2016 Annual Report

3:11 YOUTH HOUSINGA Year of Firm Foundations

Thank you!

To all of the 3:11 family - thank you! Thank you for your support, encouragement, prayers, and financial gifts. Thank you for connecting us to your networks and for sharing our work on social media. Thank you to our many volunteers, committee members, and board members. Without you, we could not do this work. Thank you to all of you who have cooked freezer meals, donated move-in kits, and loved on our young people in real and tangible ways. You have allowed us to triple our capacity and serve more young people in 2016 than ever before. Thank you!

2016 Board Members

Our board members keep this whole family functioning well; strategically, financially, and legally. They are the family planners and we are so grateful for their work.Board President - Alex KontrasVice President - Lauren VanKeulenTreasurer - Mike KellerSecretary - Ja-Quari Moore-BassMembers - Katrina Bultman, Khara DeWit, Ryan Duffy, Jason Kalis, Adam Lipscomb, Jonathan VanKeulen

Photo Credit: Steph Harding

A Note from Our DirectorsDear Friends,

Thank you for making 2016 another amazing year for 3:11 Youth Housing! It is because of you that we have been able to triple our capacity this year to serve even more young people in 2017! Your support, from cooking meals to financial contributions to donating move-in kits and coming to help clean houses, is a large part of the reason that 3:11 has grown so significantly!

As we look back over the past few years, we are amazed at where God has brought us in this journey. It was only in 2011 that the idea of 3:11 Youth Housing was birthed. Since then, we have grown from 1 house with 4 youth to 3 houses, with 11 youth,

plus 1 off-site apartment (and more housing opportunities coming each day.)

You’ll learn more about our youth, our finances, and our operations in the pages to come, but we want to especially emphasize our deep gratitude to you for your continued support and dedication to the success of young people in Kent County. Our amazing young people energize us, and our growing waiting lists keep us motivated. Thanks for being a part of the 3:11 Family!

A Family Story: CrisisEarlier this year, we met a young man who had been moving from couch to couch. He had experienced significant abuse at home, both physically and emotionally, and had nowhere to go. His friend was a 3:11 resident at the time.

When we asked him how he got here and where he stayed last night, he replied, “I came here because of my friend. I wasn’t safe last night, but now I am. Is there any chance I can stay?” Most of our youth come to us from our community partners and through referrals from our current youth. Because of your support, which led to our ability to add more houses, we were able to house this young man for the long term.

This young man has made incredible progress since he moved into the house. We share a bit more of his progress in the family story on stabilization.

A Family Story: Mentor SpotlightReuben and Michelle Njderareou came to 3:11 through conversation and connection, because of the concept of family.

Reouhidi Reuben Ndjerareou is originally from N'djamena, Chad in Central Africa. Michelle Cross Ndjerarou is from a sleepy little town in Wisconsin, and their new daughter, Reouniah, joined their family in 2016.

Reuben and Michelle have been creating spaces for people to call home for years through their ministry, Ohana. Ohana, a Hawaiian word referring to family and hospitality, welcomes international students and missionary kids into a loving family in the U.S.

Through their work at Ohana, the Ndjerareou’s became passionate about creating spaces to welcome whomever comes through their door, and are implementing this philosophy as 3:11 house mentors. They began serving at our Heritage Hill house in late 2016 and have already seen great progress in the young people they’re working with.

Youth in their home have obtained and maintained employment, learned how to resolve roommate conflicts, and followed goals towards higher education. Amazing! Reuben and Michelle are a true asset to the 3:11 family and we’re so grateful for their contribution!

1st Annual Silent Auction and MixerOur 1st Annual Silent Auction and Mixer took place on March 10, 2016 at the Women’s City Club in Grand Rapids. We had over 175 attendees and raised $50,673!

Our March event is our largest fundraiser of the year and gives us the capacity to serve even more young people. 3:11 Youth Housing relies on individual donors to ensure that each of our young people receives the highest-quality housing and support possible. You allow us to do things like serve more young people, add more housing options, and support our mentors. Thank you!

Photo Credit: Michelle Cross Photography

“Because of 3:11, I had a place where it was okay to make

mistakes and where people would help me get back up again.”

