Bethesda Teen Founds Apartment Angel to Prevent Evictions

Apartment Angel lifts troubled renters to solid ground

            Solving the nation’s homelessness problem begins by preventing it in the first place. This is the fundamental truth that inspired 17-year-old Archer Chapin of Bethesda, Md., to found Apartment Angel, a non-profit organization that provides interest-free loans to help struggling residents avert eviction.

            Archer learned about the apartment industry while working in the family business alongside his dad, Stephen Chapin, during summer vacations and breaks. He discovered that sudden financial hardships, such as job loss or health problems, can put otherwise reliable rent-payers into a short-term bind.

“My father, on one of his many speeches to my brothers and me, brought up the fact that there are a lot of good renters out there that have always paid their rent, but for just one month they are unable to do so,” Archer recalls. His dad explained that all these people need is one more month to be lifted back to their feet. “This is when I envisioned Apartment Angel as the solution to that problem. We provide that one more month that they need; we lift them to their feet.”

Eviction is bad for both renters and apartment owners, Archer says. It can set residents on a downward spiral, damaging their credit rating and putting them on a path to temporary or permanent homelessness. Property owners lose a good tenant and shoulder the costs associated with vacating the property and finding new residents.

Scott Downer, a resident at Cobblestone Apartments in Savannah, Ga., says he faced the prospect of eviction for the first time when he lost the money order he purchased to pay his rent and learned it might take 60 days to replace it.

“My wife and I have never been late on our rent before,” Downer says. “When I thought all hope was lost I spoke with Candi at our apartment office and she introduced me to Apartment Angels. They swooped in with a way to pay my rent and an affordable option to pay it back. I am so grateful to Apartment Angels for this help.” 

Archer is a rising senior at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, a Jesuit institution that encourages students to put their faith into action in service of others. Good works, he says, are “ingrained in my family’s values and in my values.” Apartment Angel is at once altruistic and business-savvy. Interest-free loans to cover one-month’s rent are paid directly to property managers who work with their residents to apply for the help. To qualify, residents must have lived in the apartment for at least six months, typically pay their rent on time, and must demonstrate their ability to repay the loan. Residents sign a promise to repay over a period of five months — and most do. So far, nearly 50 loans have been issued averaging $800 and 75% have been repaid.

Originally, Archer envisioned providing one-time grants but ultimately decided on interest-free loans because a greater number of residents can be helped: to date, a $1 donation to Apartment Angel generates $4 of assistance through loan payback. Archer is actively working to create partnerships with other apartment owners to fund the non-profit with a tax-free donation and identify more residents in need of help. The Apartment Angel website (www.apartmentangel.org) is available in both English and Spanish to reach as many people as possible.

“One of my favorite parts about the company right now is that our first few loan recipients have sent me emails saying how much Apartment Angel helped them,” he says. “It inspires me to keep going. My goal for this year is to expand nationally and help 500 more people stay in their homes.”