We were lucky to catch up with Juan Te Dailey recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Juan Te , thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?
I created a prevention of homelessness program, the GAP, and funded it by asking individuals to sign up for a recurring monthly donation of $10 and $20. I wasn’t eligible for grants so had to get creative to help the underserved populations with rental assistance.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Dsquared Homes For The Homeless was birthed in April of 2019 in response to my son’s personal experience with mental health challenges and homelessness. Though told he would never work again due to a debilitating diagnosis, my son recovered and went on to work full-time for six years while attending college and maintaining his own apartment and vehicle. Experiencing a family crisis in 2017, he lost everything, including his job. Though requiring only minimal assistance until regaining employment, the independence he worked so hard to attain became a liability. Now ineligible for state support, he was denied temporary shelter over a $40 income shortage and lived in a local park for one year.
Because mental illness runs in my family, the mission of Dsquared is to prevent homelessness by creating a support system for the independent living Seriously mentally ill (SMI) through community collaboration. We provide rental assistance to those who experience a temporary setback so they remain productive members of society, addressing homelessness and strengthening the economy. We offer hygiene bags to the unsheltered and seek to combat the growing homeless problem by funding their move-in costs when not covered by grants.
What’s different about us is our target population and belief system. We support the independent living mental health challenged individuals so they remain afloat and believe prevention is the answer to homelessness. We support those requiring minimal support to either maintain or regain independence because a person willing to invest in themselves is worth investing in before they lose hope.
I’m most proud that we just turned three on April 19th. Our GAP prevention of homelessness program has helped 37 individuals with funding, mainly from individuals in the community who committed to a monthly recurring draft of their choice from $10 to $200.
The main thing I want followers to know is that most of us are only one financial crisis away from homelessness and lowering the numbers of those sleeping on bus stops, freeway underpasses, and in parks begins with us, not the government. Partner with Dsquared by signing up for your $20 recurring donation at Dsquared4homeless.org.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When starting Dsquared in 2019, my child was homeless. I had to support him physically and emotionally, fight for him and be his cheerleader when he lost hope. To help him while supporting God’s people and building a nonprofit is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. For the three years I’ve been building my nonprofit, I have been my son’s Case Manager, Mother, Teacher, Job Coach, and Taxi Service and we also went out on holidays to deliver hygiene bags in his area.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Because it took me seven years working three jobs to get out of debt the Dave Ramsey way (Financial Peace University), I was committed to God’s calling on my life, but not going back into debt to do start the nonprofit. One day I saw a story on Facebook stating a woman’s dog had been bitten by a snake and she had raised $8,000 on a GoFundMe page for his surgery. I decided to try it, and raise exactly enough money to start Dsquared!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dsquared4homeless.org/
- Instagram: dsquaredhomes4homeless
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsquaredhomesforthehomeless
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-te-dailey-74187644/
- Twitter: @DsquaredFor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5KTqMdEg2iDMh-NbOwBvGw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dsquared4homeless