Traveling back
to the years:
2007 -
2008
• Apple introduces the first generation iPhone

• Barack Obama is elected president and becomes the first African American to hold office

• Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt wins three gold medals and breaks three world records at the Beijing Olympics
Meet Frank Stampf!
Partners in Housing's New Executive Director
After retiring as a colonel from his 23-year career in the US Air Force, followed by seven years in senior management in the corporate world, Frank joined Partners in Housing as the Volunteer Coordinator in 2000. He later moved to the Operations Director position, and in 2007, he was selected to be the Executive Director!

We had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Frank and have shared our Q&A session below!





Q: What was the biggest challenge when you moved from Operations Director to Executive Director?

A: "Dick Conn was going to be a tough act to follow! Over a span of more than 14 years as the first PIH Executive Director, Dick (my immediate predecessor) had developed an extraordinary network of professional relationships throughout the community. These included (among many others) numerous governmental agencies; educational institutions; housing industry entities; financial corporations; charitable foundations; faith-based groups; as well as many other nonprofit organizations. As a result, PIH was an acknowledged leader in developing many successful collaborations to benefit those experiencing homelessness in our community.

I felt my greatest challenge was going to be maintaining that demonstrated level of success. PIH enjoyed a high level of credibility as an organization focused on helping those in need. It was imperative that we sustain and even grow that level of credibility and trust if we were to continue serving families experiencing homelessness."

Q: What were you most excited about?

A: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time as the Operations Director. Over those seven years, I learned more about housing development and its associated disciplines such as financing, real estate acquisition, property management, building codes, etc. than I would have ever thought possible when I first started with PIH! And they were all important things to know if we were to continue our ability to provide safe, affordable housing for our Partner families. However, when I moved into the ED position, in addition to remaining involved with operations, I also became more directly in touch with the more “human” elements of our mission. I had more direct interaction with the Partners as they worked their way through their issues and roadblocks to self-sufficiency. I watched with great pride as our Partners overcame those difficulties and progressed steadily toward their goals. Who couldn’t be excited about that?"

Q: How do you see Partners in Housing’s efforts as we move past our 30th anniversary?

A: "Through the efforts of Mary Stegner, together with her incredible staff and volunteer group, PIH has already vastly improved the types and quality of services available to Partner Families. I see PIH continually evolving to better serve the needs of families experiencing homelessness. Moving away from its earlier heavy reliance on unpredictable government funding to more community-based funding models was a tremendous move in the right direction, and it was long overdue. I see even more innovation on the way. Keep it up!"

Q: What are you most proud of from your time as ED/Ops?

A: "Several years before I assumed the ED position, PIH had embarked on an ambitious “Capacity-Building” initiative to increase our inventory of transitional housing for the families in our program, as well as affordable housing for low-income families and individuals. It was a collaborative, multi-year effort, and required the dedicated support of many community partners, literally too numerous to list here for fear of unintentionally leaving one or more out. The result was ten brand-new single-family townhomes and 14 apartment units. During this time, we also joined the Myron Stratton Consortium and added apartments on the campus. These projects spanned my time both as the Operations Director and ED, so it was particularly rewarding for me to see it through from concept to completion. I still get nostalgic whenever I drive by any of those homes!
The Myron Stratton Home Consortium
and TWELVE New Apartments!
"Through our relationship with Partners in Housing, the Myron Stratton Home is able to fulfill the wishes of our founder, who wanted to provide a home for families that needed housing and a hand up. We have been delighted to have Partners in Housing perform their valuable work on our campus over the past 15 years."

- Dan O’Rear
Executive Director, Myron Stratton Home
Partners in Housing was thrilled to be included as the Myron Stratton Home Trustees and their Executive Director at that time, Mark Turk, developed the Myron Stratton Consortium in 2006! Along with Peak Vista Health and TESSA, we were so appreciative of the major renovations done on the almost 100-year-old buildings. In addition to our offices on the second floor of the Independence building, 12 apartments were created in the Lincoln building! 
Celebration ceremony for the Lincoln apartments!
The Lincoln Building on the Myron Stratton Home property
Partially pictured: The living room and kitchen of a Lincoln apartment
The bathroom of a Lincoln apartment
Due to the wonderful generosity of the Myron Stratton Home, Partners in Housing pays $1 per year in rent for the use of these beautiful buildings! We also pay utilities and a share of the common area maintenance and security services.
In 2007, we moved 12 families into the lovely two and three-bedroom units in this tranquil setting. Since this time, 228 families (with a total of 710 people) have called the Lincoln property their home while in the Partners in Housing Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

Though we do have a variety of visitors, to include bears, deer, bobcats, and bunnies, this property does provide security and stability for our Partner clients and their children while they are living here!

One of the mothers that lived at Lincoln with her two children said this about the beginning of her journey with us:

"I signed my lease on the 13th hour on Friday, December 13th on the 13th anniversary of my Dad’s death. Never again will I think 13 is an unlucky number. My “help” had arrived; I just did not know how much it would turn out to be. I burst into tears when a PIH staff member gave me a brand new bucket in our brand new apartment with cleaning supplies in it because I knew I couldn’t afford to buy any right then. There was no judgment, no demands, nothing to further destroy my self-esteem, or my belief that I could take care of my kids. The program contract made it clear that this was a program that came with an apartment. I was so comforted. This was not a handout; it was a pathway to prosperity."
We are honored to share an update on the family from the quote above:

"I am now 6 months post Partners in Housing. I was able to find a good apartment that I got on my own with the savings I was taught to make and the credit that I had help to clean up. My son has a place that has the resources he needs to stay healthy and work towards independence. My youngest child is growing and succeeding in school. I have a path towards finishing my education and buying a home within 3 years.

Every person who has the chance to get help in Partners in Housing is very lucky. I hope they embrace every step along the way and use the time for personal growth and planning for the future. This program is not just for a year. The foundation it helps you make will last forever."
We are so grateful for the opportunities provided to our agency and most importantly to our Partner families by being a member of the Myron Stratton Consortium!
To learn more about how you can help families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, please email jbirchmeier@partnersinhousing.org. You can give the gift of time, items, or money.

Monetary donations may be eligible for a state tax credit of 25% or 50%! Click the State Tax Credits button and scroll to the bottom of the webpage to view details!