providers on the merits was met with great skepticism; it is probable that some individuals in that room had been evicted. If we wanted people to listen, our message had to shift. We then appealed to an outcome-based high-impact solution that captured the imagination of listeners, with a message that renters and housing providers alike could agree on. Our new message: Prevent 2,100 families, including mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, and grandparents from being evicted in Baltimore City. This eviction pre- vention conservatively repatriates $8.4M back into the community for reinvestment into additional low-cost rental housing. It was in the BOOST Program we learned a lesson — be empathetic to the experiences of the other side. Solving that problem will create standing and will likely serve both parties well. We chose a path to stand for both sides, and to be a stand for the industry, and we named our effort the Federated Association to Innovate Rental Housing (FAIR Housing). Although COVID-19 has caused delays with launch plans; we are tracking to finally launch FAIRH. org before the end of 2020. The bottom line, contributing to Think Realty has emerged into more than I could have imagined; it has born new friends and meaningful relationships who value being in service to others, and it may even have potential for legacy beyond my years when FAIR Housing rises and lives on.” •
Brian Wojcik with Think Realty team member Carmen Fields
from independent investors across the country: a collective body was needed to speak on their behalf and effect change for the very same issues that we saw were broken with the system. That led to the emer- gence of the Realty Matters column in which I research and speak to the issues that the industry is facing and to begin offering solutions to those
problems. Think Realty team member Car- men Fields and I were referred to an opportunity to apply to a mini-accel- erator program created by Innovation Works (based in Baltimore City) to build and create a Social Enterprise organization, entitled BOOST. During the workshops, we quickly realized our message of defending housing
thinkrealty . com | 11
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter