Statements

Mission

Entryway is a national 501(c)3 organization that transitions individuals and families out of homelessness to economic self-sufficiency by providing full time employment, housing, and career training opportunities in partnership with the real estate industry.

At Entryway, we pre-screen and vet candidates who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. We match participants with the skills and experience to be successful in property management with our nationwide apartment industry partners, who provide entry-level employment and discounted on-site housing. Our model certainly works--93 percent of Entryway participants never re-enter homeless services again.

The Entryway model is beneficial for all: Our participants become economically independent and experience an improved quality of life. Our partners have access to a pipeline of motivated employees excited for a career in the apartment industry. Our communities improve in overall health and well-being.

Background

How do you get a job without an address and how do you keep an address without a job?

As an owner and operator of a multifamily real estate company, it became clear to Entryway Founder, Chris Finlay, that the apartment industry in which he work offered a powerful solution to this question. The apartment industry has a constant need for quality talent to fill entry level positions typically plagued with high turnover. Furthermore, it's an industry practice to offer on-site employees discounted housing, stable employment with training and professional growth, and competitive wages with benefits.

In 2014, Chris launched Entryway as a way to connect individuals and families facing homelessness with opportunity for employment and housing at the properties his company owned. What started as a pilot program has grown into a national 501(c)3 organization as others in the industry embraced the concept. Today Entryway works with 60 companies in the apartment industry to place quality, motivated individuals in their entry level positions.

"I believe the private sector must engage more to address social issues in our communities. We cannot solely rely on the government to address them. The majority of our country's homeless population are situationally homeless and need a hand up to get back to self-sufficiency - and the private sector is perfectly positioned to give just that." - Chris Finlay, Entryway Founder and Managing Partner, Middleburg Communities

Entryway began scaling operations by expanding to five cities in 2021: Nashville, Charlotte, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In 2022 Phoenix, Charleston, Dallas, and Orlando were added, followed by Denver in 2023

Impact

Since its founding in 2014, Entryway and its apartment industry partners have moved more than 300 people out of homelessness in markets throughout the South, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Northeast. Since October of 2021, 20 individuals in the Nashville area have moved from situational homelessness to full-time positions in the multi-family housing industry and discounted housing. Most of our clients receive discounts totaling 70% for the first year, along with waiver of the first month's rent and security deposit. Our partner CORT supplies almost everything needed to furnish an apartment.

Needs

Financial support to fund our program operations in the Nashville area and build our capacity to assist more at risk individuals in the local community.

CEO Statement

When an individual struggling to secure two of life's biggest basic needs, stable housing and income, has the opportunity to earn both at the same time - it's a dream come true.

Entryway partners directly with apartment owners and operators to provide both full-time employment and affordable housing - making dreams a reality for participants that come through the program.

Our program finds high-quality, motivated candidates for our property management partners from a talent pool that otherwise gets overlooked because of the stigma often associated with homelessness. The reality is that 3.5 million Americans will experience homelessness over the course of a year, and of these, over 70% are situationally homeless. They have been in the workforce before, have marketable skills, but through a series of circumstances or bad luck, have found themselves without a home. They want to work and return to a life of self-sufficiency.

We believe that by leveraging partnerships with private sector companies and local non-profit service providers, we can make a material impact on the issue of homelessness facing this country; and we look forward to sharing the results with you, one success story at a time.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Housing, Shelter  - Housing & Shelter NEC
Secondary Category:	Employment  - Employment Preparation & Procurement
Tertiary Category:	Community Improvement, Capacity Building  - Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C.

Areas Served

Entryway, Nashville serves the greater metropolitan area of Nashville. Wherever our industry partners have properties in greater Nashville, we are able to place individuals in housing and provide jobs.

TN - Davidson