Impact NFTs for the Homeless: SOTB

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Background

The homeless crisis is a problem that stems from many causes and thus it has many potential solutions. That can include anything from rehabilitation centers for substance abuse to shelters, case management centers, street outreach programs, transitional housing, and many other approaches. Our goal is not to solve the whole homeless crisis, but to focus on one solution and educate the public about that specific approach.

As of now, we have partnered with a transitional housing organization, Uncle Dave's Housing, which focuses on helping men from South Central LA transition back into permanent housing. Transitional housing is an essential step that many have to take before transitioning back into permanent housing. Mike, a manager at the organization describes the process in four steps:

1. Enter a rehab program
2. Complete program
3. Enter into transitional housing
4. Enter back into permanent housing

Each one of the steps is a journey of its own and we would like to educate the public on this process and also bring awareness to this organization and organizations like it.

Uncle Dave's Housing charges $600/month to those seeking transitional housing. Usually, their tenants are individuals who come from rehab centers that just completed a program, were recently incarcerated, or are veterans. These men have nowhere else to go and could easily become homeless due to their situation. We want to ensure those individuals don't end up on the streets because they couldn't afford transitional housing.

NFT Breakdown

500 NFTs at $100 each for a total of $50,000 in sales => 16 recipients will each receive 5 months of housing paid for

• We will let the community decide what to do with the remaining $2,000
• can go towards providing clothing, shoes, etc.

High-Level Summary

1. Conduct interviews of success stories that have either lived or are currently living at Uncle Dave's Housing. We will also interview the organizers of the organization.
2. After each interview will conduct a documentary-style photoshoot using a film camera
3. The film pictures will then be scanned and turned into NFTs which will be sold to raise funds for the organization
4. The NFTs will be embedded with re-sale royalties of 20%, this is a step taken to ensure that the organization (Uncle Dave's Housing) continues to benefit from any secondary sales.
5. AirDrop of an update NFT will be made to holders at the end of the campaign

NFT PROTOTYPES

Summary Expanded

These are just prototypes but they help to illustrate our vision. We want to tell a story through an image that is also accompanied by video content. For example, we already conducted an interview with Mike where he tells his experience being homeless and how he managed to transition back into permanent housing. We will produce one of our first NFTs on Mike and share his story with the world. You can think of Mike and the other 15 success stories as sponsors.

The proceeds from his NFT collection will be dedicated to one individual who receives 5 months' worth of rent at Uncle Dave's Housing. Once we find a recipient who gets the free housing, we will conduct a short interview to hear their story and share it with the rest of the world. A new NFT will be made that corresponds with to recipient's story. The new batch of NFTs will be airdropped to the NFT holders

For Example: If Mike's NFT collection raises funds to house 'Bob' for 5 months, all the holders of Mike's NFT will be airdropped a new NFT that tells Bob's story.

Mike won't be the only individual we make our original NFTs based on. We will conduct interviews on 15 other success stories and each will sponsor one recipient to get free housing for 5 months. They will be sponsoring through the stories that they share. Through this whole process, we will share our progress with the community

NFT Utility

Our mission with this NFT project is to raise funds to help with the homeless crisis in LA. Thus, our marketing campaign will focus on attaining the empathy of the NFT community. We will make it clear through our marketing that this is a donation so the NFT holder should not expect a monetary return. Instead, the NFT holder will get to be part of a social impact project. It will allow holders to be a part of a community that is focused on giving.

Holders will have more tangible evidence of their NFT utility when we begin to do the AirDrop updates. For these updates, we will revisit the organization and show tangible proof that the funds from the NFT sale went towards housing those in need. After the airdrops, we will then send all NFT holders a physical copy of the film picture. This film picture will be produced by hand in a dark room.

Finally, there is the utility of tax deductions. Uncle Dave's Housing is a 501(c)(3) which means any contributions to the organization are tax-deductible. The NFT proceeds will be directed straight to the organization's wallet which qualifies the original purchaser to receive a tax deduction receipt. We will embed this into the smart contract and ensure that only the original buyers receive the tax deduction receipt. (This utility is only applicable to US purchasers)

End Result

The funds will be used to pay 5 months' worth of rent for 16 men who are in danger of becoming homeless.

• That means 16 fewer people who end up on the streets.
• That means 16 more people who are able to transition back into permanent housing.

The community will get to see the tangible end results that came from their contributions. And the public at large will be better informed about the homeless crisis, the journey back into permanent housing, and organizations like Uncle Dave's Housing.

