S2S adds Executive Director in the National Capital Region to advance its innovative approach to ending situational homelessness through partnerships with the multifamily housing industry.
VIENNA, Va. – August 24, 2021–Shelters to Shutters (S2S), a national non-profit that transitions individuals and families from homelessness to economic self-sufficiency through partnerships with apartment companies, announced today that Kristen Komlosy will join the organization as Executive Director for its National Capital Region operations. In her role, Komlosy will work to grow the program in Washington, DC and the surrounding metro areas in Maryland and Virginia to become a premier employment and housing placement agency for individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Komlosy joins Shelters to Shutters with more than ten years of leadership and management experience. Komlosy’s most recent experience includes serving as the Executive Director of JDRF Maryland. Prior to joining JDRF, Komlosy as Executive Director of Girls on the Run – DC, a youth development program, where she provided overall strategic direction for programming, fundraising initiatives to raise 70% of the operating budget, high-level volunteer engagement and financial operations efforts. Before joining Girls on the Run – DC, Komlosy was a Project Planner for an anti-poverty agency in Anne Arundel County, MD.
“Kristen’s experience with leading an organization from start-up to a self-sustaining and growing organization is exactly what we needed in our Executive Director role for the National Capital Region,” said David Williams, Shelters to Shutters’ President and CEO. “I am thrilled to have Kristen join us and look forward to the immediate impact we will see as a result of her work with our local City Advisory Board and program partners.”
S2S partners with over 40 apartment management companies, such as Arlington, VA based AvalonBay Communities, to place people experiencing homelessness in onsite, entry-level jobs, and provide them with housing at the same communities where they work. S2S provides each participant with career mentoring and access to support services to ensure a successful long-term transition. S2S works with multiple homeless-focused non-profits to identify suitable job applicants. The program changes the lives of individuals and families while providing quality, motivated employees for a rapidly growing industry in need of talent.
“Shelters to Shutters has never been more needed in our communities and it is a privilege for me to be a part of an innovative solution that leverages existing private industry resources for good. Homelessness is a complex problem but by offering both employment and housing simultaneously, S2S is uniquely positioned to make a sustainable difference for the at-risk population we serve,” said Komlosy.
In 2019, Shelters to Shutters launched the National Capital Region Advisory Board comprised of leaders within the community committed to the mission and to creating a sustainable pathway for program support. National Capital Region Advisory Board members include: Martin Fayer, Managing Director, PGIM Real Estate; David Flessas, Partner, Forsys Consulting; Andrew Helmer, CEO, Affordable Communities of America; Jessie Henry, Founder, Charger Ventures, LLC; Adam Levin, CEO, Information Experts, Inc.; Brittanie McCarty, Regional Retail Sales Manager, CORT; Erik McLaughlin, Senior Vice President, CBRE; Brenda Ntim, Director of Strategic Finance, Hogan Lovells US LLP; Stephanie Polyzois, Senior Vice President of Debt Finance, Kettler; Christine Roddy, Executive Director, AlphaMundi Foundation; Pam Rothenberg, Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson US LLP; Jay Sadhu, Managing Director, Accenture; Chris Soucie, General Counsel, SP Global, Inc.; Jonathan Stroud, Chief IP Counsel, Unified Patents, LLC; Karen Whitt, President, Real Estate Management Services, Colliers International; Liza Wright, Managing Partner, Lochlin Partners.
“Having a full time Executive Director to lead our efforts here in D.C. and our surrounding metro communities is going to be a game changer for the number of resources we can garner to help transition more individuals and families in our region out of homelessness. I look forward to working alongside Kristen and my fellow advisory board members to further advance our mission together,” Andy Helmer, Chairman, S2S National Capital Region Advisory Board.
About Shelters to Shutters
Shelters to Shutters is a national 501(c)(3) organization that transitions individuals and families from homelessness to economic self-sufficiency by educating and engaging the real estate industry to provide employment and housing opportunities. Across the country, Shelters to Shutters pairs leading property management companies with individuals experiencing homelessness who are ready to work. The result is an innovative program that provides full-time employment and housing opportunities for individuals facing homelessness and a pipeline of high quality, motivated employees for the multifamily housing industry. Since its founding in 2014, S2S and its multifamily partners have assisted individuals and families out of homelessness in markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, South and Texas. More information can be found at www.shelterstoshutters.org or by following the organization on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.