As senior vice president of Franklin Apartment Management, Ryan Baldwin has witnessed the financial hardship individuals in his organization’s communities battle.
He recalls walking the grounds of a community and witnessing two children in a dumpster searching for food — a basic necessity. Baldwin and his team rescued the children, took them to his office and provided them food.
“At that point, we had a long talk with their parents about accessibility of food and our role to coordinate food distributions with a partner agency,” Baldwin said.
Recognizing the needs of the most vulnerable residents in San Antonio, Franklin Apartment Management has partnered with Opportunity Home on leasing units to Housing Choice Voucher participants and developing affordable housing communities through the city.
The partnership’s housing portfolio includes 100 Labor, Artisan at Ruiz, Artisan at Creekside and Artisan at Salado Falls, offering modern amenities and services that help residents thrive in their communities, such as food, school, clothing and events.
“One of the most essential things we can provide is social services, which equals to food pantries and distributions,” Baldwin said. “In a survey we asked residents what their biggest concern financially was and the majority listed food as one of their concerns. That is where the need is.”
“The reality is that many of our single parent households work long hours with low pay and just enough to pay rent, utilities and essentials,” he continued. “Their paycheck goes and then they have to get a payday loan and it turns into a continuous cycle.”
As a leader who regularly interacts with residents, Baldwin goes above and beyond to make them feel safe and integral in their communities, encouraging them to call or text him if they need assistance.
Through their efforts, Baldwin and Franklin Apartment Management aim to create thriving communities throughout San Antonio. He relishes seeing the delight on their faces when they move into new modern communities, particularly two residents who lived in less-than-ideal situations beaming with joy with their new living situation.
“We had one resident who was in tears when we told her that we would work and have her live in a brand new apartment that featured great amenities with her service animals and grandkids,” Baldwin said. “Another lived in a garage apartment and slept on a couch who qualified. She was very excited to be housed in the neighborhood that she previously lived in.”
“It is rewarding to provide something beneficial to people that they are well deserving of, but haven’t had a chance to experience,” he continued.
Opportunity Home recently implemented the Owner Incentive Payments program, providing a $500 incentive to owners who lease to participants in either the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) or Mainstream programs. To learn more, visit our Landlords page or email [email protected].