Purpose

The REstart Program is designed to meet the most basic human needs of the economically disadvantaged – housing and employment – by providing education, training and mentoring in the property management industry.  The program seeks to break the cycle of unemployment, homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, and domestic violence by instilling pride and marketable skills in our participants – bringing families home again.

San Diego County Necessity for Service

The struggle for low and moderate-income families has intensified as housing costs continue to skyrocket. In the summer of 2020, “the median price of homes currently listed in San Diego County is $650,000 while the median price of homes that sold is $588,200. The median rent price in San Diego County is $2,700.” Source: https://www.zillow.com/san-diego-county-ca/home-values/

In addition to the individual requirements for housing and employment, there is a strong need in San Diego for qualified and trained employees. Employers with entry-level jobs are having a particularly hard time recruiting quality candidates. REstart provides a pipeline of ambitious students, who are looking for these opportunities, after successfully interviewing for the program, passing an IREM examination, and completing their on-site training via an internship.

Homelessness can affect anyone. The REstart program helps homeless individuals and families with what most of us take for granted; our most basic needs – housing and employment.

Admittance

REstart works collaboratively with community service organizations such as Father Joe’s Villages, Home Start, PATH and the YWCA and is committed to the needs of our target groups.  Our population is mainly comprised of the homeless community that is taking steps towards independence and self-reliance. Our partner agencies select participants for the program based on a select set of criteria.

In order to be a candidate for this program, applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have a high school diploma or the equivalent.
• Be bondable.
• Have no felonies or embezzlement.
• If there is a history of substance abuse, must be able to show a minimum of 12 months of sobriety.
• Have basic “people skills” and common sense.

Program Outline

REstart is made possible due to the partnerships we have with community service organizations committed to the needs of our target groups.

A coach is assigned to each student for one (1) year (coaches are industry professionals, who volunteer their time).

A mentor (who is usually a REstart graduate) is assigned to each class.

REstart brings every student into the classroom, where they are taught the IREM RES201 “Managing Residential Properties” curriculum by active CPMs®. Additional subjects include resume writing, business ethics and etiquette, self-empowerment, fair housing, and leasing.

Students must pass a final exam on the RES201 course materials before proceeding to the internship phase of this program. Students who do not pass the test are given an opportunity to take the test a second time.

All students are assigned to a (4) week internship. Internships are conducted at apartment communities, self-storage properties or corporate offices, where the students receive on-the-job training and experience.

At the end of the program, a graduation ceremony is performed as part of an IREM luncheon. This provides students an opportunity to network with real estate professionals, while celebrating their accomplishments.

Facts

• Program was developed in 1998, and first class was held in 1999.
• To date, we have held 19 classes and graduated over 200 students.
• Each class takes over 2000 volunteer hours. In like-kind donations, that is $20,000 of volunteer time for the classes ALONE.
• One of our first graduates won an IREM national scholarship and now holds CPM and RPA designations.
• To date, the program has received well over $50,000 in private grants and donations.
• To date, the program has been staffed and run primarily by volunteers
• A REstart Scholarship of $1,000 was started in 2017 and was named the “RSI Roofing & Solar and New Way Landscape & Tree Service REstart Scholarship.” This scholarship was for REstart graduates employed in the real estate management field.
• The first recipient of the scholarship in 2017 was Jackie Diaz, who was a REstart graduate in 2015. The second recipient of the REstart Scholarship was Nellie Nelson, who was a REstart graduate in 2014.