Asset Plus Companies’ employees work with housing and young people day in and out. But this month, they are using their talents in a different way, to benefit abused, troubled and homeless children in the Fort Bend County area. Asset Plus and the Fred and Mabel Parks Youth Ranch (FMPYR) have started construction of the Youth Ranch Teenage Homeless Shelter, which is scheduled to open in September 2010. “There is currently no homeless shelter in all of Fort Bend County,” according to Asset Plus CEO and member of the FMPYR Board of Directors, Michael S. McGrath. FMBYR, which is a not-for-profit 501(C) (3) organization composed of representatives from various Fort Bend churches, recognized and is responding to this need for crisis intervention and short-term shelter for children aged 12 to 17 who have faced abuse, neglect and are in need of a temporary home until they can be reunited with their families, placed in foster care or placed for adoption if necessary.
 
The Youth Ranch will continue to seek a variety of grant types and private funding to build the shelter while work continues to develop and construct the crisis portion to serve all families and youth in the Fort Bend County area. Asset Plus is donating the construction management of the facility, which will cost about 1.3 million. The Fred and Mable Parks Foundation and the George Foundation have made generous donations to the project.
 
Arrow Ministries has been selected by the board to operate the facility when complete. “We will have offices for Arrow, CPS and other services on site to help reunite these kids with their families or find alternatives for them. This will hopefully get kids off the street or keep them out of jail,” said McGrath.
 
Construction officially began on Friday, March 5th with a group of Asset Plus employees demolishing an existing structure on the site and preparing it for new concrete and standing walls. “I’m very pleased that Asset Plus is involved in this effort, which is such a positive addition to our community, “added McGrath.

Asset Plus Companies ranked in the National Multi Housing Council’s Annual “Top 50” Managers released this week. Not only did the company make the list for the first time, but it ranked 38th among the nation’s largest property managers.

“Strategic partnerships with banks, special servicers and existing clients have been the key avenues of growth for us,” according to Asset Plus Companies’ Senior Vice President Ryan McGrath. The company added nearly 100 new properties to its portfolio over the past 18 months, bringing its total to just over 32,000 units nationwide.

Asset Plus Companies’ growth plan encompassed adding some of the most talented and experienced people in the industry to the company’s team, at a time when many other companies were downsizing. “Within a service-based business there is only one differentiating factor and that is the quality of service provided,” says McGrath who continued, “the quality of service is dictated by the talent level of the individuals providing it.”

“We plan to continue our growth, but we will only do so at a pace where we continue to support every client at the very highest level,” according to McGrath, who added the company is targeting to be number 25 on the NMHC list for next year.

Based in Washington, DC, NMHC is a national association representing the interests of the larger and most prominent apartment firms in the U.S.  NMHC’s members are the principal officers of firms engaged in all aspects of the apartment industry, including owners, developers, managers and financiers.  One-third of Americans rent their housing, and more than 14 percent live in a rental apartment. For more information, contact NMHC at info@nmhc.org, or visit NMHC’s web site at www.nmhc.org.