Our Story, the Why

I founded Innovative Housing Solutions, Inc. with a blueprint and a memory — a blueprint for modular housing that scales dignity and inclusion, a program to break the cycle of poverty and a memory of what it feels like to be unhoused in the city I love.

Seven years ago, I became homeless. At the top of my game as an Owners Rep / Senior Project Manager for a large hotel developer, Responsible for making multimillion dollar decisions. One day, I made one decision that changed the course of my life forever. Within a matter of  5 years, I went from being a corporate exec making six figures, to being a drug addict on the streets. After a long stay in the hospital, I emerged weak, lost and broken, without a place to call home. I slept wherever I could and faced the kind of uncertainty that you don’t forget. That experience didn’t break me — it shaped me. It gave me a unique lens on how systems can fail and how they could be rebuilt. My journey to recovery and rebuilding my life started at the Roof Above Men's Shelter. While there, I had the opportunity to meet many people from different walks of life. Different backgrounds with a wide range of stories. The one common issue was the lack of affordable housing. It is a huge crisis in Charlotte, with a shortage of 36,000 units.

The Vision of Innovative Housing Solutions started with a cigarette and meeting another visionary who came from another part of globe. Standing on the patio at the shelter smoking a cigarette, I heard a voice with a strong French accent behind me say “Can I catch your short” To be honest I had no idea what that meant. I turned around and there was Djakariadia Traore aka Isaac from the West Coast of Africa. Isaac had ended up unhoused after a long major medical issue. We became friends and spent hours talking about housing and how we could make a difference. Pages of notes, drawings, scribbles on the back of napkins, we developed the concept. Then Covid came along and put a stop to the plans. I was able to move into an apartment, and eventually Isaac was able to move into Supportive Housing. By that time, i noticed that he began to show symptoms of dementia. Isaac passed away in 2023. After his death the vision went cold, and I put away all the plans. Until one day recently someone said to me “Tim with all you experience, and knowledge why are you sitting around not doing anything?” It was like a bolt of lightning hit me and I dug out all the files and dusted them off. As I went through the documents I came across a photo of Isaac and his son, and I realized that he would want me to press forward and help those who are going through the same situation.

That’s why every module we will construct; every building we will erect, has a foundation deeper than concrete. It’s built on compassion, speed, and economic equity. We will our teams will consist of people who’ve walked similar paths. We design for healing. We develop with urgency — because we can’t wait.

Imagine one day, that we no longer need all the shelter beds here in Charlotte. Where this great City can he the leading example for addressing affordable housing. A City that has a plan to break the cycle of poverty and eliminate the stigma of it all.

When Isaac and I sat down to brainstorm we didn’t set out to just build housing. We set out to change lives. Breaking the cycle of poverty by building affordable housing, creating jobs, building communities, and opportunities, - Opportunities that can be a pathway out of generations poverty, we set out to change lives… One Box at a time.

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We are seeking other local visionaries that have a passion to serve others. Those who can help us build a team that can break through the barriers and create a lasting model.    Join us on the journey.

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