The Genesis House Jump Start Program and Launchpad of tiny homes gives families without a home a place to rebuild their lives.
The program not only provides families with shelter, but gives them the tools to live self-sustainably when they complete the program, according to Genesis House Executive Director Tim Rogers and lead counselor Lisa Burch. Participants obtain employment, attend financial training and complete a tailored program with guidance from a professional case manager.
Genesis House has long been a day-shelter in Siloam Springs, providing people who are homeless with a place to do laundry, take showers, eat a pre-packaged meal, use the phone, get a van ride and access other local resources. The secular nonprofit typically gets more than 3,000 visits a year and also provides limited funding for temporary hotel stays and rental assistance to avoid evictions.
The Jump Start Program was piloted in 2015, inspired by a winter shelter program that housed people in a series of local churches throughout the colder months, and grew to house people in rental properties as they worked through self-sustainability, Rogers said.
Tiny Homes
East Kenwood Missionary Baptist Church partnered with Genesis House to build four tiny homes on church property, ranging from 500 to 600 square feet, to give families longer-term housing. In 2018, the tiny houses were debuted during an open house, and the first residents moved in during January 2019.
Currently three of the four tiny homes are being used while one is still waiting for some components to be completed so it can receive a certificate of occupancy from the city, according to Jeremy Wiginton, church pastor. When the fourth house is complete, it will have two units -- a studio apartment for a single person or couple and a larger two-bedroom space.
Each of the houses currently in use has two bedrooms with bunk beds, a bathroom, washer and dryer, full-sized kitchen appliances and dining and living area. The homes can sleep at least six people, with a maximum of eight considering a pull-out sofa bed, Wiginton said.
The project received donations ranging from $363.17 from a group of elementary and middle school students to $100,000 from a large business for the homes, Wiginton said. A long list of professional tradespeople stepped forward to volunteer their services, and local churches, representing more than a dozen denominations, as well as nonprofits came together to help complete the homes.
Local churches also work together to provide a care package for each family that includes necessities such as plates, cups, silverware, towels and bedding so that each family gets all new things they can take with them when they leave, Wiginton said. All of the houses are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and two have wheelchair ramps, he said.
Since the program first began, 28 families have launched, and the 31st family recently moved into a tiny home, Rogers said.
"It was pretty exciting to be part of it and to watch how families responded to having resources walk alongside them and fun to watch what people did with their opportunities," Rogers said.
Participating families have included married couples with children, single parents and grandparents raising grandchildren, Burch said. Some families suffer from situational poverty, but many suffer from generational poverty, she said.
The Jump Start Program hopes to impact the lives of the children in the program and create generational change, Rogers and Burch agreed. If the first generation changes their lives, the generations that come after are going to benefit as well so it is really hard to measure the ultimate impact, Rogers said.
"It changes the legacy of their family really," Rogers said.
Setting Goals
The long-term results are hard to measure because success is defined by each family's goals, Rogers said. Most families have seen great success while a handful have done well and then had challenges or setbacks, he said.
Josh and Dollie, who chose not to use their last names to protect their privacy, were the first family to move into the Launchpad homes, the couple said. The couple was expecting their first child when they became homeless, and they reached out to Genesis House in an act of desperation, they said.
There were some ups and downs to being the first family as they worked through issues with new construction, they said. However, the Jump Start Program not only gave them shelter but gave them the opportunity for personal growth, Josh said.
"Tim and Lisa are straight up a force to be reckoned with," Josh said. "They put their minds and hearts to something, and the things they accomplish and do for people are just astounding. The things Genesis House was able to do for us and help us in so many ways, there are no words for the kindness."
"It took us from being homeless to giving us tools to better equip ourselves to get on our feet and better ourselves," Dollie said.
While the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program wasn't a good fit for the couple because it seemed more designed for the needs of middle-class families with more resources than they had, the weekly goal-setting meetings with Burch and Rogers were invaluable, they said. They set secondary and tertiary goals, planned their next three moves and attacked them one move at a time, Josh said.
The coronavirus pandemic put a damper on Josh and Dollie's launch process. Dollie was trying to get back into the workforce but had a hard time finding someone to watch a baby with social distancing in place. Ultimately, they moved to another state to live with family, she said.
