Story and Pictures by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson The late Harvey Vengroff, an affordable housing developer, was described as a “very hands-on and instrumental” person who brought affordable housing to residents in many areas of Florida. Vengroff was a known philanthropist. He gave a home to a nonprofit working with the homeless by donating space in one of his Sarasota properties, helped many of his property’s tenants to acquire personal assets, employment training, going to and graduating from recovery programs, and to accomplish other strategies to help them become self-sufficient. He was a “community loving and serving” person and so is the rest of his family, especially his son, Mark. The senior Vengroff was known for being a landlord who “specialized in converting dilapidated properties” into affordable, clean, and secure housing options for low-income persons. “My father did a lot of things without wanting, needing, or receiving credit,” said son, Mark Vengroff, of Bantam by One Stop Housing, who recently purchased and is in the process of renovating two former motels in the Whitehaven area of Memphis, TN. “Our father was an extraordinary man and our family intends to pursue his plans.” One Stop Housing was founded by the Vengroff’s in April 2018. “Our philosophy is to Mark Vengroff, Owner/Partner One Stop Housing Stock Photo provide clean, safe, and affordable housing to the general public,” said Mark. “We offer a great diversity of rental units; apartments of various sizes, duplexes, townhomes, villas, and houses in Florida. This allows for easy upgrading or downsizing within our clientele base.” “Our tenants will experience a sense of stability knowing that we not only own, but manage and maintain our properties,” said Mark.” We do little to no outsourcing. Our entire team is committed to meeting our tenants’ needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.” Overall, the facilities will create 300 affordable housing units. Each studio unit is rented on a monthly lease and includes utilities, cable, and free Wi-Fi. The locations are conveniently located near public transportation route stops, including the Airways Transit Center, a transfer point that is served by major transportation lines like Greyhound and Megabus and offers local Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) over-the-counter customer services Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am and 12 noon. The Airways Center has a 24-hours a day, 7-days a week large, open customer lobby area with amenities including restrooms, vending machines, and a restaurant. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening for the Springbrook and Airways units was held on Saturday, April 10, 2019, at the Airways location off Directors Row. The event offered attendees free food and music in an outdoors and inviting setting. “We are One Stop Housing,” Mark said in the interior main lobby as he kicked off the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “One Stop Housing is the largest workforce housing developer and management company in Florida and the only non-government subsidized solutions for affordable housing. We are proud to announce that many of the people on our team have worked their way up through management. We really believe that giving people an opportunity for a clean, safe, and affordable place to live is important. About a third of our residents turn into retired residents who remain for life.” Bantam Apartments is known for partnering with other organizations to help people through self-esteem classes, healthcare services, and financial matters. “Memphis was not on the radar until the Mayor’s office reached out and called us,” said Mark. According to Col. Mickey Williams [of the Raines Station police department], after 5-weeks on Springbrook he’s receiving less calls about the property already. We just brought 300 affordable units into the community. We’re here and we love it, so you can’t get rid of us now!” The ribbon cutting was attended by Mayor Strickland. On Saturday, August 10th, Bantam Apartments, 2949 Airways at Directors Row, held a grand opening celebration to introduce the community to their Airways and Springbrook properties featuring affordable, clean, and safe studio apartments. Pictured are One Stop Housing employees Audrey Abraham (left) and Nili Dutton of Sarasota, FL. Visit bantamapartments.com for additional details. 4
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