Last fall, Vicky Mitchener had a whisper. During her travels throughout the country, she noticed more and more homeless people on the streets. She knew there had to be something the real estate community could do to help the homeless population. She returned home and contacted a friend in Charlotte who had worked with our homeless neighbors. Take a moment and watch the video here of Vicky introducing the Homeowners Impact Fund earlier this year.
The Vision
Mitchener had a vision from her early days on the board of the Women’s Impact Fund. She remembered that in the beginning days of that organization, they could pull together and get big things done collectively. This experience helped to found the Homeowners Impact Fund. The foundation of the organization is this: during every real estate closing, Dickens Mitchener agents’ will ask the key participants for a minimum $10 donation in celebration of the home closing. This would raise $85,000 annually from Dickens Mitchener home closings alone.
How It Works
The funds will be allocated to established organizations in our area that know how to help subsidize rent to make existing housing more affordable to families and individuals. In addition, the fund will assist with case management and support services to ensure households don’t just move home, but remain home, by working through underlying issues that may have led to homelessness.
The fund was launched in July 2020 and has already raised in excess of $30,000. The first 3 distributions were made in October to A Roof Above, Charlotte Family Housing, and Safe Alliance.
The plan is to introduce this foundation to other real estate firms across the country so we can all make a tremendous impact on our local communities.
Become A Supporter
Are you interested in donating? Becoming a partner? Learning more about bringing this program into your local community? Contact Melanie Vise at mvise@homeownersimpactfund or visit the Homeowners Impact Fund website today.