Beneficiaries

The group that benefits the most from this project will be those 16 men who are provided free housing for almost half a year. The second group to benefit will be Uncle Dave's Housing, through the royalties.

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

SheltersOnTheBlock will create a new use case for NFTs by introducing a new form of philanthropy. This project will create a transparent community where the proceeds of the sale could be traced and verified. As a result, impact valuation will be delivered to the Cardano Ecosystem. The community will know exactly how much was raised for the cause, and the distribution of funds, but most importantly the community will be able to measure the impact created. The impact created will be measured through AirDrops once the funds have been put into use.

For example: After the sale goes live, and we raise enough money to pay for 5 months' worth of rent we will find our first recipient. This recipient will be someone in need and who is in danger of experiencing homelessness. In order to prove to the community that funds were used to house this individual, we will make a quick video where the recipient shares his story with the community. After this video is taken we will create a new NFT and airdrop it to the community. Additionally, we will also upload proof of residency over the course of the 5 months. At the end of this project, there will be tangible proof to showcase how many men we kept off the streets and transitioned back into permanent housing. We will have created a way to measure the social impact.

Tax Deductions: Also important to note that if the minter/first purchaser of the NFT resides in the US, they will be able to count this as a donation and write it off on their taxes. Uncle Dave's Housing is a 501(c)(3), and there will be a system set in place to send the purchaser a receipt of donation. This mechanism could encourage companies or entities to interact with Cardano. If said entity or company has an agenda to help with the homeless crisis and they see Cardano has a project that supports the same cause it could draw their attention mostly if it has tax implications.

A Project That Keeps on Giving: This project will create impact monetization by making these NFTs tradable. After an NFT is traded on the secondary market, 20% in royalties will be collected and given back to Uncle Dave's Housing. This creates a situation of perpetual impact creation because each time an NFT is resold, the impact will be kept alive. And because all this will be carried out on the blockchain, the impact could be traced over time.

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Unclear Legal Environment Around NFTs: The regulatory environment around crypto as a whole is very unclear. So the tax deductions perk is something that could be affected at any moment if unfavorable legislation gets put into place. To mitigate this risk we will have to work closely with our partnering organizations to receive feedback on our system that gives out receipts to the purchaser. This system must be compliant with 501(c)(3) tax regulations.

Partnership: If our collaboration partners ever decide to no longer proceed with the project it could throw away a lot of our work. In order to this risk, we must choose the right collaborators from the start. They have to be an organization that shares the same vision as us and will be willy to stick through the highs and the lows of the project.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

Phase 1: Find Collaborators (COMPLETED)

• Find a Non-Profit organization in Los Angeles, CA that is helping the homeless community
• This organization should share the same mission as our project; which is to help mitigate homelessness or help those already experiencing homelessness
• This organization will receive the proceeds from the NFT sale

Phase 2: Content Creation & Education Campaign (ONGOING)

Content Creation (Present - July 15)

• Work closely with the organizers and residents of the organization to create content that will bring value to the NFT community
• These interviews will work to highlight the stories of those who have experienced homelessness and how they integrated back into permanent housing
• Interviews of the organizers will give insight into how they give back to the community
• Using classical photography we will take a film picture of the interviewee and turn those pictures into NFTs

Education Campaign (July 15 - August 30)

• This campaign is meant to draw attention to our project by sharing with the world how the residents of Uncle Dave’s Housing were able to transition back into permanent housing
• Bi-Weekly educational posts on our social media about the homeless crisis, transitional housing, and other educational content
• Turn the interviews into small clips that can be used on Twitter, YouTube Shorts, & TikTok.
• Video clips will hold the most inspirational parts of the resident's story
• The world loves to hear success stories, and there are plenty of inspiring stories at Uncle Dave’s Housing

Phase 3: Smart Contract Development & Public Sale 

Smart Contract Development (August 30 - September 1) - Subject to change once we begin to talk with developers

• Create smart contracts for the NFT launch on the Cardano Blockchain
• Create a transparent and verified wallet for Uncle Dave’s Housing
• The community will be able to verify everything
• The proceeds from the NFT sale will go directly to this wallet
• Smart Contract Details
• Create a vending system that sends a receipt of NFT purchase to prove donation was conducted - for tax purposes
• Implement Re-sale Royalties of 20% - all royalties will be directed to Uncle Dave’s Housing

