Brandywine Cares Celebrates Its Growing Impact in Local Communities

Lafayette Real Estate created a non-profit to help renters secure employment opportunities and economic stability

Brandywine Cares, a non-profit initiative originally launched in 2020 by Lafayette Real Estate — one of the country’s leading and longest standing single-family rental (SFR) real estate asset managers — has significantly deepened its commitment over the past 18 months, achieving growing success in empowering individuals in need and uplifting their communities. The program is designed to assist the valued tenants who reside in Lafayette’s rental homes as well as other renters in the communities it serves by enhancing their financial stability and economic mobility through career coaching and financial self-empowerment.

Brandywine Cares, which first began as a local initiative to help Atlanta residents at Lafayette’s properties secure stable employment and achieve economic stability amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, is evolving into a multi-state platform, sharing its successful initiatives with other states and communities. It offers customized one-on-one career coaching and online programs such as CareerShift to support aspiring entrepreneurs and CareerFusion to support youth with career-readiness and property management introductory classes. Beginning in 2025, following feedback and input from non-profit partners and others, Brandywine Cares will offer CareerServe to support veteran entrepreneurs and CareerBuild to prepare skilled tradespeople for careers in property management.

“Brandywine Cares is about more than just getting someone a job or providing them with a few career tips,” said Thibault Adrien, Founder and CEO of Lafayette Real Estate. “For families struggling to find upward mobility, the opportunity to increase their income and unlock a more fulfilling career is life-changing. Better careers lead to higher quality of life, better education for their children, and more self-confidence – not to mention the potential to one day buy a home, which remains out of reach for many. For the younger generation, education plays a critical role in altering one’s destiny; for working adults, career improvement may very well be the most effective and sustainable tool for positive change. A one-time grant or rent relief creates a one-time benefit, but giving an individual the tools to improve their professional prospects shifts that individual’s prosperity curve upwards for the long term.”

In 2024, Brandywine Cares’ transformative impact on the communities that Lafayette Real Estate serves and invests in has resulted in the following:

• Over 400 participants have benefited from career readiness resources
• 48 individuals have secured new jobs, achieving an average salary increase of $35,000
• 199 participants have benefited from one-on-one coaching programs, resulting in a 25% job placement rate for those fully engaged in these sessions
• 33% graduation rate for participants in entrepreneurship programs
• $1.7M annual community impact

Following three successful sessions of CareerShift: Small Business, one of its signature programs, Brandywine Cares celebrated the graduation of 123 aspiring entrepreneurs. Over the course of six weeks, participants gained critical knowledge in areas like business plan development, digital marketing, doing business with government entities, registering as a minority-owned business and business funding. Led by Maria Gaitan, an experienced consultant in the banking and non-profit financial education spaces, the program culminated in an exciting elevator pitch competition, showcasing the creativity and determination of these budding business leaders.

"The Brandywine Cares program has been a turning point in my business journey," said Aleisha K., founder of a children’s book company. "I gained the tools and confidence over six back-to-back sessions to think like the CEO of a profitable business. Winning the pitch competition through the boot camp empowered me to pursue bigger opportunities — from securing a $20,000 grant to applying for my first bid proposal – which led to my first school district contract. It’s been a transformative journey that reaffirmed my vision and showed me what I’m truly capable of."

Brandywine Cares has also formed key partnerships with Bank of America, City of Refuge, Yardi, Cobalt Commercial Services, Gas South and others, all of whom are contributing generously to drive its programs forward. Overall, in 2024, Brandywine Cares raised over $320,000 in funding, an achievement that reflects the power of collaboration and a shared commitment to transforming lives and communities.

To learn more about Brandywine Cares and hear additional testimonials from individuals that have benefited from the program, please visit https://brandywinecares.org.

About Brandywine Cares

Brandywine Cares’ mission is to empower individuals from all walks of life to achieve their personal and professional goals by providing the resources, support, and guidance necessary for success. Through tailored one-on-one coaching, multi-session online classes, and single-session career-readiness workshops, Brandywine Cares meets individuals where they are, identifying their strengths and passions, and aligning them with a career path. Individuals are empowered to embark on a personalized journey towards brighter, more secure futures.

About Lafayette Real Estate

Lafayette was founded by Thibault Adrien in 2011, and has been a leader in the single-family rental (SFR) and Build-to-Rent (BTR) space ever since. In 2023, industry peers voted Lafayette as the Best SFR company in the U.S. as well as CEO of the year for Thibault Adrien, at the annual IMN Awards. Lafayette’s operations are vertically integrated, including asset management, property management (Brandywine Homes USA) and development & construction (Marquis Homes) professionals. Today, Lafayette has over $1B in AUM, consisting of a portfolio of over 5,000 homes (including 1,000+ lots under development), mainly in the U.S. sunbelt. For more information, visit lafayette-re.com.

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