CRIS Housing Partners

Ryan owns and manages several rental properties in the Columbus area. He recently became a CRIS housing partner, renting to a newly arrived refugee family from Syria.

He shares, “My dad came to the U.S. from Jordan as a university student in the 1980s. He earned an engineering degree from Purdue University, and later began his career in business as a property owner/manager and the founder/owner of Trinity Heating and Cooling in Dublin, Ohio. Growing up as a first-generation American, my whole life I have watched my dad help others in need–helping others find a place to live, find work, build their lives here. His generosity and kindness have inspired me to be the same. Partnering with CRIS to provide housing to newly arrived refugees is one way I can do that.”

Pat manages the OSU on-campus leases for Kohr Royer Griffith. In the fall of 2021, clients approached her about leasing a vacant property to a group of Afghan refugees they were sponsoring.

With the recent building on campus, it was getting harder to fill properties. Pat needed tenants and these families needed housing. Since 2021 Pat has provided temporary housing to 8 different refugee groups.

The first group she leased to was 4 men from Afghanistan, one of whom had served in the Afghan Army. She only interacted with him a handful of times but was able to witness a complete shift in his personality, "He got a job as a long haul trucker. He was cheerful; his eyes lit up when he spoke and he talked about all the amazing things he'd seen while driving...At the end of the day, they become regular tenants just like anybody else."