Community MVP: The iCARRe Foundation fights homelessness through transitional housing program
BALTIMORE -- The iCARRe Foundation was founded 10 years ago. It was founded on the personal pain of Rodney Carr.
"My father died of an overdose when I was 12 years old," Carr said. "So, growing up I just wanted to be able to make a change. I didn't know it was going to be this type of change."
At one point, Carr's son began finding himself in trouble, and he knew he had to do more.
Now, Carr is the motivation behind a transitional housing program, which started in 2016.
"It started with an abandoned property," he said. "I just started doing the work. Me and one other guy, we put an outlet here, in the wall here, and put a door here, and painted and fixed the ceiling, and the next thing you know we had the house approved.
Once the house was approved, Carr started to move people into the building and figure out how to help them.
He and his wife began providing services with mental health services through their program, and that's where the funding took off, he said.
"Housing is your number one problem and your biggest expense," Kristen Bryant, the assistant director of the iCARRe Foundation, said. "So, if your housing is not stabilized, then you're going to have a hard time focusing on anything else such as eating and working."
Keona Jones, a case manager for the iCARRe Foundation, said she worked with a man who never quit fighting homelessness and recently moved into his own apartment.
"He never gave up," she said.
The iCARRe Foundation hit a speed bump when the building that housed its office caught on fire.
"That created a challenge, but we haven't stopped," Bryant said. "We're still working. We're still bringing new clients in."
