How Entrepreneurs Can Lead the Charge Against Homelessness
What if real estate pros used their skills to build homes for the homeless? In this episode, Dave Conley and Jerremy Alexander Newsome explore how entrepreneurs could cut through bureaucracy and make a real impact. With insights from David Jacob and Leslie Bobb, they discuss innovative funding models and the power of community action. The conversation ends with a simple, cost-free step you can take today.
Timestamps
- (00:00) Intro: Entrepreneurs as Problem Solvers
- (00:18) Real Estate Solutions: A New Approach to Housing
- (05:49) Final Thoughts: Empathy, Action, and Hope
David Jacob
Leslie Bobb
📢 Solving America’s Problems Podcast – Real Solutions For Real Issues
Transcript
“What if real estate pros who build houses helped tackle
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:homelessness with their know-how?
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:In our final stretch, we explore bold
ideas like that—and why the biggest
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:impact might cost you nothing.”
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.
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:And to kinda get my semi-final thoughts.
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:I think one very unique subset
of people that we, should or
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:could target our entrepreneurs,
specifically real estate entrepreneurs.
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:so imagine if file your taxes as a
real estate professional, if you did
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:that, a portion of your proceeds or a,
a tax or a licensing fee, that did go
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:directly into a homeless pot, if you
will, because who would build houses
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:the best for the homeless, if not
those who build houses for everyone.
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:And who make money off of that.
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:Because when you said the word
government and subsidize those
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:two words, never work, Really.
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:So I don't want, I don't actually want the
government to build the homeless housing.
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:fascinating is I think it should fall
probably on the burden of entrepreneurs
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:who make north of $200,000 a year say, Hey
man, if you're gonna make 200,000 a year
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:off of real estate in this country, cool.
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:Now 5% of everything you make
that is going to go directly into
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:this homeless community pool that
you mentioned earlier, David.
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:Those are the people that we're not gonna
rely on everyone to put in 50 bucks.
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:We're gonna rely on just the people,
just the ones that build houses, flip
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:houses, build apartment complexes,
build community centers, build shopping
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:malls, real estate investors who.
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:Prey on lower taxes, who buy
depreciation, who play the game.
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:They know the game,
they've studied the game.
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:Those are the people that
fund and fuel and are almost
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:required to have that privilege.
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:To have that tax decrease, to have that
depreciation that you're purchasing,
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:you're gonna have to spend a little
bit towards fixing the homeless issue.
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:I think that'd be a really, really
fun decision that really wouldn't
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:impact almost any real estate
investor in a negligible negative way.
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:@DavidJacob_1: So what if
then you incentivize them to
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:actually upkeep and maintain it?
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yes.
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:@DavidJacob_1: What if?
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:What if you have your taxes?
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:If you actually put all of the money
that you would've ordinarily paid in
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:taxes, half of it goes to building it and
the other half goes to maintaining it.
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:Congratulations, you
just wiped your tax bill.
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:Guest.
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:Jerremy Newsome: That'd be so great.
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:Again, I think a, a blend of that
would, would, again, would make a lot
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:of sense to me, and I think that's.
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:are the people that I do feel are, like
you man, like the nearest and dearest,
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:like you're a really great investor.
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:Like people who are great investors,
great business owners people who, who love
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:money, they want to circulate money, they
wanna give it to other people 'cause they
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:know that it helps, but they also know
that money expands whatever it touches.
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:So if you give it to someone with a mental
disease, mental health challenge, massive
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:addiction, guess what's gonna expand it?
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:Those aspects as well.
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:So they know just directly giving
someone the money isn't going to be
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:the direct impact of the solution.
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:But finding ways to have people that have
money that started from a very rough like
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:myself, to then put yourself in a position
of, okay, cool, well hey, I got out.
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:How did I do it?
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:What did I read?
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:Who did I surround myself with?
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:'cause your environment is what's going
to expand all of the consciousness
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:that you have about homelessness.
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:And what do most homeless people do?
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:They have to spend time around guess
what homeless people all the time who
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:are again, afflicted affected and, and,
uh, potentially really strain, strenuous
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:mental disease, mental disorders,
or mental, uh, health challenges.
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:So it, it's gonna be very hard for the
people who want to escape homelessness to
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:escape because they're surrounded by it.
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:Leslie Bobb: Maybe that's,
that's your answer, Dave.
