Giving Thanks to the Multifamily Industry for a “Hand Up” – Shelters to

Shelters to Shutters works to connect homeless individuals in need of work with multifamily industry partners.

Photos and story provided by SHELTER TO SHUTTERS

As apartment owners and managers face staffing challenges and shortages to fill open positions, a national non-profit, Shelters to Shutters, is helping fill in some of these employment gaps. In a win-win situation, trained individuals who are hired and housed through the organization’s Houston operations are giving thanks to the industry for a “hand up” out of situational homelessness.

People often think of homelessness as a choice. A person living under an underpass looking for a handout, however, situational homelessness is much different and represents 83% of the 3 million Americans experiencing homeless over the course of a year. Shelters to Shutters works with individuals who had jobs, homes, opportunities and “something” happened. It could have been an illness, domestic abuse, a national disaster or job loss during the pandemic. Because of the incident, an individual loses everything – their career, job, home, family/friends and, most of all, hope. They may be in a shelter, car or on someone’s sofa.

Chris Finley, owner of Middleburg Properties, saw a need in 2014, and he found a solution within his own community in Virginia. He had jobs and apartments that he was trying to fill and there were nonprofits who worked with talented situationally homeless that needed both. Thus, Shelters to Shutters came into existence. Middleburg was not only helping by giving an opportunity. His organization was getting grateful, hardworking, determined and long-lasting employees. In 2021, after seeing that the model worked, the decision was made to expand first to five cities with the goal to add five each year after. Houston, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and the Washington DC area hired executive directors and started working on boards and relationships with referring agencies and industry partners. In 2022, Orlando, Phoenix, Charleston and most recently Dallas were added.

Shelters to Shutters Houston currently has nine board members with two being from the multifamily industry: Matt Phillips, CBRE, and Doug Yarger, Southcross Security, who says about our program, “We have seen the value it brings to the industry and are excited to be a part of an organization that is offering a hand up and not a hand out.”

Keith’s Story

Keith C., who lost his home when he lost his health aide job in 2021, is one such person.

After graduating from Lamar High School in Houston, Keith joined the Army and was Army Airborne. Dropping behind enemy lines as a sniper, later seeing his best friend and spotter killed while they were on duty, he recognized that life has its challenges.

Leaving his military career behind him, Keith worked for several years as a live-in home health provider and managing the household for an elderly woman. When the family he worked for sold the home and terminated his job, he had less than a week to move out and find both a new place to live and a job. He ended up sleeping in a car his uncle kept in a storage yard.

The middle of January 2022 found Keith at the Salvation Army Men’s Center downtown. There he met Mike G., a case manager, who knew about Shelters to Shutters. Keith was a perfect candidate for the S2S program. He had never intended to be homeless; the situation that occurred was beyond his control. Keith met with Shelters to Shutters’ Houston Executive Director Gaye Jackson, who assessed his skills and agreed he was an ideal candidate for the program. Gaye found Keith an eight-week apartment maintenance certification course through S2S partner Goodwill and connected him with a volunteer to assist with his resume.

He started the course and Keith found he was ready to enter a new industry, the amazing world of property management. IMT Residential’s hiring manager had a virtual interview with Keith and then he went to meet the property manager at IMT Cinco Ranch, Claudia Conway, for his in-person interview. She also saw his potential and he was offered a groundskeeper assistant job on the spot.

“It is very important for us to do better and give back to our communities,” says Dr. Manu Gupta, managing partner of Indus Management Group.

“As a medical doctor and a multifamily property owner and operator, I and my company are committed to doing what we can to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods we serve. Partnering with Shelters to Shutters is a smart business move that allows us to contribute to society in a meaningful way.”

Once he was hired as a groundskeeper, IMT waved the deposit and first month’s rent and reduced the rent by 70% for the next 11 months on an apartment. Shelters to Shutters arranged for one of their national partners, CORT Furniture, to fill his new apartment with furniture and home goods. Keith was matched with a volunteer mentor to walk beside him for at least the next year, to help and encourage him as he gets re-established. In a local arrangement with Shelters to Shutters, The Houston Food Bank has offered two years of food stability. S2S also has furnished Keith with an iPad as well as reduced internet fees.

Now after over six months in his new career, Keith is grateful for his new job and knows that working in the apartment industry is a career path that he plans to stay on. Keith is a sponge and learning so much working hands on, he is already working on make-readies. He loves his new home which he now occupies with his wife, Ruth, and working with the staff at IMT.

Working Together

Shelters to Shutters sees the real estate industry as a sustainable path out of homelessness. And as quoted in the Houston Chronicle, Conway agrees, “We’re helping out, and we’re also able to fill a position.”

The industry also understands that as rents and evictions spike, this type of initiative aligns with renters’ desires to live in a place known for community service. Although it may not be the answer to every solution, it is a unique model that can make a difference in someone’s life while giving a property an edge on staffing opportunities.

TJ Stewart, a senior vice president at Weller who focuses on accelerating the company’s property management presence in Texas, is a fan of the Shelters to Shutters model. “I am happy to be a Texas partner myself and I am honored to work with Shelters to Shutters to provide additional resources for my teams as we continue to expand our Weller Western footprint.”

Keith’s mother died when he was young. But he lives by the words she taught him, “always be respectful, say yes sir or no sir, and do the very best with what God gives you.”

Additionally, Keith is especially thankful for all that the real estate industry and Shelters to Shutters has given him – the opportunity for a productive, meaningful life.

Shelters to Shutters has been selected by the Houston Apartment Association’s Adopted Charity Task Force as one of HAA’s chosen charities for 2023.

Shelter to Shutters is actively fundraising and recruiting more real estate industry partners, service providers, mentors and board members in the area. For more information, contact Gaye Jackson, the Executive Director for Shelters to Shutters in Houston: gaye.jackson@shelterstoshutters.org or 713-880-5683.

See next month’s ABODE for more information on Shelter to Shutters and other charities chosen by the HAA Task Force.