An episode of “Changing the Conversation” podcast
Kelli Parcher shares experiences supporting youth and young adults via Global Leasing—a three-way leasing strategy for tenants, property owners, and organizations—with host Ashley Stewart. Sponsored by the Washington State Health Care Authority.
July 29, 2024
Erika Simon, Producer (00:00): This episode is sponsored by the Washington State Healthcare Authority. We use the term “global leasing” rather than “master leasing,” as the word “master” reflects a power differential between groups and has a violent connotation for many Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. Thanks for listening.
Ashley Stewart, Host (00:24): Hello, everyone, and welcome to Changing the Conversation. I’m your host Dr. Ashley Stewart, the Director of the Center for Health Equity at C4 Innovations. And I’m so excited because we are doing the second part of a series on global leasing. And today we have a very special guest, we have Kelli Parcher, who is the executive director of OWL360. Kelli, welcome. Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Kelli Parcher, Guest (00:50): I am excited to be here with you.
Ashley (00:52): Yes. And can you tell us a little bit about OWL360?
Kelli (00:57): OWL360 is a pretty new nonprofit formed in 2021, and we specifically are focusing on a population of youth and young adults, ages 14 to 24. Our first really venture into it was affordable housing for at-risk youth, unhoused youth, and marginalized populations within our community.
Ashley (01:21): To my luck, we are talking about one of my favorite topics. Can you define or tell us a little bit about what is global leasing?
Kelli (01:29): Global leasing from OWL360’s experience is really joining with community partners who are really invested in our organization in supporting youth and young adults in housing. So we are the recipients of buildings that allow us then to turn around and lease to young folks in our community for affordable living.
(01:51): And for us, I think really global leasing and that piece of the young adult pieces of the challenge of affordable houses, everywhere is difficult, particularly in our area. And we wanted to ensure that our young folks had the opportunity as they emerged into adulthood that they actually had some really supportive housing, as well as case care and wraparound services to assist in their growth and development.
Ashley (02:17): Wow. The lens of this conversation to me is one that I think is so important. Many folks might be familiar with global leasing, or master leasing as it was often formally referred to. The language is shifting there to more global leasing. And a lot of times we’re talking about it from a very big picture, about what is it or what’s the concept of it, but we get to talk to you who is utilizing it, who’s a recipient of it, and seeing the effects of it in action, in application. And so what in your experience is unique to global leasing?
Kelli (02:55): Well, I think there’s probably several things that are unique, in our experience anyway, and that is really collaborative community partners who are invested in young people and the process of doing good or offering wellness within our community, in a sense of it works for the building owners in a way that we’re really taking care of that building and that process. And then we’re also really providing some really nice and gentle space for the young people to land to be able to grow and have a space of living.
(03:32): Which is not often the case for the folks that we are housing. We’re housing the most at-risk population, which is often a challenge. People definitely get concerned when they’re wanting to house risky populations. With that, unfortunately, is a lot of stigma. And so we’re really trying to reduce that stigma for our community partners and anywhere nationally around global leasing because it’s a beautiful relationship that’s working very well for us and our partners.
Ashley (04:00): That is so spectacular and it’s so needed. I think it’s so innovative and different. Do you see it as having some advantages or what makes it uniquely different than other types of housing programs?
Kelli (04:13): I think the advantage, at least for our organization, is that we’re a very small nonprofit. And so for us, we don’t have to get stuck with a large fiscal overhead of owning structures and having that be the risk of money going towards that process as opposed to being able to put money into our young population.
Ashley (04:37): So you see that impact directly, you’re seeing it immediately in the impact with the young folk who you’re serving?
Kelli (04:46): Yeah. I mean, unfortunately the world takes us a lot of dollars and cents to go around, so if we can put that money directly towards youth services and the things that young people need, it’s really vital to their success.
(04:59): I think the other important piece is it also builds relationships in our community. Again, it’s that stigma conversation. We live in an aging community and to break down that divide and the stigma, it allows adults, business owners, property owners, to understand that young people are very capable of residing on a property and taking good care of it. And because they may have risk factors doesn’t mean that they can’t be a good tenant because they’re exceptional most often.
Ashley (05:33): What are some of the things that you’re hearing in terms of pushback from the community? You mentioned that it’s an aging community and there’s some stigma. What are some of the concerns that are being actively debunked by this process?
