National nonprofit teams up with furniture rental and retail company to support situationally homeless in their transition to economic self-sufficiency
Credit: Bob Harper Photography
VIENNA, Va. (October 4, 2017) – According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than half a million people in the United States were homeless on a single night in January 2016. With so many individuals impacted, Shelters to Shutters, a national nonprofit that offers those experiencing homelessness a hand-up through employment and housing opportunities, looks to partner with companies in the apartment industry to expand its services. Today, Shelters to Shutters announced its latest partnership with CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, to further support its mission.
Through the partnership, Shelters to Shutters participants will receive a CORT Essentials Houseware Kit. The kit is designed to ease the transition from shelter housing to independent living with such items as furniture, bedding, cookware and linens.
“We have experienced a great response from companies within the multifamily industry interested in joining the effort to alleviate homelessness and support Shelters to Shutters in a variety of ways. Our mission has always been to provide a hand-up to help our participants regain economic independence,” said Andy Helmer, CEO, Shelters to Shutters. “Partnerships with companies like CORT allow us to grow our capabilities to empower those experiencing homelessness and provide a full-circle solution when participants move from a shelter to their new home.”
Shelters to Shutters was founded in 2014 to provide a pathway for those experiencing situational homelessness due to a major life event such as a major illness, job loss, a death in the family, or domestic violence. By connecting pre-screened participants with apartment owner/operators, the nonprofit offers employment and housing opportunities.
“This is a natural alliance, as we are in a unique position to offer a hand up. When individuals coming from a shelter open the door of their new apartment home for the first time and see they now have furniture and housewares of their own, it really does provide them with a sense of stability and a chance to start a new chapter in their life,” said Pete Regules, director of multifamily products and services at CORT. “Shelters to Shutters does fantastic work finding sustainable housing and employment opportunities for its participants, and we look forward to helping make those new places a home where they can thrive.”
Shelters to Shutters continues to grow its program throughout the country and is seeking new partnerships. For more information on how to partner with Shelters to Shutters, please visit shelterstoshutters.org/get-involved.
About Shelters to Shutters
Shelters to Shutters is a national 501(c)(3) organization that transitions individuals and families from homelessness to economic self-sufficiency by educating and engaging the real estate industry to provide employment and housing opportunities. Across the country, Shelters to Shutters pairs leading property management professionals with individuals experiencing homelessness who are ready to work. The result is an innovative program that provides mentorships for careers in property management, along with full-time employment and housing opportunities for individuals facing homelessness and a pipeline of high quality, motivated employees for the multifamily housing industry.
About CORT
CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, is the nation’s leading provider of transition services, including furniture rental for home and office, event furnishings, destination services, apartment locating, touring and other services. With more than 100 offices, showrooms and clearance centers across the United States, operations in the United Kingdom and partners in more than 80 countries around the world, no other furniture rental company can match CORT’s breadth of services and companywide commitment to making a house a home, an office a great place to work and an event a memorable celebration. For more information, please visit www.cort.com.
Media Contact:
Shelters to Shutters
Marlena DeFalco
303-682-3943
