Springfield Business Journal_2019-07-29

2019 ECONOMIC GROWTH SURVEY SPONSORED CONTENT king Poor been busy addressing the issue head on. For example, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, joined by other nonprofit and public groups, held an event in April to help connect Gatley’s tenants with other area resources. Habitat for Humanity Cost of Home is addressing underlying factors that keep families from finding afford- able housing. Several tenants, individuals and investors purchased some of Gatley’s proper- ties as they were auctioned off on courthouse steps. Titus Williams, president of Prosperiti Partners LLC and principal of NAI Enterprises LLC, has purchased 144 of Gatley’s properties in the Springfield area so far, and he hopes to acquire 26 more. “Chris Gatley was filling a need for the working poor and letting people live in housing that they may not have been able to access otherwise,” Williams says. “In many cases, he took advan- tage as well, and it made their situations worse.” Williams not only hopes to keep many of those tenants in their homes, he hopes to change their situations. He began working with a number of nonprofits – including Springfield Community Land Trust, The Kitchen Inc., Springfield Victory Mission Inc. and Rebound Foundation – prior to purchasing the homes to create a strategy to relocate tenants from houses that were unsafe and to have a plan in place to refer those with issues to the appropriate agencies. Williams’ vision goes far beyond renovation, and he hopes to sell a number of the homes to the same nonprofits that can help tenants become homeowners. “It’s a great opportunity now for many people to buy and own their own home,” Williams says. “My hope is to partner with these orga- nizations, sell them groups of houses, and let them complete their mission and be able to get people into home ownership.” Beyond the pressing community investment standpoint, Williams also sees the purchase as a long-term investment. “We are in a very unique situation here – the ramifications of the minimum wage increase will impact every sector,” he says. “Staples will increase, and all unit types will see rent increases.” ND TION “It’s a great opportunity now for many people to buy and own their own home. My hope is to partner with these organizations, sell them groups of houses, and let them complete their mission and be able to get people into home ownership.” —Titus Williams, Prosperity Partners 9 WORKFORCE / SKILLS