The couple is still using the tools they learned in the program, such as weekly meetings to check in financially and emotionally, they said. It has also helped them communicate in a more mature way, they said.
Like Josh and Dollie, each family sets their own individualized goals, then methodically chips away at them, according to Burch. Goals might include obtaining a GED, finding transportation, getting a job, repairing their credit history, or getting their children into Boys & Girls Club or play therapy, she said. Initially the program was designed to last 90 days, but Burch found that many times families had more obstacles than they could overcome in that short amount of time.
Allowing each family a longer amount of time gives them a better opportunity for success and a better chance to build close relationships, she said.
'A cycle of good things'
Kara, who chose not to use her last name to protect her privacy, said she had been single for several years prior to participating in the Jump Start Program, and things were really difficult for her and her 6-year-old daughter.
"I had overcome an abusive relationship. I had overcome addiction. Everything was great except the fact I was living on someone's couch," she said. "We had nowhere to go."
The change that entering the Jump Start Program made for Kara was "unbelievable and sudden," she said.
Kara is a professional hair stylist, but hadn't been able to afford to renew her license. Rogers and Burch helped her get the license renewed and acquire the tools she needed to go to work immediately, she said. They also helped her develop a resume and find the right clothes to wear for a job interview, she said.
Getting Kara ready to earn her own money set her up for "a cycle of good things" for years to come, she said.
Living in the tiny house is amazing, Kara said. The structures are brand new, and even though the footprint is small, they are efficient and flow well so they don't feel like tiny homes, she said.
Rogers and Burch make a difference because they treat people in the program with respect, like family, and don't judge, she said. They allowed Kara to set goals for herself and meet them, she said.
"Had I not had the hand up from Tim and Lisa, there are so many things I could not have done so quickly," she said. "I was able to become employed as a stylist who works with the elderly, I was able to get braces for my dental health, get a newer vehicle and literally, I think it changed every aspect of our lives.'
The Jump Start Program helped set Kara's daughter up at Allen Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Club of Western Benton County. Her child has come to love Burch and Rogers like family, Kara said.
The coronavirus pandemic has also delayed Kara's launch, she said. Because she works as a hair stylist for the elderly, she has been unable to work in her profession but she has been able to find some part-time work, she said.
The Jump Start Program will impact Kara and her daughter for the rest of their lives, she said. Because Kara's daughter is so young, she will never realize her family was homeless or remember being homeless, she said.
A ripple effect
Carlos Murphy and his daughter Meranda Murphy said the Jump Start Program put their family back together at a critical time in their lives and set them on a new trajectory.
Before the Jump Start program, the Murphy family lived out of a hotel and Carlos worked as a truck driver. Meranda Murphy said she lived with a friend from sixth grade through her junior year because her family did not have a home. The Jump Start Program brought the family back together and gave them a place where Meranda could live with them again, Carlos said.
"It brought our family back together after years of not being able to get a house and live with family," Meranda said. "It was really nice to be able to live with my mom again."
However, four months into the program, Meranda's mother, Lea Murphy, was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Genesis House supported the family and allowed them to stay in the program longer so that Carlos could care for his wife for the next five months.
The time the family was able to spend together before Lea's death was priceless. Meranda said Burch made a big difference during the difficult time and became a family friend, visiting her mother in the hospital and attending her high school graduation party. Burch still messages the family to check on them, Meranda said.
"They just helped us so much, because of it I was able to be with my mom when she got sick and help my dad take care of her," Meranda said. "We started living together about May or June and then my mom was diagnosed in August. We had a few months where it was perfect, me and mom got so much closer. I am just glad we were able to be together through that time."
Now, Meranda is a sophomore in college, studying nursing at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith. Carlos Murphy has moved to Topeka, Kan., to care for his father.
Meranda said that her mother's experience in emergency departments and intensive care units inspired her to become a nurse.
"I hope this program helps tons of people because it's an amazing program and there is a lot of people that really need help," Meranda said. "I don't know where I would be without it. Giving me the situation to be with my mom gave me the motivation to go to college."
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