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Why Supporting Non-Profits Is More Imperative Than Ever

HopeLink of Southern Nevada • March 28, 2024
Aaron M. Sheets headshot

This article is written by Chris Schlaffman, Aaron Sheets, chief executive officer of HopeLink of Southern Nevada.


Hope. More than 90,000 households in the Las Vegas valley at risk of homelessness are seeking hope. Hope is what we do, our purpose, our mission. Hope is who we are because Hope Changes Everything.


Our hope arrives in the form of tangible services for our friends and neighbors in crisis, including rent, deposit, utility, and mortgage assistance to prevent families and individuals from the experience of homelessness. Emergency shelter services immediately place our citizens in a safe bed, and rapid rehousing provides a permanent residence to heal, reestablish themselves and their pathway to stability.


Preventing homelessness, preserving families, and providing hope is a mission for more than those we serve. It is also for you. When everyone in our community thrives, you and your family thrive too.


Our focus remains on providing services and creating programs that will help families and individuals remain whole, disrupting their lives as little as possible. Our rental assistance programs are the most effective in keeping residents housed in Nevada, and we continue to seek out new revenue sources to support families and seniors in need.


To meet the growing need, within the next three years we will enlarge our staff to serve more than 40,000 people, including a concerted outreach to seniors who have been acutely affected by the rising cost of living. We will expand our facilities to meet the increased caseload and staffing needs and we will establish a $6,000,000 endowment to ensure hope for people in crisis long into the future.


Our newest outreach program serves over 500 Lake Mead West Apartment residents with all the services we provide at our Family Resource Center using our model which attaches case management to affordable housing – a model we believe will become more prominent in the future. Additionally, Pura Vida Senior Living breaks ground next door in 2024 with HopeLink providing intensive case management services onsite for a low-income senior community. Cooperative partnerships are a winning business strategy in the non-profit world.


The 2023 community count revealed that there are more than 6,500 unsheltered members in our community on any given night. Many believe this is a grossly underreported number. Evidence shows the most effective and least expensive way to prevent homelessness is to provide rent, utility, and deposit and mortgage assistance, along with other supportive services designed to keep people safely housed where they are—services HopeLink is equipped to provide.


An acute need exists for senior assistance. Because fixed senior incomes are outpaced by the cost of living, residents are being evicted from their homes in staggering numbers. When people become homeless, the costs of re-housing them skyrockets tenfold. When senior citizens become homeless, it immediately becomes a life-threatening situation.


Which means our 2024 plans include renewing Hope4Seniors, a package of assistance and services designed specifically for the fixed-income elderly in our community. Their ability to survive the rising costs of living has become more threatened than ever before in the history of southern Nevada.


There remains much work to be done, as inflation continues to outpace incomes causing many in southern Nevada to become rent burdened. Our seniors and our neighbors surviving on low and fixed incomes are particularly at risk in our current state. We are continuously working with our federal, county, and jurisdictional partners on ways that we can keep them housed and fed, with the lights on.


Our dedicated case managers assist families, individuals and seniors in crisis with a continuum of services including emergency food assistance, bus passes for work or medical appointments, Nevada IDs, work cards, birth certificates, prescription co-pays, senior specific services, as well as referrals for assistance from hundreds of community resources including mental health, legal assistance, low-cost medical clinics, and many other areas of need.


On average each year, HopeLink provides 500 individuals with emergency shelter, helps the community with 1,000 free tax returns, 2,000 households with food assistance, writes 5,000 checks to prevent homelessness and utility shut offs, and so much more.


We meet them where they are no matter their history or issues, show them their strengths, lift them out of homelessness, give them job skills, and help them find employment so that they can realize financial stability. At HopeLink, our integrated approach to preventing homelessness and its recurrence changes the normal for families, children, and seniors immediately, and then for a lifetime.


In any crisis, people need to know there is always hope. Hope is the first and most important currency that leads people to recovery from hardship. Hope is the exchange within which our staff is both passionate and fluent. At HopeLink, our integrated approach to preventing homelessness and its recurrence changes the normal for more families, children, and seniors immediately, and then for a lifetime. We have been, and still are, southern Nevada’s number one provider of hope.


