Like Scarlett swearing to "never be hungry again", I swore to "never be homeless" again, and worked diligently to that end. And along the way, got off the alcohol and into AA meetings. And created a non-profit dedicated to aiding others who were wrestling with alcohol and addiction. And got married.
And now run a non-profit that owns two houses, side by side, one fully fixed up, the other in process of being fixed up.
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| Four living in the left house, second house being worked on. |
Never did I ask for donations at first. It was important to be a brick and mortar non-profit first, not just some fly by night on paper. And later, after the first condemned house was bought and fully renovated, it was important to still not ask for donations, till there were actual people being aided.
It was important that there be something to donate "to", besides paperwork and dreams, even with a house involved. Thus it was not till we moved into the second house, to fix that up, and moved in four guests into the first house, that we started to solicit donations.
After all, moving into that second house was quite a risk, the only electrical power we had was extension cords plugged into the first house and trailing across the yards! And the only water at first was by gallon jugs of water that could be poured into the toilet tank so that it could flush!
We've come a longs ways since that time two years ago. The second house is far more done than it was when we purchased it for $3,000. New electrical system, some plumbing roughed in, new water heater, new roof, a couple of new windows, appliances. "Etc."
Still a ways to go, though. The basement plumbing, and indeed the plumbing of the whole house, is in real need of a real plumber to get it all in order and up to speed.
I was asked a couple of weeks ago what the Liahona Mission needs. As in what donations are needed. I'm still a bit reticent about that kind of thing, preferring to lurch along as self-sufficiently as possible. Operating both houses on Program Fees and out of our own pockets.
Today I'm to tell some people what we need. So I thought I'd share it with all of you reading this, too.
First off - the little things! Toiletries for the guests are always a big hit with those guests. Cleaning supplies for the sober living home. Sheets, pillows, towels. Toilet paper. Laundry detergent. These things, while small, always seem to be in short supply. The men all work, but sometimes it's hard to catch up on the little things while they're aiming for the large things of sobriety and independence.
Any twin beds would be of aid. Or even parts of them, like twin frames or twin mattresses.
Besides those mundane things, any amount of money at all is of aid, obviously. There are any number of projects, small, medium and large, that would be of benefit. There are debts - $900 plus in property taxes and $810 in loans for the recently installed new roof. Both in desperate need of being paid off at once.
Two driveways would cost about $300 in orange gravel, with I and the guests raking it smooth. Painting both houses would cost around $250, with I and the guest doing the painting. Both of these projects are obviously on the back burner while dealing with the property taxes and roof loan. Cash donations would go to debts first, unless otherwise specified.
A van is available to the sober living home, but would need the costs of title transfer and registration paid. Off hand, that's probably around $200, perhaps a bit less.
Understand, all those things will eventually be done, but it will take a long time. Donations then move us along faster, and get us closer to where we need to be, which is fully up and running.
The biggest thing we would benefit by doesn't even need to be an outright donation. You see, that plumbing for the second house really does need done, and it being done would let us aid two more guests than the four we're aiding now.
Thus if anyone knows of any plumber - any REAL plumber - who would be willing to tell us what supplies we need, let us then buy them, then tell us what he wants for his labor, and let us pay him by the month, THAT would be the biggest aid of all.
For the only thing stopping us from having that plumbing system is that the upfront cost is too high to come up with all at once.
After that? Well, the final thing is kind of a funny story. It's what most people do first, especially when they're only and ever a "paper corporation" with just a website and a hand out! I refer to the 501(c)3 tax exempt status the IRS offers. For a fee and an application that runs around two dozen pages long.
When we first incorporated, and registered with the Illinois Charitable Trust Bureau, way back in 2008, we learned that we did not need to apply for that. And since it was $400 to apply, and we had a house to fix up, we did not. Later, since we did not apply in the first three years, it went up to $900.
This applies to any corporation that wishes the exemption after a few years have passed. $900, plus that monster application, plus an accountant to help you fill that application out correctly, for if you goof it, you do NOT get your exemption - and you do not get your fee back, either!
All that would work out to around $1,400. Estimating $500 for the CPA. But that would allow us to then obtain food much more cheaply for the guests from the Central Illinois Food Bank. Which only sells to those who have that exemption. It would allow us to apply for property tax relief, though that is not the automatic most people think. It would save us some sales tax for supplies and materials for these or future houses.
And it would allow those who do generously donate to us to declare it as an exemption on their own taxes. That alone would help greatly, as too many feel you aren't a "real" charity unless they can declare it.
So there's the list. Obviously we wish to deal with the debts first, the plumbing ASAP, the other projects after all that, and then, much later unless a rather well-off angel comes forward, that tax exempt status.
We will have all that eventually no matter what. But the reason why donations are such life savers is that they allow us to do more, sooner, and to aid more people now, not in the distant future.
