Dedicating Charitable Resources

Dedicating Charitable Resources

HAA’s Adopted Charities Taskforce selects two to three charities every three years that are relevant to our industry.

At the Houston Apartment Association’s May 2022 Board Meeting, the creation of the Adopted Charities Taskforce was announced. HAA President Christy Rodriguez appointed past president John Boriack to chair the taskforce and encouraged interested board members to put their name forward for taskforce membership consideration.

The catalyst for this taskforce was the result of an Executive Committee discussion about the number of charities and 501c3 organizations HAA supports, whether it be through fundraisers, free association exposure, facilitating collection drives or providing manual labor at community service projects.

While HAA and our members are incredibly charitable, we're often pulled in so many directions that we unintentionally dilute our giving capacity and miss the opportunity to build momentum for community groups.

As a result, the objective for the Adopted Charities Taskforce would be to consider a future policy where the HAA board adopts two to three charities every three years that are relevant to our industry. Once adopted, HAA would dedicate charitable resources to these three groups, meaning all committees and HAA sponsored charitable activities would be directed to support these adopted charities.

The Taskforce Mission

Thank you to our Adopted Charities Taskforce members Jackie Aguirre, Melissa Friend, Monica Gracia, Manu Gupta, Karen Nelsen, Blaise Spitaleri, and staff liaisons Susan Hinkley and Casey Morgan.

The Taskforce conducted three meetings in June, August and October. During these meetings, the Taskforce developed criteria for future charities to follow in order to secure a partnership with HAA: • Some relation to the multifamily housing industry; • Tenure/legitimacy/reputation – capability to measure non-profit's structure and giving capacity as well as considering the charity's reputation and creditability with the public; • Ability to impact – locally focused as well as consider smaller organizations (and stray away from globally large organizations;) • Address specific needs of our industry and members; and • Mutually beneficial or a relationship that provides positive PR opportunities for both entities.

The Taskforce then created a list of suggested charities, including charities recommended by board members, and compared them to the developed criteria, then ranked them based on how well they fit the criteria.

The Decision

As a result, three organizations bubbled to the surface: NestQuest, Shelters to Shutters, and the YMCA.

The Taskforce invited all three charities for interviews in October and all organizations demonstrated financial needs, exposure needs, industry partner needs and opportunities to provide support through supply/collection drives.

Overall, the taskforce determined there were many opportunities to support all three organizations in different ways: supply drives, financial fundraisers, promotional efforts through large HAA events and endorsement support.

There were a few caveats to the taskforce's decision: • The taskforce recommended that HAA continue relationships with local charities that have been rooted in years of tradition at the organization including the Houston Food Bank and Camp Hope. • The Taskforce also recommended that HAA's Government Affairs team continue its working relationship with CrimeStoppers or similar efforts that address a political need according to the discretion of the HAA CEO. • Additionally, the Education and Outreach Department should also continue their work with stakeholders such as Goodwill to find opportunities to partner and better train the industry's workforce.

HAA General Counsel Howard Bookstaff put together a board resolution outlining the taskforce's decision. The resolution will direct all HAA charitable outlets to find ways to support these three charities over the three-year period (2023, 2024, and 2025.)

Mid-year in 2025, the Executive Committee will reevaluate HAA's working relationships with each charity and determine whether to renew the organization's commitment with the input of the HAA board and staff.

The Charities

NestQuest www.nestquesthouston.com

NestQuest changes the future of Houston's children, by providing families who receive Housing Choice Vouchers with access to great homes and exceptional schools.

Participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), also known as Section 8, have limited options for high quality housing in safe neighborhoods. NestQuest works directly with families, landlords and government agencies to give families a real choice in where they live and where their child is enrolled at school.

Families who want to move to high opportunity areas should have that choice.

NestQuest expands housing access in high opportunity areas for low income families.

NestQuest’s ultimate mission is to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty and systemic segregation in schools. Income segregation between school districts cause achievement gaps between students. NestQuest ensures that every child placed through our program is enrolled in an exceptional school ranked A+ to B by Children at Risk.

Shelter to Shutters www.shelterstoshutters.org

Shelters to Shutters is a national 501c3 organization that transitions individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness to economic self-sufficiency by providing full time employment, housing and career training opportunities in partnership with the real estate industry.

Homelessness is a circumstance, not an identity. Shelter to Shutters offers a hand up to economic self-sufficiency by providing employment, housing and career training opportunities in partnership with our real estate partners.

In 2014, Chris Finlay launched Shelters to Shutters as a way to connect individuals and families facing homelessness with opportunity for employment and housing at his properties.

What started as a pilot program has grown into a national organization as others in the industry embraced the concept. As a business owner, Finlay believes the private sector must engage more to address social issues in our communities. We cannot solely rely on the government to address them. The majority of our country’s homeless population are situationally homeless and need a hand up to get back to self-sufficiency – and the private sector is perfectly positioned to give just that.

The YMCA www.ymcahouston.org

The YMCA offers programs that meet the needs of the Greater Houston community. The Y is focused on impacting everyone and offers a variety of programs, classes and services. YMCA programs bring people together to develop strong, positive relationships with others in their neighborhoods and communities.

The Y is transforming to do more for communities. Today, they are changing their model to become a more inclusive, purposedriven entity. One built to ensure everyone in every community has equal opportunity.

As part of this effort, the YMCA would like to partner with area apartment communities to provide after school programs for resident children.

Activities will vary and may include:

• CREATIVE MOVEMENT – Dance, music, instruments, parachutes, beanbag games and more.

• ARTS & CRAFTS – Art projects, craft projects, painting, play dough, science.

• STRONG MINDS OR IMAGINATION STATION – All coordinated learning such as ABC’s, 123’s, colors, shapes, puzzles, puppets, dramatic play and themed activities such as back to school, wild kingdom, under the sea, transportation, the seasons, weather, holidays, etc.

• HEALTHY BODIES – Fitness fun, Zumba® Kids, CATCH®, physical play and nutrition.

• INSIDE OUT – Outdoor play.

For more information on HAA and it’s charitable endeavors, visit www.haaonline.org and see our social media #haaonline.