-3:11 Alumni

A Family Story: StabilizationAt 3:11, crisis occurs frequently. Our goal is to decrease the time of the crisis experience and move young people quickly into stabilization.

That’s why the idea–housing as a basic human need–is a tenant of our work. Remember that young man from the crisis story? Well, within days of moving into the 3:11 house, he got connected to one of our community partners and entered a job training and GED program. He’s attended faithfully and spends half of his day learning construction skills and half the day working on his GED. He’s halfway through his GED courses and is loving the construction field.

He received a bike from one of our donors and transports himself to and from his class. Thanks to people like you, we’re able offer him reduced rent so he can afford to work on his goals of job training and education. He plans to obtain a full time job in construction when he’s finished!

Office Space

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2016 Growth3:11 experienced significant growth in 2016. Because of our community partners, foundation partners, churches, and individuals,

we have been able to triple our capacity

this year

It’s been one busy year! We’ve added two

houses, an office space, a staff member,

and even more young people. We were able to

house 9 more youth this year and have now housed a total of 19 young people. The difference from 2015 to 2016? We had the capacity to house 4 youth at one time in 2015. By the end of 2016, we had the capacity to house 11 youth at once.

That means that over time, as youth move in

and out, these houses will allow us to continue housing many more young people at one time–doubling, tripling, quadrupling our impact over time.

We continue to invest in property purchases rather than rentals. Purchasing our own properties allows us to drastically increase our impact over the long term. One of our alumni recently said, “3:11 gave me time to get back on my feet; to get a job, a stable income, and eventually my own place. I’m finally able to support myself.” Long term growth + long term relationships = long term results.

“The point is, when you move in, you’re family.

And when you move out, you’re still family. Because we’ll always do what we can. That’s what family’s

for.”- 3:11 Alumni

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2016 Family FinancialsShortened Fiscal Year: January 1, 2016 - September 30, 2016

Each of these numbers tells part of the 3:11 family story. Every dollar represents more youth being served and more young people finding stability.

A Family Story: FlourishingFlourishing equals full circle. That’s what we think of when we think of Ja-Quari. A young man, with incredible determination and resilience, who, for many, many reasons experienced homelessness himself, but who will soon be a

house mentor for other youth.

It’s hard to explain the depth of impact that Ja-

Quari will have on the youth he’ll interact with. Is it his lived experience

that will make the largest imprint? Or is it

his dedication to serving others beyond the norm?

Its not surprising to see Ja-Quari taking on the role of house mentor. He is full of passion for young people and passion for 3:11.

As a founding member of 3:11, Ja-Quari knows what it takes to move from homelessness to healthy interdependence and is ready to share his experience with other young people. Ja-Quari explained it well when he said, “home is a place where you don’t have to ask if you can head back or stay the night. A place where you can put your things and they will be safe. I’m excited to make a house a home for new 3:11 family members.”

Heritage Hill House

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Heritage Hill HouseAfter

Looking Forward

What’s in store for 2017?

We are so excited for this next year! We have many, many opportunities on the horizon–some of which are below. Follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on 3:11’s happenings in the coming year!

Upcoming goals: • Finish our Baxter house to walk alongside even

more young women• Accept a multi-site property donation to add

more housing options for youth• Grow our alumni program so alumni can formally

mentor current youth• Engage more community partners• Add 2 or 3 new staff members to increase our

capacity• Enhance and amplify our mentor training

In Closing…

Thank you. Because of you, and other people like you, 3:11 has grown to this level. Because of your support, fewer young people are on the streets and more young people have a tangible picture of home. Your support has allowed us to expand our reach to serve even more youth. Thank you for being a part of the 3:11 Family!

Participating in the 3:11 Family

Youth find stability through housing. Employment barriers are broken down. Hope shines through. Your commitment to 3:11 in 2016 has been multiplied–for that, we are eternally grateful.

With a need so great, and a solution within reach, we encourage you to keep lending your support and take your commitment a step further. Now, more than ever, the youth of 3:11 need you to act. To fight. To advocate. To get to work.

www.3-11.org

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3:11 YOUTH HOUSING

722 EASTERN AVE. SE

GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49503

P: 616.217.4.113

WWW.3-11.ORG