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:What Jerremy saying?
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:Like maybe you tap into a way that
people can help doing what they love.
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:Because real estate investors love
real estate, so having them work on the
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:housing issue is gonna be a fun challenge.
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:It's gonna be something
they can engage in.
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:Not everyone loves real estate, but
these people like Jeremy's getting
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:into need other things besides a house.
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:Two.
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:So they need, they need financial
training, they need nutrition education,
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:they need, uh, job opportunities.
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:And there are other people who love
geeking out on that kind of stuff.
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:And if we get everybody a way to
help, I actually had started creating
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:a, a foundation in California when
I was much younger, with that idea.
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:It's just matching, matching passions
to needs, sort of, maybe that's how
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:you get people excited about it.
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:Dave, sorry to cut you off.
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:Jerremy.
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:Dave Conley: No, that's great.
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:I, I'm working on actually booking.
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:Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and
they've done a lot in the homeless
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:area, but they really focused on the
affordability problems of their houses.
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:And they changed a lot of
things in their policies.
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:And one of the things was ensuring
that that builders had, I wouldn't
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:say incentives, but they had or not
guarantees, I don't know what the words
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:are, but like their bonds and their,
their debt financing was protected.
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:What they had to do for that was
ensure that a certain percentage of
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:their homes were whatever they built
was affordable and had pathways to
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:people who couldn't afford, that were
homeless or, you know, just couldn't
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:afford to live there, could live there.
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:And they've done a lot.
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:You know, I think that there's,
know, there's a lot there.
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:Leslie Bobb: There is a lot there.
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:That's the truest statement
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yeah, exactly.
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:Yes it is.
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:So as we wrap this one up, let's just
do a fast, little lightning round.
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:Interesting to see what you all think.
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:I'll give you all time to think about it.
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:But what is one word that sums up
society's view of homelessness?
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:And it's okay if you've already said that
word, but what would that one word be?
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:Whoever wants to go first.
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:Leslie Bobb: I feel like maybe
disgusting is the one that comes to mind.
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:Jerremy Newsome:
Disgusting by Leslie David.
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:@DavidJacob_1: Tolerated.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Disgustingly tolerated.
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:I would agree.
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:I really like that blend.
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:What feeling or truth about
homelessness do most people overlook?
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:David.
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:And then Leslie,
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:@DavidJacob_1: I, is it one word
again or am I allowed a sentence?
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:All right.
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:Jerremy Newsome: you're
allowed a whole sentence.
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:@DavidJacob_1: I think there is this
idea of discomfort if they really
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:sat and thought about it for any
extended period of time, they'd get
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:really, really uncomfortable and
then they'd feel compelled to act.
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:So it's easier just to kind of cover
their eyes and kind of ostrich them
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:their head into the ground and assume
that if I can't see the ghost, the
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:ghost can't see me, just blank it out.
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:Leslie Bobb: I was gonna say
empathy, but then I realized,
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:I don't think that's true.
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:I think a lot of people have empathy for
the homeless as long as they don't let it
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:in too big, like David was just saying.
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:But I think I would say in
one word that it's fixable.
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:I think to David's point earlier, people
just, it's normalized, sucks to suck you.
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:Poor thing.
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:Here's a dollar.
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:Whatever.
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:Not that this is something that
is temporary in someone's life
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:and that they can get out of
it if given the right support.
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:I don't think anybody really, not
anybody obviously, but society
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:really looks at these people as
like in a temporary situation.
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:They're homeless people, they're not
people experiencing homelessness.
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:I mean, even the Bible says that
there will always be poor people,
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:there will always be homeless people.
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:So just be kind to them and help them
out, so it's, it's a very like permanent,
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:pervasive identity in our minds.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Fascinating.
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:Yeah, and I, again, I agree
with that piece, like that's
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:always gonna be a choice.
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:Just like there'll always be rich
people, there are always the people
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:who don't wanna be rich and they,
and consciously, at some point
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:they have to make that choice.
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:And I think I'm a really great
representation of that because I have
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:a lot of individuals in my family who
choose not to listen to this podcast.
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:also choose not to read
a lot of the books.
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:They also make the decision to drink
more than they should eat, more than they
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:should and smoke more than they should.
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:Therefore, their health is gonna be
impacted negatively more overall than not.
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:And therefore, my exact same genes, the
exact same dad, the exact same mom are
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:making different choices that are leading
financially a different road than myself.
