Observations from Michael E. Gorman, CAPS, CPM, CCIM
Many leaders nationwide are looking for answers on how to help solve the ongoing economic rut that has taken hold in so many parts of the country. Apartment owners are proudly doing their part to help.
The generosity of owner Ed Wood at Concord Management Limited in Maitland, Fla., serves just one example of how the apartment industry has been part of the solution toward solving the housing dilemma that many face today. He recognized a crisis in his own backyard: the temporary homeless.
Wood says that his company felt compelled to act after one of its partners watched a “60 Minutes” segment in March highlighting the astonishing number of homeless children in Florida–a staggering 30 percent in some schools. The following month, Concord launched the New Moves Partnership program through its charitable organization, Southern Affordable Services, to place homeless families throughout Central Florida in vacant apartment units at greatly discounted rents.
These families are temporarily homeless through no fault of their own—due to factors such as losing a job, losing a parent or losing their home to a fire. And while living at the community, they work with case managers who help them get back on their feet financially. Learn more about the program in “Home At Last,” on page 32.
The Apartment Association of New Mexico’s involvement began in February after volunteers from the 100,000 Homes Campaign canvassed the streets of Albuquerque, N.M. between 3:30 a.m. and 6 a.m., searching for homeless men, women and children. Of the 700 individuals surveyors encountered, nearly 500 were interviewed–300 of which were identified as “vulnerable.” In other words, they were dangerously close to dying. In partnership with the City of Albuquerque, the association introduced a local version of the campaign, which aims to house 100,000 homeless people by 2013.
The Tulsa Apartment Association works with Youth Services of Tulsa, an organization with a transitional living program for homeless young adults who are employed or enrolled in school. Although TAA doesn’t provide the housing, members contribute furnishings and sponsor food drives to assist participants.
The Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association (GCNKAA) has spearheaded several initiatives under its non-profit charitable organization, Apartment Association Outreach Inc.--a branch of the association sponsored by GCNKAA and run by its volunteers.
In addition to organizing canned food drives to feed the homeless, GCNKAA members and volunteers hand out free lunches every afternoon through a sandwich window in downtown Cincinnati. They deliver more than 500 sandwiches to the hungry in less than three hours.
Such outreach efforts are a meaningful way for members to give back and represent the industry in a positive light. And it doesn’t end there. Jeff Rogo, Government Affairs Director for the Bay Area Apartment Association assembled a task force to match homeless families with vacant units in Tampa Bay, Fla. “We want to be seen in our community as housing providers and as part of the solution,” Rogo says.
If you are interested in being a part of the solution, please contact NAA.
— NAA Chairman of the Board Michael E. Gorman, CAPS, CPM, CCIM