Help for the Homeless (HFH)

Help for the Homeless (HFH) is a charitable organisation in Vanuatu which works with members of society who have no home and require assistance in everyday activities, such as finding food and shelter. It employs over 100 staff but also operates with a further 150 volunteers throughout the country. Its funding mainly comes from business donations and local sponsorship but its profile in the public eye is low compared to other more publicised charities. It is well respected in the charity sector with an experienced Board of Trustees1 and has an excellent reputation for getting homeless people into permanent accommodation.

Due to the recent economic downturn in Vanuatu, donations to HFH have fallen in the last three years whereas the demand for its services is increasing. In the last three years, HFH has managed to retain its number of volunteers but they are struggling to cope with the rising level of demand for its services. In addition, the Board of Trustees believes that HFH should be developing the range of services it offers. The Board of Trustees considers that it should also assist those who need help in trying to find employment. This would then benefit the local communities and the national economy of Vanuatu. However, HFH’s staff and volunteers currently do not have the skills or expertise to undertake this proposed development in the service

Care for the Community (CFC)

Care for the Community (CFC) is a much larger charitable organisation operating within Vanuatu, which employs over 500 staff nationwide. It focuses upon offering a wide range of facilities and support to the unemployed, elderly and also the homeless in Vanuatu. It receives funding from central government, large scale corporate organisations and also receives a large amount from public donations.

In recent years, the Board of Trustees of CFC has recognised the need to continually enhance its services to include helping people to acquire new competencies such as IT and life skills and to train and mentor them to prepare for job interviews. The Board of Trustees of CFC has always encouraged collaboration and partnerships with other organisations in Vanuatu, in order to develop and enhance the services it offers and to utilise the expertise and knowledge of other complementary organisations. CFC’s management has also been highly innovative and has always analysed and kept up to date with changes in the environment in which it operates, in order to ensure that CFC is offering the services which best suit the needs of the people it serves. CFC has also always embraced new technology and operates a sophisticated website to promote its services and to keep in contact with suppliers, volunteers, sponsors and donors.

The Board of Trustees of CFC has recently approached the Board of Trustees of HFH with a proposal to merge their organisations. There is nothing in the governing constitution of either HFH or CFC which would prevent such a merger. The Board of Trustees of CFC believes that the reputation and skills possessed by HFH in helping the homeless would be very complementary to the services it offers to the community. In addition, the Government of Vanuatu has recently encouraged greater collaboration in its charitable sector which has resulted in some other charities merging.

REQUIRED:

Prepare a SWOT analysis for HFH, with at least 4 items in each component of the analysis.