Kelli (05:46): When we first got our first structure, I remember the neighborhood coming around because the building was in distress, so we did a complete rehab on it and we were telling them, super excited, “This is what we’re doing.” And they’re like, “Whoa, not in my neighborhood.” We all know that kind of statement. And we just continued to cultivate relationships with them, build their confidence. But really when it came right down to it.it Was really just getting the young folks in the space and people just have to sometimes learn when it’s in the moment.
(06:22): And so those young people were excellent neighbors and were taking great care of the property, and really in themselves just really debunked the myth of young people and/or homeless or unshelter or at risk of that in the neighborhood. And we’ve had many now neighbors come back and engage with our young people and bring them bread and muffins and hang out in the yard and participate in the community events that are in our area. So it’s really just built this beautiful relationship where young people then can trust older adults and business owners, and vice versa.
Ashley (07:04): Yeah, our listeners can’t see the huge smile on my face as I listen to this. It’s the proof in the everydayness of it. It also sounds like it is building such unique community relationships, you brought up community in that response.
(07:20): And so I know one of the things that is quite unique to global Leasing is the way that it brings together multiple systems, community organizations, different types of services in a really unique way. It also sounds like there’s some natural relational building happening in communities, so it’s like community service providers, the people who own the property, the people who are renting the property. What are some of the things that you’re noticing as that community dynamic unfolds?
Kelli (07:53): Yeah, I think the open opportunity has become huge for our program and for our young people because simply by young people doing really well in a housing program, we have community people who are interested in employing them, inviting them more so to be at the table as young community leaders.
(08:17): We also have more collaborative programming happening with our social services providers. We do some of those services in-house, but there are oftentimes where young people need to be connected with other professional service providers. And now we can do that in a really collaborative way. One, because we have a space. Two, because it’s easier then for those young people to be able to make appointments, follow through with supportive services, because they have the opportunity of housing, which they didn’t have before.
Ashley (08:53): That’s fantastic, Kelli. Thank you so much for sharing that with us and giving us a real living example of what this looks like. One of the things that we know are that all programs and are all solutions come with some challenges. Do you see any challenges with global leasings, whether for the organizations, for the housing providers, for the service providers, what shows up for you?
Kelli (09:18): Well, I think that when you’re talking leasing, there’s always the risk there of that property owner ending that lease. And so ideally, we really try to enter into longer leases so we can have some commitment for our young folks and them have an idea of the length of their housing and how that process works.
(09:40): In our end of the nonprofit world, as you all know, on the daily, we’re chasing dollars. So sustainable funding to be able to support our organization, having integrity and making sure that we’re taking care of the building, the space, and honoring our lease agreements. But outside of that, I don’t think that we’ve really had any challenges that we’ve ran up against thus far.
Ashley (10:06): In this work, in doing this work, have you heard about any misconceptions that people have about global leasing that you think are important to address?
Kelli (10:16): I think if you’re thinking about our population, who is young and often marginalized, I think the misconceptions are is that population isn’t going to be safe in a space. The building’s not going to be taken care of, and it’s going to create further costs and challenges for business owners.
Ashley (10:37): Yeah, that’s so helpful. And what about misconceptions or when you tell folks, “Hey, we’re doing a global leasing model here,” do folks tend to be familiar with that or do folks have skepticisms or misinformation, or even knowledge, I guess, of what global leasing is? Or is that something you’re having to introduce to people and what’s that been like?
Kelli (11:02): Yeah, for our organization, we live in a rural community, so it is a pretty new concept. We have multiple housing authorities or housing programs in our community, but there are often very large nonprofit organizations who own very large structures. And so when we’re sitting around the table and we’re talking about our local leaders, our commissioners, our city council, and really explaining our process to them, actually I think it’s opened up some ideas for even those larger organizations who have, as everybody does unfortunately, very long waiting lists to be able to provide services.
(11:42): And so I think for us, it’s working to our advantage because it’s just spreading that word throughout our community. Our second program that we entered in under a global leasing was because somebody just heard about what they were doing. And they actually called us and said, “Hey, I have this space and I’m very invested in what you are doing. I want to figure out how to support you.” And I think there are many probably folks out there like that, not only for our organization but other housing organizations, it’s just about how you cultivate the relationship and how it really collaboratively works for both people. I think you have to have folks who are willing to global lease who are somewhat invested in the mission of affordable housing.