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:And so ultimately, like there's always
gonna be choices that we can make.
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:Like if I became homeless and
lost all of my money tomorrow.
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:I would just, I would first
of all call one of E three
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:and just stay at your place.
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:But ultimately, like I would make
the choice just to not be in that
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:situation for very long and I would
remove my ego and start stepping into
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:things and make some phone calls.
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:And, if it happened to me at a
younger age, I'd probably still
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:have to make that decision.
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:So we all make decisions, we all make
choices, and I think for every listener
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:here, we simply have to make a choice
to take an action to some level.
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:with that being stated, I think
I would just love to propose
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:for all of our listeners just
think about what is an action.
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:And I'll leave it to you,
David, and you to Leslie.
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:What's one action that we can all take
today to just start chipping away at
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:what we would call currently a prevailing
problem of homelessness globally?
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:Leslie Bobb: Silence a whole
group of people that have a
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:lot of thoughts in their heads.
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:So that was a good question, Jerremy.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Thanks.
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:Yeah, thanks.
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:Well, I'll, I'll, I'll rephrase it.
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:Make it maybe even
easier or more poignant.
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:What's one step every listener could
take, whether voting helping locally that
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:could shift how we address homelessness?
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:How about that?
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:Leslie Bobb: Well, I would like to
say for your listeners real quick,
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:David, and then I'll let you go.
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:I would like to say for your listeners
that I am now actively seeking a million
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:dollar grant for a homelessness think
tank of which you three will first be
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:invited to, as well as other experts.
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:But David, you go ahead and then
I'll, I'll come up with a real answer.
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:@DavidJacob_1: I guess
the way that when I.
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:First had my first experience with, you
know, dealing with someone who's homeless.
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:Dealing is probably a bad word,
but, just learn their name.
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:Just treat 'em like people.
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:It's really easy to see them
as homelessness, or sorry as
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:homeless instead of as a person.
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:And if there's someone that you
see on a really regular basis,
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:find out who they are now.
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:You don't have to do what I did and
sit and listen to their story every day
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:for three months, but what's your name?
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:Remind them that humanity exists.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Come on, bro.
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:Such a great answer.
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:Leslie Bobb: That is a great answer.
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:I like it.
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:I like it.
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:'cause if you're unseen as a
human, how can you even start?
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:How can you even like think that?
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:Like how can you even,
it's despair, right?
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:You just, you feel despair, and when
you feel despair, there's no hope.
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:And when there's no hope,
there's no action to be taken.
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:Sounds a good answer, David.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yep.
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:And for you, Leslie, too, again, hey
you're going out and saying, Hey,
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:I'm trying to track down this grant.
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:if there's listeners out there that
are grant specialists or they'll
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:wanna reach out to Leslie or myself
or Dave, no, please let us know.
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:But ultimately, I love
that step for you, Leslie.
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:I love that you're taking that action.
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:'cause it's like, Hey, let's get a
collective group of people together.
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:Just like David said,
that's how you fix problems.
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:You get a group of individuals who
care, you put 'em into an environment
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:where change can be created.
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:You motivate that change with thoughts,
with actions, with words, with beliefs.
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:And then you go start making those changes
by putting in the time and the energy.
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:'cause those are the only
things we can really put in.
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:And you can spend time
and you can spend energy.
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:So like we have to spend one of these
three things in some version of the other
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:to make sure that it actually happens.
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:So I love that.
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:That's awesome, Leslie, that's amazing.
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:David, family, thank you for listening.
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:And for really everyone out there, I
really just wanna say our goal here,
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:as you all can know and feel, see and
hopefully understand, is to get every
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:perspective on either side of the
fence, religious or political, whatever
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:perspectives are truly here to create
change and that change to actually solve.
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:societal problems that are here in the
United States of America, and to David's
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:point and other countries as well.
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:what this podcast is for.
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:Leslie, David, thank you for being here.
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:Listeners, thank you for being here.
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:Please subscribe to this podcast
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:This has been another episode.
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:Thank you so much for
your time and your energy.
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:you all.
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:Great job DC Conley.
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:Another fun one.
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:I'm glad to see fired up, man.
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:It gets me excited.
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:Dave Conley: what did
you learn on this one?
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:Jerremy Newsome: I really like Leslie's
perspective when she used the word
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:that I don't think many people have
used in a lot of our problems fixable.
