Governance

FOCUS Initiatives LTD is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation.

Within a year of the beginning of Phase 2, we aim for all coordinator positions to be held by current or former program members, and for the majority of the directors of our non-profit organization to be people who have experienced incarceration.

Foundation Committee: Non-hierarchical body for establishment of FOCUS Initiatives, including fundraising and execution of Phase 1. At the commencement of Phase 1, with the establishment of the first cohort of members, the Foundation Committee will retreat into an advisory role and be invited to join the membership council and be kept abreast of the organization’s operations by the Directors elected by the Membership Council.

Member Council: The member council will consist of all current and former program members, Foundation Committee members, and initial Board of Directors members who choose to participate. The member council will meet once at the beginning of each year to determine the priorities of the organization for that year, based on proposals submitted by Site and Business Coordinators. The Membership Council will be kept abreast of the organization’s operations by quarterly reports from the Coordinators.

Coordinators:

House Managers will live on-site and be responsible for coordinating housing and case management for program members. Site Coordinators will be responsible for ensuring that cooperative meal preparation and housing maintenance tasks are evenly distributed and operating efficiently. They will also be responsible for delegating tasks to program members, ensuring that the services (therapy, medical, transportation, etc) organized during Phases 3 and 4 are operating efficiently, producing quarterly reports for the Membership Council and Board of Directors, and managing the transitional house’s finances. Finally, they will be responsible for submitting proposals of strategic priorities to the membership council prior to the annual meeting.

Business Coordinators will be responsible for coordinating the landscaping and construction company, and any other future business ventures of FOCUS Initiatives, that will employ program members. They will also be responsible for contracting and accounting on behalf of the business. Finally, they will be responsible for submitting proposals of strategic priorities to the Membership Council prior to the annual meeting and producing quarterly reports for the Membership Council and Board of Directors.

After Phase 1 is complete, the President will be elected by the Membership Council and serve a term of one year. The President is responsible for facilitating communication within the organization, developing organizational strategy, and has the final say on financial decisions. Until Phase 1 is complete, the President will be a member of the Foundation Committee.

Directors/Steering Committee: In accordance with IC 23-17-12-1, FOCUS Initiatives LTD will have a Board of Directors. After Phase 1 is complete and FOCUS is fully operational, these Directors will serve fixed terms of one year (with the possibility of re-election), and will be elected by the Membership Council. After the Commencement of Phase 1, elected Directors will be responsible for providing quarterly reports on the organization’s operations to the Foundation Committee.

Governance of Transitional Housing and Businesses

All FOCUS Initiatives housing and businesses will be run cooperatively by the people living or employed therein. Decisions about who will live in the houses and be employed in the businesses, and the responsibilities and norms entailed, will be made collectively by people already living and/or working therein.