Public Sale 

• September 
• 500 NFTs 
• Each will be $100 (adjusted for ADA price changes)

Phase 4: Proof of Impact & Air Drops

Proof of Impact (November 1) OR 1 month after the completion and sale of the NFTs

• Revisit the organization on November 1 and conduct new interviews with those who received temporary housing through the NFT sale funds.
• Ask them how they are doing and if they want to say anything to the NFT community

Air Drops (December 1) OR 2 months after all NFTs have been sold

• Create new NFTs that will be air dropped to NFT holders as a token of appreciation for helping make this campaign a reality 
• send physical film pictures to holders

Phase 5: Continued Growth (2023)

• Find a new organization that is focused on the same mission but this time the community can help decide what organization they want to collaborate with
• It can be a rehabilitation center for substance abuse, an all-female shelter, a shelter for the youth, etc.
• Start the process to turn this NFT project into an official club at the University of Southern California so other students can carry on the mission and have an opportunity to gain experience in blockchain

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

• Smart Contract Development = $5,000
• Third-Party Audit = $3,000
• Website Development and Maintenance = $2,000
• Graphic Artist = $800
• Animator =$500
• Marketing = $3,000
• Production of Film Pictures & Shipping Cost =$600

Total = $14,900

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Project Team Page --> https://www.sheltersontheblock.com/services

Angel Dominguez // Project Founder & Project Director

• 5+ years experience in community service
• Marshall School of Business (Senior)
• Blockchain Minor
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeldominguezcarrera/

Jacob Kashani // Project Co-Founder & Project Director

• Marshall School of Business
• NFT Investor

Nick Kelly // Strategic Advisor

• Advisory Board Member at Sofi
• Twitch Streamer (30k Viewers)
• Founder and President of CSUF PE/VC Association
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-kelly-108103184/

Omar Perez // Photographer and Lead Content Creator

• 3 years of experience in photography

Jasmine Gamez & Edgar O. // Content Creators

SheltersOnTheBlock is looking to onboard an experienced Cardano Developer. If you are interested please email us at: sheltersontheblock@gmail.com

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Yes, if we are funded we will return in the future to expand our project. Due to the fact that our project is non-profit, the proceeds will be given to the organizations helping the homeless community.

In the future, we plan to make new types of NFTs that are digital artworks. This will require new capital investment for a graphic design artist.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

SheltersOnTheBlock has two main goals

• Provide transitional housing to those at risk of experiencing homelessness. To prove to our NFT holders that we are actually providing housing to individuals we will create a new set of NFTs that will be airdropped to holders. Our goal is to sell all 500 NFTs to raise enough money to provide housing for 16 individuals. As we raise funds and find recipients to receive our donations the community will know our progress based on how many airdrops we have done. Additionally, we will post video clips of interviews where we talk to the recipients about their life stories. This provides two avenues for the community to track our progress on housing 16 people.

• Inform the Cardano community and the rest of the crypto world about the homeless crisis, potential solutions, and how they can give back. Our social media accounts will be a perfect way to measure the outreach we are having in terms of education. We will be posting educational content about homelessness twice a week on our social media. This means that the more followers we have, the more people we are educating about our cause. As a result, the community can measure our progress by seeing how many followers we have and also the engagement that our accounts have. For example; the community can decide how engaging and educational our posts are based on how many retweets or likes they get.

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

This project will be a success if all 500 NFTs are sold and we gain a reasonable social media presence.

Selling all 500 NFTs means we have raised $50,000 which would be used to house 16 men for 5 months each. Additionally, success will for this project is building a community where homelessness becomes a topic of conversation amongst our followers.

• Conversations where the SheltersOnTheBlock community shares our education content with others outside the community.
• Conversations where the SheltersOnTheBlock community encourages the recipients to get well, and have a successful transition back into permanent housing
• Conversations where the SheltersOnTheBlock community knows the difference between rehab programs, shelters, and transitional housing

Success also means we have successfully told compelling stories that have touched the hearts of many around the world, resulting in a positive cultural zeitgeist about people experiencing homelessness. We want people to know that experiencing homeless is not black and white as they may believe. There are many mental, physical, and spiritual battles that these individuals have to face.

We believe that education creates an ecosystem where people are more empathetic towards those experiencing homelessness. This empathy will create situations where people are more willing to donate to organizations that help the homeless, even if it's not through SheltersOnTheBlock.

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

This is a new proposal.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

1.4 - By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

11.1 - By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.3 - By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

16.6 - Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels