Enterprise Community Partners’ National Board Tours 3Keys Property to Showcase Model of Affordable Housing and Supportive Services
On a rainy fall day, 3Keys’ CEO Scott Walker welcomed the Board of Trustees and leadership of Enterprise Community Partners to the Phoenix House. Phoenix House was one stop on a tour of affordable housing developments around Atlanta. The tour included Enterprise CEO and President Shaun Donovan and other executives from across the country who were gathered for an annual convening.
Phoenix House is an exemplary model of 3Keys’ work and the successful model of permanent supportive housing. Located in southwest Atlanta in the Oakland City neighborhood, Phoenix House is one of five properties owned and operated by 3Keys in a unique model of ownership and management under one company. Residents not only receive keys to their very own apartment, they also receive supportive wraparound services onsite. This facility goes a step beyond our others in that it fills a critical gap between institutions and group homes by providing independent living within a highly supportive environment. It provides affordable, long-term housing for those who have highly service-dependent mental illness.
Scott discussed 3Key’s mission, important initiatives, and how our collaborative work fits within Atlanta’s affordable housing ecosystem. 3Keys owns and manages hundreds of supportive housing units throughout the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County. Working closely with the Atlanta and Dekalb’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordinated Entry Programs, we place the most at-need community members experiencing homelessness into our residential apartments.
Additional stops on the Enterprise tour included Quest Community Development Corporation and Atlanta Housing’s development project at the Atlanta Civic Center. The Atlanta board convening was organized by Enterprise Community Partners’ Southeast office.
Scott Walker, CEO of 3Keys, speaks to Enterprise leadership and board during a bus tour of affordable housing developments.
Enterprise Community Partners is a nationwide organization with a mission “To make home and community places of pride, power, and belonging, as well as platforms for resilience and upward mobility.” Their model is built on community development, solutions, and capital support which addresses the spectrum of affordable housing needs, specifically related to the shortage of affordable rental options. 3Keys and Enterprise work together in the affordable housing space, and their support has been instrumental to our organization. 3Keys has received Section 4 grant funds which has undergirded our infrastructure needs – human resources, marketing, information technology, and strategic planning.
In addition, Enterprise selected 3Keys to join their Southeast Preservation Academy Cohort. This opportunity offered technical assistance funding focused on managing active preservation projects, preserving our existing portfolio, and provided anecdotes focused on resident stability.
3Keys is soon to become a partner with Enterprise in their Equitable Path Forward (EPF) program. This initiative offers an equitable path forward for Black-, Indigenous- and People of Color (BIPOC)-led organizations. 3Keys will be the beneficiary of capital gap funding, advisory services, and new career pathways to diversify leadership in real estate.
3Keys values the partnership we have developed with Enterprise and is fortunate to join forces with their Atlanta office team.
The affordable housing crisis requires collaboration amongst a myriad of partners. It is incredibly important work. Time and again, we’ve seen that providing permanent, stable housing with wraparound services has many positive outcomes for our residents including reduced hospitalizations, reduced incarcerations, reduced likelihood of returning to homelessness, decreased symptoms of mental illness, better physical health outcomes, and an overall improved quality of life. Together, partners like Enterprise Community Partners and 3Keys are striving to make life better for so many in our communities.