Real estate sales could help fund local housing for people with disabilities.
Community Living Huntsville’s (CLH) Realtors for Inclusion program sees real estate agents donate a self-determined portion of their sales to the non-profit.
Jennifer Jerrett with CLH says they were approached by Huntsville broker Kim O’Grady a while back, and it grew from there.
“Realtors, for the most part, have done really well over the pandemic, and I think [Kim] was looking for a way to give back,” says Jerrett. “We were looking for a way to grow our partnerships within the community. And right off the bat we got a handful of real estate agents that wanted to come on board and be part of this initiative.”
According to Jerrett, the money will go towards CLH’s transitional housing pilot project. It helps low-income young men with developmental disabilities who have experienced homelessness.
She says the idea is to not only house them in the short term, but to give them the skills they need to stay housed in the long term.
“Putting someone in a house, just to put a roof over their head, doesn’t help them overcome different aspects that they might have going on in their life,” says Jerrett. “We have found that providing additional support– how to budget, how to look for a job, resume writing– that type of support has really seen a benefit in transitioning out into permanent housing.”
Jerrett says they’ve got five realtors on board so far, and are looking for more. Anyone interested can contact her at [email protected] or 705-380-4153.