OpenHomes | OpenDoors

Every family deserves a safe place to live

OpenHomes has always been a progressive company, with a passion for serving our customers and improving our community. We are thrilled to announce our new initiative, OpenHomes | OpenDoors, to formalize our longstanding commitment to ending homelessness and providing shelter for every person.

 

OpenHomes | OpenDoors has three major components:

Three For All

OpenHomes will donate 3% of our net profits to non-profit organizations working to end homelessness and provide shelter to all people.

Donation Drive

OpenHomes will run an annual collection of food and household necessities to organizations helping families with housing or economic insecurity.

Advocacy

OpenHomes will advocate for policies and programs that support the availability of safe, affordable, inclusive housing, and that work to prevent and end homelessness.

Three for All

Our commitment is ongoing. In 2016 alone, OpenHomes and its employees volunteered dozens of hours of time and donated over $10,000 to non-profits working on housing security/safety and preventing homelessness, including the following organizations:

  • YWCA of Madison
  • Porchlight
  • The Road Home
  • Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
  • Tenant Resource Center
  • Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
  • Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS)
  • The Respite Center
  • Access Community Health
  • Briarpatch Youth Services
  • One City Early Learning Centers
  • Urban League of Greater Madison
  • Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
  • The Rainbow Project
  • Dane County Rape Crisis Center

Donation Drive

We are also encouraging a donation drive for the following charity organizations: Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) and the Goodman Community Center’s Fritz Food Pantry. Non-perishable foods, household items, and financial contributions are welcome and encouraged. Non-perishable foods, household items, and financial contributions are welcome and encouraged. OpenHomes will ensure that all donations are provided to these deserving organizations, which serve vulnerable families in our community.
  • DAIS assists victims of domestic violence and their families, including Dane County’s only emergency domestic violence shelter. Last year, DAIS provided over 13,000 nights of shelter to survivors of domestic violence.
  • Goodman Community CenterGoodman Community Center strengthens lives and secures futures by providing individuals with the resources they need to succeed. The center is committed to securing a safe and welcoming place for the entire Madison community. The Fritz Food Pantry provides groceries for 75 to 100 hungry households every week.
Our first drive will run December 21, 2016 – January 31, 2017. During this period, anyone may drop off items at our office, 111 N. Fairchild St. Suite #240, during normal business hours. Donations to these nonprofit organizations will directly impact the lives of the DAIS shelter residents, as well as the Madison community, by providing them with necessities, from household goods to toiletries to food. Your generosity during the coldest season of the year is greatly appreciated!
For the full list of the products and nonperishable food items needed, please visit http://abuseintervention.org/daiswishlist/ and https://www.goodmancenter.org/services/fritz-food-pantry. Thank you!

Advocacy

OpenHomes will use our voice as one of the top real estate companies in the state to advocate for policies and programs that help people in need, are inclusive and supportive of all people, and that work to prevent and end homelessness. We oppose policies that seek to criminalize homelessness and poverty, that are divisive or discriminatory, or that jeopardize housing security for people in our community.

A strong housing market is great for homeowners, but we believe real estate professionals must also pay attention to the things that make strong communities. It’s not just about the value of homes, but about critical public infrastructure, like schools, transit, parks, utilities, clean air and water, and a strong social safety net that protects our most vulnerable neighbors. It’s about public policies that are inclusive, progressive, and support racially and economically integrated communities. It’s about standing up against hatred, discrimination, and bigotry when we encounter it in our personal and professional lives. Just as sharing a house with people you love makes it a home, so does sharing a city with people who are care for each other make it a community.

In accordance with our values, OpenHomes will only support organizations which help people without regard to race, color, religion, gender expression/identity, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, age, or disability. Every person deserves a safe place to live.

Thank you for your support of OpenHome | OpenDoors.

—Kelda, Cecely, and the OpenHomes Team

OpenHomes’ mission is to provide our clients with the very best real estate service, using technology and unparalleled professional support to help people buy and sell homes. We chose December 21, 2016, to launch OpenHomes | OpenDoors, because it is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. On this day, we remember honor, and bring awareness to our neighbors who have died while homeless in the past year.