Organization Background Information

Please provide us with the organizations Mission Statement: Sojourners Alliance promotes the personal growth, empowerment, and self-sufficiency of people in transition by providing decent housing affordable to low-income persons, basic services, education in life and interpersonal skills, counseling, and opportunities for integration into the community. Please provide a brief overview of the organizations history and programs and services: Sojourners Alliance, located at 627 North Van Buren Street, Moscow, Idaho, was founded in 1991 as the Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA) of the Palouse. Established to address the problems of poverty and homelessness, the organization provided shelter for women and children. In 1996 the organization severed ties with the YWCA, changed their name to Sojourners Alliance and has since operated independently. Since constructing new dormitory facilities in 1999, Sojourners has extended housing services to men. The transitional housing program provides shelter and support to homeless men, women, and families. Sojourners transitional housing shelter is the only homeless housing facility for single men and women between Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. Sojourners distinguishes itself from emergency homeless shelters by requiring that clients stay for at least 90 days and attend counseling sessions to develop work and life skills essential to self-sufficiency, with a focus on personal responsibility and financial management. Through on-site case management, Sojourners helps clients overcome the barriers standing in the way of residential stability and economic self-reliance. Sojourners also offers an affordable housing program that offers rental units to qualifying individuals at reduced rates. Sojourners Executive Director Steve Bonnar received his masters degree in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Idaho, and has served as director for the past five years. Case Manager Randy Paulin, a former Sojourners client, is a PhD candidate at the University of Idaho and has served as case manager for two years. All staff members at Sojourners have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, and hence have special insight into the situations of their clientele. In addition to the transitional housing program, Sojourners Alliance operates a food bank and Wise Buys Thrift Shop in Troy, Idaho, and administers Project Warmth, a program that provides rental assistance for disabled adults. Please list the organizations Board of Directors and their professional affiliation. Please limit to the Officer Board role of President/Chair, VP, Secretary, Treasurer: There are currently seven members on the board. President Darrell Keim, a developmental specialist, has an M.A. in Communication and currently serves on the Latah County Youth Advocacy Council, the Moscow Human Needs Council, the Boy Scouts of America District Advisory Board and The Center for Community Building to End Poverty. Vice-President Scott Billing earned a degree in forest management from Oregon State University, and worked for thirty-five years in the Bureau of Land Management before retiring. Billing serves as

President of the local chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) and VicePresident of the local Kiwanis Club. Secretary Jay Mlazgar is a Securities Specialist for Edward Jones Investments. Mlazgar has twenty years of experience working in radio, many of which he spent as the CEO or manager of radio stations in the Northwest. Mlazgar is on the board of the Latah Library foundation and a member of the local Kiwanis Club. The remaining board members are technical lead Erik Stenbec, real-estate agent Bettina Gilbert, compliance officer Lorraine McConnell, retiree Deb Rupp, and student Katti Carlson. Is there a U.S. Bank Employee who serves on your Board of Directors? No Is there a U.S. Bank employee or employees who serve your organization as a volunteer or in another capacity? No

Please List other major corporate donors and contribution amounts. (2000 characters) Sojourners Alliance received $2000 from AmericanWest Bank in 2011. Does your organization receive sponsorship or membership dollars from U.S. Bank? No Have you received funding from U.S. Bank in the last three years? Yes If yes, provide the year, the amount, and a brief description of the contribution (general operating, capital, program/project title). (2000 characters) In 2010, U.S. Bank funded Sojourners Alliance with $2500, which was used to pay for general utility bills, phone bills, and water bills. In 2009, the $2500 funding from U.S. Bank was used to pay for general operation for Sojourners facilities. For all the years prior to 2009, U.S. Bank funding was used to pay for the case managers wages.

Project Request Information

Support Type: General Project Title: General Operating Support

Requested Amount: $4981.95 Brief Purpose of Request. The purpose of this request is to replace five refrigerators in the transitional housing units. Project Start Date: Immediately upon receiving funds Project End Date: n/a Other funding contributions for this project. Please list other major corporate donors and contribution amounts for this project. (If request is for general operating support, please put n/a in this section.) n/a Does your organization or this request support environmental sustainability? Yes Please specify the % of the requested funding that is applicable to environmental sustainability. 100% Please specify the $ of the requested funding that is applicable to environmental sustainability. $4981.95 Please describe how this request supports environmental sustainability. (2000 characters) Sojourners Alliance emphasizes responsibility and self-sustainability, which is consistent with environmental responsibility. This request decreases energy consumption at the transitional housing facility, as each new refrigerator will be at least twice as efficient as the refrigerator it replaces. Sojourners overall electricity usage will decrease from 8798 to 5824 kilowatt hours per year.

