Shelters to Shutters offers a win-win solution

Shelters to Shutters (“S2S”) is a national non-profit organization that transitions individuals and families from homelessness to economic self-sufficiency by providing employment, housing, and career training opportunities in partnership with the multifamily industry. It’s a win-win program that offers a pathway for economic independence to those in need of a hand up, while providing apartment companies with a pipeline of pre-screened, motivated candidates for their open, entry-
level positions, such as maintenance techs, groundskeepers, and leasing agents.

Here is a link to a brief two-minute video on how it works.

Some highlights about the program:

• S2S finds candidates where typical hiring managers are not looking—individuals and families overcoming the challenge of experiencing situational homelessness.S2S candidates are motivated, resilient and make valuable team members excited for the opportunity for a career in property management. 72% receive a wage increase or promotion after their first year on the job.
  
  
• S2S candidates who are hired have proven to have a much lower turnover rate than the industry average.
  Every individual transitioning out of homelessness not only changes a life forever but saves a local community $35,578 in estimated expenses, creating healthier, more stable neighborhoods.
  
  
• S2S currently partners with over 40 socially responsible apartment companies to fill their open entry-level positions including AvalonBay Communities, Bell Partners, Crescent Communities, Cortland Partners, First Communities, Walton Communities, IMT Residential and IRT Living and more. It’s a private-sector solution that benefits both those at risk and the multifamily businesses.

Here’s a Forbes.com article explaining more about the S2S model.

Today, S2S is operating in 9 markets across the country—Atlanta, Charlotte, Charleston, Houston, Nashville, National Capital Region, Phoenix, Dallas/Fort Worth and Orlando—with a goal of serving 25 markets by 2025.

The multifamily industry values the model because it eases their hiring process. S2S provides individuals who are pre-screened, vetted with background checks, and provided with a robust career training program for technical and soft skills. S2S participants also come with a support team dedicated to seeing them succeed. Great talent is showing up where typical hiring managers are not looking.

S2S’s national partner, CORT, ensures apartments are fully furnished on a hired participant’s arrival, and S2S provides access to low-cost wifi and a laptop through the program for access to ongoing career training.

This is a unique, proven approach to addressing two problems that affect our nation’s cities and creates citizens who are contributing to our economy.

Check out the stories of a couple of participants currently employed and housed through S2S like Jeff and Mario.

Learn more about S2S

 

Contact Denise Tremmel
Sr. Manager, Inbound Marketing