Ashley (12:25): Yeah. Let’s talk about that collaboration. Let’s talk about folks who are interested in global leasing. What might be some tips for the folks who are interested in global leasing to find community partners to engage with? What might be a next step or a tip that you have for folks who are looking for community partners?
Kelli (12:48): Well, I think for the folks that actually have the buildings, have the structures, if they really are invested in supporting affordable housing, nonprofits and housing authorities are not shy about putting their stuff out there saying, “Hey, we’re looking for community partners. We’re looking for supports.” So I think on their end, it’s probably a pretty easy process for them to seek that out.
(13:13): On folks on the other end who are looking to support those in housing who may be working in direct related services or social services fields, I think it’s really about relationships. It’s really about sitting down with your community and having conversations, whether that’s open forums, whether that’s going to service clubs, whether that’s talking to your community providers. And really just putting the energy out there of, “This is what we’re looking for, this is our need. Here’s our mission. And can you help us move forward?”
Ashley (13:47): Yeah. I think one of the things that likely comes up are folks maybe feel like this is a process that takes an extenuating long period of time, and that might be a barrier to some people seeking out these types of opportunities within like the next 30 days. If someone’s like, “This is something that we want to do. We’ve listened to Kelli, OWL360 is rocking it. We want to do something,” and they’re ready to take that next step, what is a tip you have for them that they could do practically within the next 30 days to get this process underway?
Kelli (14:17): Of course everything takes a bit of time, but it doesn’t really take a long time. I think probably the first thing as that social service provider is you need to make sure you have your ducks in a row. You need to make sure that you have that elevator pitch, if you will. Like what is it that you’re going to sell to your community or those folks who are interested in being collaborative partners or interested in global leasing?
(14:43): You really want to, I don’t know, I like to say we beat the streets, we knock on doors. We start finding people who we know are invested in affordable housing and are invested in young people, and we just start sitting down and having conversations with them, maybe bringing them together. Yeah, I think that’s the first start of it. Of course, forming a board or a committee who can help get out in that community and spread that word will be very valuable to your process.
Ashley (15:15): Kelli, how long have you been doing this work collectively?
Kelli (15:20): I’ve been in the field of social services for 23 years. It’s been my life’s work to work with young people in our community. In the housing world of global leasing. I’d like to say I am really brand new and my learning curve is straight up because I’ve only been in this process since 2021.
(15:41): Outside of that, my other hat is really working with young folks transitioning out of the juvenile justice system, to ensure that they’re just not left to be out on their own, trying to figure the process out.
Ashley (15:56): Yeah, that’s beautiful. So you have this expertise in doing this work through a multitude of different lenses, and so I thought it would just be great for our listeners to hear from you, what’s the most gratifying part of this work for you, having had the opportunity to do it in different capacities? What keeps you engaged and excited about the amazing, amazing work that you’re doing?
Kelli (16:23): I think really just, as of late, if we’re really speaking specifically or really around global leasing and affordable housing for young people, in our program with supportive housing services, wraparound services, so far we’ve had a 91% success rate of transitioning young folks into permanent housing.
(16:45): And so I think just giving them the opportunity to learn those life skills as being a tenant and possibly even thinking about being a homeowner, you give just a little and young people really take advantage of that in a really positive, healthy way and are super excited about it. So I would say, yeah, permanent housing is a pretty amazing thing for young people.
Ashley (17:09): I love it. And I can’t think of a better mic drop than that. I want to take a moment just to thank you so much, Kelli, for being here with us and for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
Kelli (17:21): Yeah, of course. And thank you, I appreciate you guys being able to share this so not only our community is aware of global leasing, but many other folks out there can really explore the opportunity and how it fits within their community.
Ashley (17:33): Yeah. And to our listeners, join us next time for Changing the Conversation.
Erika (17:38): Visit www.c4innovates.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube for more resources to grow your impact. Thank you for joining us. This episode is sponsored by the Washington State Healthcare Authority and was produced by Erika Simon and Christina Murphy. Our theme song was written and performed by Peter Hanlon. Join us next time on Changing the Conversation.
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