Thanks to the generosity of donors and visionary leadership on our Board of Directors, I have been empowered this fall to focus time on a problem just as big as lack of transportation: lack of affordable housing in Brazos county. Almost every OnRamp applicant lists “Buy a Home” as one of their long-term goals. This is wisdom since home ownership is the single largest driver of generational wealth transfer. Becoming a home owner is how the vast majority of families build wealth that lasts decades. Money that went to rent builds equity instead; equity that can be passed down to one’s heirs. That’s how families move from subsistence to middle class stability.

Unfortunately, the dream of home ownership has fallen on hard times. From 2010 to 2021, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Brazos county rose 59%, adjusted for inflation! In contrast, median income grew only 13% for white families, and actually dropped 19% for black or African American families. In other words, home ownership is no longer a realistic possibility for most workers. Even teachers, nurses, and police officers, people with degrees and specialized training, are being priced out of the market. There is a growing sense of hopelessness for people in the bottom economic half in our community who see the path to home ownership getting longer every year. This problem must be addressed quickly and decisively, or we risk losing vital workers throughout our community. More than that, we risk becoming a community where the American ideals of advancement and growth are no longer realistic possibilities.

For these reasons, I have begun to invest significant time throughout the fall working with others in the world of charity, church, business, and government to strategize innovative solutions to this pressing problem. We’re still in the initial phases of research, ideation, and networking, but we are beginning to make real progress which I look forward to sharing with you in the future. For now, my goal is to simply inform you that when you donate to OnRamp, you are helping with more than just transportation! Your generosity funds my time to lean into the housing crisis as well as coach younger charitable leaders providing a host of services and ministries to the community. Once a teacher, always a teacher. Thank you so much for making this career possible for me! I’ve never had a job I enjoy as much as this, nor one where I can so readily see the impact God is allowing me to have. Your gifts are making a difference in many areas of need in the Brazos Valley!