Project Details
Please provide a detailed narrative of this request. (2000 characters) Sojourners would like to purchase three Whirlpool 25.1 cu. Ft. Side-By-Side refrigerators for $999.999 each and two Frigidaire 18.2 cu. Ft. Top Freezer refrigerators for $849.99 each. Altogether, the five refrigerators will cost $4699.95 plus an additional $282 for Idaho sales tax for a total of $4981.95.

Refrigerators will be purchased from Sears. The new refrigerators will replace refrigerators being used in the housing units of the transitional housing program. What need does this request address? (2000 characters) The current refrigerators used at the Sojourners transitional housing units are energy inefficient and have cost Sojourners significantly in repairsmoney that could otherwise be spent meeting the growing need for transitional housing and housing aid in the Palouse region. This problem could be avoided with the purchase of new refrigerators. Reducing the costs of energy and repair accrued from Sojourners old refrigerators will free up money to further improve facilities, as well as expand the organizations client base and extent of services provided. Currently, all refrigerators in the transitional housing units are donations from local homeowners. These refrigerators frequently fall below the standards set by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and require repairs to bring them into compliance. Donated refrigerators are accident prone and often require simple repairs, including handles and shelving. These refrigerators also occasionally cause damage that requires more costly repairs, such as leaks that have damaged the flooring and floor joists. Because Sojourners limited financial resources are primarily directed towards the care of its clients and the community, the need for new refrigerators has been overshadowed by more immediate needs for food, shelter, and clothing. Since the waiting list for the transitional housing program is often extensive, funds have not been made available to address this need. Please briefly describe how the request fits within the U.S. Bancorp Foundations guidelines. (2000 characters) This request fits within the U.S. Bancorp Foundations guidelines because it aims to improve and preserve the quality of housing Sojourners provides to individuals and families who would otherwise be homeless. Creating a quality affordable living environment for Sojourners clients will help to instill in them a sense of self-sufficiency and ownership. This request will allow Sojourners Alliance to devote more resources to its central mission of providing affordable housing and life-skills counseling while immediately increasing the quality of living for clients by providing refrigerators that meet or exceed HUDs standards. The integrity of the transitional housing units will be preserved by preventing refrigerator repairs and damages and reducing electricity costs.

Implementation and Evaluation

If previously funded by U.S. Bancorp Foundation, please provide a brief report on the results of the grant (i.e., amount of funding, what was accomplished, challenges encountered, and corrective actions taken). If not previously funded by U.S. Bancorp Foundation, please enter "Not previously funded by U.S. Bancorp Foundation". (2000 characters) U.S. Bancorp granted Sojourners Alliance $4000 in 2006 and 2007, and $2291 in 2008. These funds were used to pay the Case Managers salary. In 2009, U.S. Bancorp granted Sojourners $2500 to repair damage to flooring in a housing unit caused by a refrigerator leak. U.S. Bancorp granted Sojourners

$2500 in 2010. These funds were used to pay phone, water, and utility bills. Sojourners did not receive funding from U.S. Bancorp in 2011.

What are the anticipated outcomes for this project? (2000 characters) The anticipated outcomes for this refrigerator replacement project include reducing power bills, avoiding costly repairs, and increasing client satisfaction. By replacing the inefficient donated refrigerators, Sojourners annual electricity bills will decrease from $735 to $460, according to the Energy Star Savings Calculator. Furthermore, the new refrigerators will prevent leakage, which has cost Sojourners $4500 in repairs on one occasion. The number of reported incidents of food spoilage caused by inefficient donated refrigerators is also expected to decrease. The current donated refrigerators have caused food waste from incorrect interior temperatures. Adjacent freezers have frozen the food on the top shelves of the refrigerators, and faulty thermometers and poor refrigerator wall insulation have caused food spoilage. Reliable refrigerators will increase overall client satisfaction. In addition, reliable refrigerators are expected to bring Sojourners housing and living standards more in line with HUD standards. Describe the methods in place to evaluate or measure the above outcomes. (2000 characters) In order to measure the outcomes of replacing inefficient donated refrigerators, Sojourners will compare past levels of overall efficiency with the efficiency that results from new refrigerators. Improved power efficiency will be measured by comparing past electricity bills with future bills. Client satisfaction will be measured by overall reduction in reported complaints from previous years. Reduced repair costs will be measured by the absence of floor damage and refrigerator related problems for the period of at least one year. Food spoilage reduction will be measured by a decrease in the amount of reported incidents. Improved living and housing standards will be measured by meeting and maintaining HUD appliance accountability standards for refrigerators over a period of at least three years.