At HopeLink, we feel strongly that businesses have an important role to play in being good stewards within the community as well as to their employees. By partnering with a non-profit organization, such as ours, businesses can create a ‘link2hope’ between themselves and those in need. If you would like more information on how you can support our work visit link2hope.org or call 702-566-0576 ext. 314.

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Postcards can be a great way to tell people about your business, but sometimes they don’t work the way you want them to. If you’ve sent postcards and didn’t get the results you hoped for, don’t worry! There are a few reasons why that might have happened. Here are three reasons why your postcards might not be working and what you can do to fix them. 1. Your Picture Doesn’t Show the Message Quickly When people look at a postcard, they don’t spend a lot of time on it. If your picture doesn’t show them what your business can do right away, they might not even bother reading the words! The picture should tell them exactly what you’re offering in just a couple of seconds. What to do about it: Pick a picture that shows exactly what you’re offering. If you’re selling toys, use a photo of the toys. If you’re selling a service, show how it helps people. Make sure the picture makes the message clear so people don’t have to think about it for too long. 2. There’s Too Much Stuff on the Postcard Sometimes, people think if they add more information to a postcard, it will help. But if there’s too much stuff, it can make the postcard confusing. People might get overwhelmed and not know what to do next. That means they might throw it away. What to do about it: Keep your message simple. Tell people one main thing about your business. Use a few words and make it easy to understand. Focus on one thing you want them to know or do, like “Call us today for a free trial!” or “Visit our website to get your discount!” That’s all they need to know! 3. You Tried to Make It Yourself Instead of Getting Help A lot of people try to make their own postcards. But if you don’t know how to design them well, the postcards might not look professional. A postcard that’s messy or hard to read will make people ignore it. What to do about it: Get help from a professional. They know how to make postcards look good and get people’s attention. A designer can make sure your postcard is easy to read and looks nice. They’ll help you say the right thing in the right way so more people will want to take action. Conclusion If your postcards aren’t working, don’t give up! By choosing a clear picture, keeping the message simple, and getting help from a professional, you can make postcards that grab people’s attention and get the results you want. Start making changes today, and you’ll see more people interested in your business! Book an Appointment and Get 5,000 Free Postcards! Click here to book an appointment and get 5,000 postcards for FREE: https://qr.rsvplasvegas.com/calendlymobile/HCCblog1 About Tim Knifton Tim Knifton is a marketing expert who has sent over 15,000,000 postcards in Las Vegas! He knows how to create successful postcard campaigns that help businesses grow. One of Tim’s biggest achievements was helping a company earn over $2,500,000 in just six months with direct mail. Tim loves helping businesses succeed with direct mail, and he continues to be a leader in the marketing world.
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In 2025, even though digital marketing is everywhere, direct mail is making a big comeback! Here are three reasons why sending postcards is still a smart choice for businesses: 1. Direct Mail Stands Out in a Crowded World When you check your email, you probably get tons of messages—maybe over 30 in an hour! But when you get physical mail, you only get a few pieces a day, so postcards are much easier to notice. They stand out and grab your attention right away! 2. Reach People Who Aren’t Always Online Not everyone spends all their time online. Direct mail postcards are great because they can reach people who don’t use the internet much, like older, wealthier demographics. This means postcards can connect with people that digital ads miss. 3. Physical Postcards Are Easy to Understand Digital ads can be confusing or take time to understand, but postcards are simple. You can read them quickly and get the message right away. It’s easy to remember, so people are more likely to act on it. In a world full of digital ads, postcards offer a fun, easy, and smart way for businesses to reach people in 2025. Book an Appointment and Get 5,000 Free Postcards! Click here to book an appointment and get 5,000 postcards for FREE: https://qr.rsvplasvegas.com/calendlymobile/HCCblog1 About Tim Knifton Tim Knifton is a marketing expert who has sent over 15,000,000 postcards in Las Vegas! He knows how to create successful postcard campaigns that help businesses grow. One of Tim’s biggest achievements was helping a company earn over $2,500,000 in just six months with direct mail. Tim loves helping businesses succeed with direct mail, and he continues to be a leader in the marketing world.
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