I was working at a Law Firm in downtown Los Angeles when a client needed help getting the guys living in her house to pay the rent. She was facing foreclosure, so her tenants thought they didn’t need to pay the rent. The eviction process for 10 guys living in the 5-bedroom house would be a really long, drawn-out process that she didn’t have time for due to the foreclosure. I suggested she meet with my husband, David, and see if he could persuade the guys to pay the rent they legally owed her while living in the home of which she was still the owner on title.
David did a great job of persuading the men in this group home to pay the rent or move out, so she asked him to start managing all three of her homes. This client taught David the ins and outs of group living and how the group home work. David is a natural salesman and very good with people from all walks of life. At the time he started to manage these group homes, he was also working at a treatment center for alcoholics and drug addicts. Full disclosure both David and myself are recovering alcoholics. In fact, we met at a Jewish Rehab https://beittshuvah.org/ in 2007.
This client of mine was making much money with these group homes. David was getting burnt out on working 12-hour shifts and not having a lot of time to spend with me due to my work schedule. We saw a need for this type of group housing and thought why can’t we do it? There was obviously a need for low-income housing where people shared a home and/or rooms within the home. We knew a lot about sober living from being at a rehabilitation center for alcoholics and drug addicts. With David’s experience working at treatment centers and exclusive sober living and my legal experience as a real estate lawyer, it would be a cinch! Wrong.. It was with a lot of trial and error, heartbreak, frustration, hope, giving back to the community, and networking that we now have a successful non-profit organization that houses over 130 men every night in Los Angeles.
I am starting this blog on how a group home works to help you either start or improve your group home, whether it be for recovering addicts, the elderly, veterans, men or women, or whomever. I genuinely believe our model can really help the homeless in your community. At the same time, hopefully, you will be able to make enough money for the lifestyle that you are dreaming about right now.
My hope is that we can join together in a community and share our strengths and experiences, helping to house those in need. For only $10.00, you can become a part of this movement that will become one of the best resources for housing people in a shared living environment. Each week, you will receive an email with tips, ideas, and stories of what we have gone through to help others and make much money. Please read the next blog post about how we found our first facility/home and the pros and cons of leasing or buying a property to start a group home.
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