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:It's like, dude,
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:Dave Conley: Yeah.
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:Jerremy Newsome: has to be this.
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:This has to be fixable.
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:You know, like relatively quickly
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:Dave Conley: Yeah.
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:Jerremy Newsome: it seems like to me.
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:And what inspired me in this episode is
I personally feel like we are actually
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:making legitimate tactical steps.
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:I can begin to see right as president
if I reached out and created a.
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:A real estate investor coalition.
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:If you are investing at this scale
in one of the 50 states, please
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:do this to end homelessness.
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:Please contribute this, and this
will reduce your taxes even more.
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:Create some level of a program or product
like that's still entrepreneur based
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:and potentially entrepreneur run that's
overseen by a board of directors or a real
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:estate committee or an agency committee.
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:I think that that's
actually close-ish for me.
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:That's
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:Dave Conley: Mm-hmm.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:Yeah.
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:Jerremy Newsome: sure.
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:If I make $60,000 from this
house flip, absolutely.
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:Please give $4,000 to X, Y, Z location,
community, shelter area so that I
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:know exactly where money's going.
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:There's no conduit, there's no
middleman, no one's profiting off
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:of me, and it's going right to
someone that can actually help.
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:Dave Conley: Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:I like that.
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:Fixable.
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:Yeah.
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:That's gonna stick with me.
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:And you're right, I am fired up.
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:It's not because of homelessness
and it, it isn't almost this topic.
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:It's because, you know, we've done
incarceration and, and American justice.
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:We've done health and wellness, we've
done education, and now this one, and.
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:We've gotta stop doing stupid stuff.
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:That's what's firing me up.
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:Like, we spend much money and someone
is getting filthy rich on the misery
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:of fellow human beings all of those
right down to school shooting.
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:Somebody is getting filthy rich
and we're not solving the problem.
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:We, you said it, we
know how to solve this.
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:Now I, I'm still not sure in my
head, I know what we're spending
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:the money on and it's not working.
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:So we, we've gotta stop that.
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:And I think I've kind of come to, we've
gotta stop funding this like this.
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:We've gotta cut it off.
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:And gotta change may, maybe
we're funding the wrong thing.
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:We keep on.
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:Spending the money on
people who are homeless.
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:And I'm thinking that
this goes back to society.
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:We have to change the society first.
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:That was like a theme in this one.
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:So maybe it is about shaming or changing
society, or changing people's ideas.
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:We shouldn't have any homelessness.
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:And it starts with society saying
that this is not acceptable.
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:And then all of the programs
flow from that, right?
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:Like we have, we're funding
it the wrong direction.
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:We're funding all the programs
and hoping for the best.
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:Maybe it's, it's the other direction.
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:know.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.
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:What I learned is, man, that
there's a lot of smart people
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:who have been closely impacted,
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:Dave Conley: Yeah.
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:Jerremy Newsome: by this, who really care.
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:To David's point, he really got me fired
up that he, internally, again, he's been
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:around a lot of my very, very high-end
programs and coaching and consultations
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:and very frequently he always says
like, Hey, I'd love to fix homelessness.
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:And that's because in his mind.
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:He was a huge contributing factor to
fixing, helping, and reshifting that
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:one individual that was homeless, that's
now no longer homeless because he had
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:a very personal, very kind interaction.
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:Now, David's mentioned a few times that
was he the only reason, probably not.
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:But again, he doesn't, no one needs
to be the only reason ever that
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:someone's life becomes better.
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:They can be a pivot, they can be a
moment, they can be a bright light and
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:a dark space that actually does help.
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:And for David, he feels like he was
that flashlight in a dark room for
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:that individual, for that gentleman.
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:And that's what really got him fired up.
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:He's like, holy smokes.
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:Treat these people like people.
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:Treat these beings like human beings
and love on them and care about them.
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:Like not some disease, not
some leprosy, but love on them.
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:And they probably will no longer
be homeless because they feel loved
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:and they feel accepted by society.
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:Holy smokes.
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:Dave Conley: Isn't that sort of the
summary of, of when we were talking
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:incarceration like, like punishing
people doesn't work, but like a
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:Tony Robbins book kind of does.
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:Jerremy Newsome: Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:Really, really interesting, really
fascinating, and it's again, just
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:good to see so many people who do
care and are excited and are moved
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:and motivated by this, for sure.
