Open Source

(June 15, 2024) - Camp Haven Sanctuary, a transitional facility for people experiencing homelessness, has publicly released its collection of documents, procedures and forms as a “how-to” manual for establishing, managing and optimizing a nonprofit homeless shelter.

The manual, Camp Haven Sanctuary Model for Creating a Homeless Shelter, provides a detailed plan and set of rules for homeless shelters via open source licensing on its website at camphavensanctuary.org. Camp Haven appears to be the world’s first homeless facility to provide such a comprehensive document free of charge.

​

“Camp Haven believes that if society doesn’t teach other people how to create and run a shelter, then few of them will ever do so,” said Josiah Ingalls, executive director of the camp.

“Our decision to go open source puts Camp Haven in the spotlight with 100 percent accountability and transparency, a degree of scrutiny which most nonprofit shelters do not allow,” Ingalls added. “In contrast, we welcome probing questions and critical feedback so we can make our shelter model even better.”

Camp Haven Sanctuary opened its10-acre site in 2021, reaching out to existing shelters for advice and guidance. But Camp Haven organizers quickly learned that homeless shelters often treat their internal operations as trade secrets.

“Since then, the Camp has been moving toward an open source model, and we challenge all other nonprofit shelters to do the same,” Ingalls said. “Those that refuse to go open source may be perceived by some people as having something to hide.”

Camp Haven’s documents now covered under open source licensing are free for anyone to use and modify for their purposes, so long as they do not use the information for profit or to file for copyright as a derivative work. “This will ensure that Camp Haven Sanctuary never becomes part of what I call the ‘Nonprofit Industrial Complex,’” Ingalls said.

During its three-year existence, Camp Haven has operated mostly with funds and labor provided by the Ingalls family and occasional, individual donations.

 

“Going it alone has been a tough road, but by doing so and overcoming many obstacles, we’ve created a groundbreaking model of homeless shelter with a 72 percent success rate,” Ingalls said. “As far as we know, that is the highest homeless shelter success rate in the nation.”

“Shelters that say housing the homeless is tremendously expensive are wrong,” Ingalls continued. “Success is less about money and more about the process and model being used. With our success rate and truly unique program, Camp Haven benefits not only Central Texas, but potentially the nation and even the world.

“We are revolutionizing the way people perceive and tackle the homeless crisis.”