The nonprofit organization 90Works boasts a statistic few organizations of any kind can: 100 percent. According to Cate Jordan, executive director of 90Works, the nonprofit organization boasts a 100 success rate in the stability of its clients.
The thrust of 90Works mission combats homelessness, poverty and family violence by bringing clients into self-sufficiency. Jordan said, “The populations we serve are homeless veterans, family violence families, high risk pregnant women, and victims of crime and families who are homeless or in crisis. We use the 90Works model with all of them. We have a 90 percent success rate getting them self-sufficient in 90 days. We measure housing, income, transportation, health, safety and support and we are moving 90 percent from in crisis and vulnerable to safe, stable and thriving. When we follow up at 6 months, 100 percent are still stable so the model sticks.”
The rapid, 90 day program 90Works employs is not for everyone. Jordan said 90Works employs a good assessment and screening tool to determine if potential clients would likely succeed. “At 90Works, we make an investment in someone. It requires commitment to life change. There’s only so much money to go around, so we need to make the best investments. We can’t help those who don’t want to be helped.” According to 90Works data from 2013, 2,592 people received help, including medically complex foster children, at-risk youth, new mothers, veterans, and abused children.
Clients may have criminal records or have been evicted, traits unattractive to landlords. However, the 90Works high success rate is able to get clients into homes. “We’ve made relationships with renters because they know we get things done,” she said.
Since the 90Works program may not work for everyone, those who may need more time 90Works can still be pointed in the right direction. John Johnson, executive director with the EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless, (ECOH), said he may receive clients from Jordan. ECOH is directly involved in the recently reported brand new 1 Family 1 Year 1 Home program with a similar mission in mind, moving families out of homeless with case management support. Other organizations with which 90Works is involved include Gulf Coast Kid’s House, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Florida Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Initiative and more.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 90Works clients show 100 percent stable