Walter Roberts, Native New Yorker With A Vision For Home
Building culturally rich and socially cohesive communities in East Harlem.
Hope Community, Inc., executive director, Walter Roberts, came from humble beginnings.
The native New Yorker, boasted that his love affair with the real estate industry started when he was just a kid. Roberts attributed his success in the business to his upbringing in the Manhattanville Houses, a NYCHA complex in West Harlem.
Roberts came from a loving home, consisting of both parents and four sisters. For Roberts, having a strong support system in place, provided him with the right “nutrients” which allowed his “roots” to sprout and then blossom, in what was once known as hostile soil.
Throughout his career Roberts has remained loyal to his New York roots. This philosophy adds to his enjoyment of effectively running the management of the organization.
When ranking the senior staff at Hope Community Inc., Roberts, as Ludacris would say, he has the ‘number one spot.’ Roberts said that the past 11 years working for a real estate nonprofit have been a lot of fun. And regardless of what happens in the future, he wouldn’t trade places with anyone. However, Roberts’ integrity prompted him to share that his line of work isn’t just peaches and roses. In fact, it can be really overwhelming.
“Over the life [span] of my career, the biggest stressor was making sure that people are accommodated in safe housing,” he said. Roberts said that throughout the pandemic his organization has been making sure that safety protocols are put in place and that all services for its tenants are functioning properly. “All the things that we take for granted. Your stress levels grow when the things that are supposed to be working are not working,” he said.
Hope Community, Inc. is a community based non-profit affordable housing entity that was started in 1968. Over the course of 53-years, Hope Community Inc., has filled the much-needed void in communities of color. Based out of East Harlem, the premise is to enhance the quality of life for residents through the means of industrialization, lifestyle and partisanship.
Hope Community, Inc. has assisted in rebuilding the infrastructure in East Harlem by establishing attractive, high-quality affordable apartments and owner-occupied housing. As a holder of multiple graduate degrees in urban planning and social work, Roberts is well versed in facilitating a culturally rich and socially cohesive community.
Roberts takes great pride in bringing Hope’s mission [statement] to life. “I am responsible for making sure that these programs run [efficiently] and are well financed,” he said.
“These are buildings that transcend housing units and become homes,” he said. “You know that it’s going to be there for you. That sort of stability is extremely important to Hope [Community Inc.’] as an organization.”
Roberts’ career has spanned well over 35-years. The Columbia alum credited the New York Housing Preservation Development, South Bronx Development as the catalyst that kick-started his career. And though he wasn’t formally mentored, Roberts did say that there were always a pair of eyes and a voice that kept him focused on the task at hand.
“It’s one of my first jobs working in real estate,” he said. “That’s where I was at the longest. I was at different jobs within the agency. I do enjoy the community aspect of the work,” Robert said. The executive director said preservation work goes hand in hand with managing properties. At one point in his career, Roberts managed around 300 buildings. He said he has always been interested in having to figure out how to assist people in their housing conditions.
“From a different angle, I have been able to work on making their homes safe, building a new home, making sure it’s affordable, working with developers and working with contractors,” Roberts said.
Trying to strengthen the quality of life for residents in East Harlem is no easy task. In fact, it’s probably the hardest thing about Roberts’ job. To conquer this challenge, Roberts feels that relevance is a vital component. With the world evolving on a continuum, Roberts said that by not staying up to date with the current trends, you could potentially be forgotten. “With relevancy, we are meeting our goals and mission. We are able to keep the doors open and the lights on with the proper financing. These are the things that I think about the most,” he said.
As consuming as Roberts’ job description may be, it’s never consumed him. He refuses to allow it to permeate into his personal life. Roberts enjoys indulging in his favorite hobbies that include cooking, photography and playing basketball. He also decompresses by spending time with his family, that doesn’t include pets. Roberts also relishes jazz music, which he said is his favorite genre. Roberts also makes time to travel with his loved ones.
But after being in the same profession for nearly four decades sometimes things are said that aren’t necessarily pleasant. Fortunately, Roberts praised his family for having thick skin. As he put it, they have never taken anything personally. “My family has always been supportive of me,” he said. Adding, “[They would say] that I work hard and that I do all of my work.”
