning citizens so they can better serve the North Omaha community.

ProposalDescriptionAndNeedsAlignment

Queens Butterfly House will be providing Housing to system-impacted individuals which will cut down on the number of homeless individuals post-incarceration. Also, Queens will provide mental health and substance abuse counseling to assist individuals into becoming the best version for and of themselves.

VisioningWorkshopFindingsAlignment

This proposal will provide housing and jobs to returning citizen.

PrioritiesAlignment

Purchasing the home and not leasing the property allows Queens to become part of the beautification of North Omaha as property owners. It also allows the residents to develop a sense of pride in their property.

EconomicImpact

My plan is to hire 2 new staff members to carry out the Peer Support Staff at $40,000 each per year. 1 Case manager at $50,000 per year

EconomicImpactPermanentJobsCreated

4

EconomicImpactTemporaryJobsCreated

0

EconomicImpactWageLevels

unknown

EconomicImpactAlignProposedJobs

unknown

CommunityBenefit

This proposal will improve the neighborhood it lands in via homeownership/pride. It will diversify the community by giving second chances to a great marginalized group of individuals. It will also increase livability by helping the resident obtain housing in the North Omaha area once they have reach self-sustainability.

CommunityBenefitSustainability

Quality of life will improve not just for the residents but also for the community by allowing the residents a 2nd chance at life.

BestPracticesInnovation

OutcomeMeasurement

Improve education, Job skills, employment, as well as create new jobs in the community

OutcomeMeasurementHow

Queens will continue to keep track of all data of each resident.

OutcomeMeasurementCoinvestment

no

Partnerships

Yes

PartnershipsOrgs

Metropolitan Community College: by providing trade programming, or traditional 2-year associate degrees. Also, Heartland Workforce Center: providing job skills and resume building. Lastly with University Nebraska of Omaha for mental health and substance abuse counseling. Also, with Rise Academy as my fiscal sponsor.

PartnershipsMOU

Displacement

No

DisplacementExplanation

PhysicalLocation

There isn't a physical location as of yet.

QualifiedCensusTract

Within one or more QCTs

AdditionalLocationDocuments

PropertyZoning

No

ConnectedToUtilities

ConnectedToUtilitiesConnected

Yes

ConnectedToUtilitiesUpgradesNeeded

No

DesignEstimatingBidding

No

DesignEstimatingBiddingPackageDeveloped

No

DesignEstimatingBiddingCostsDetermined

GeneralContractor

No

GeneralContractorPublicCompetitiveBid

GeneralContractorPublicCompetitiveBidWhyNot

RequestRationale

The $1,000,000 asked for will be used to pay the wages of 2 new employees as well as the executive director. To also purchase and outfit a home as well as allow Queens to have an emergency fund to assist residents with food, bus passes and at least a 30-day supply of personal hygiene when they are returning to the community. The remaining will be used as operational money for basic household needs (lights gas, water, and WiFi).

GrantFundsUsage

Queens plans to purchase a home, Outfit the Home and provide wages for 2 more employees. Along with health care for the employees.

ProposalFinancialSustainability

Yes

ProposalFinancialSustainabilityOperations

unknown, I'm sorry my plan is to hire an accountant/ CPA parttime.

FundingSources

Due to becoming a member of the Safe House Network Queens has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the network. Which can be used as capital or organizational funds

FundingSourcesPendingDecisions

The Safe House grant should be complete and awarded by December 2022

FundingSourcesCannotContinue

unknown

Scalability

This proposal can be completed in smaller components, however the most component of the proposal if for Queens to purchase a house.

ScalabilityComponents

House; Max $300,000, wages $220,000, app. $12,500 household basic neccessities,

FinancialCommitment

Not sure what this means.

ARPAComplianceAcknowledgment

1.0

ARPAReportingMonitoringProcessAck

1.0

LB1024FundingSourcesAck

1.0

PublicInformation

1.0

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