Building Homes in Haiti

Alabama Man Builds His Business, Builds Homes for the Poor

	One hundred soccer balls and 50 bicycles also were distributed to the children in the village.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 29, 2015)  Alabama homebuilder Rob Owens has built VTS Homes, Inc. from the ground up, and in doing so has kept his promise to provide homes for the destitute in Haiti. Owens was recently named a ‘40 Under 40’ winner by Professional Builder magazine for his accomplishments and charitable efforts through the charity Food For The Poor.

With the support of his company, located in Huntsville, and business partners David and Todd Slyman, Owens has built 18 concrete block homes in LaHatte, Haiti, providing more than 100 people with a secure place to live.

“I've seen the transformation firsthand when I visited LaHatte in June 2013, and it's real and permanently life-changing for those we are able to serve,” said Owens.

A graduate of Marquette University, Owens is married and is the father of two. He started his first company at age 22. He founded VTS Homes in 2010 during the housing downturn with virtually no capital and only one pre-sold house, but grew the company to more than $6 million in revenue in two years.

Also in 2010, Owens reached out to Food For The Poor after seeing a news story about the work the organization is doing in Haiti. That was when Owens and his partners decided that for every home VTS sold, they would make a donation to build homes in Haiti.

“LaHatte is located just north of the city of St. Marc and is in a section of the country that’s not easy to navigate. Life in Haiti can be difficult, but life in LaHatte can be especially brutal, due to the arid condition of the land,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The gratitude of the families who went from living in mud thatched huts to a solid home with an inside bathroom and kitchenette is beyond any words I can express. Food For The Poor is extremely thankful to have donors like Rob Owens, who have decided to share the blessings of their businesses to help the truly destitute.”

The first phase of the LaHatte project also included a playground with a merry-go-round, a first for the organization and its donors. One hundred soccer balls and 50 bicycles were also purchased and distributed to the children within the village. Owens now wants to complete Phase II, which is the construction of six additional homes for families within that community.
 
“We ask that others join us in transforming the lives of those in LaHatte and other parts of Haiti,” said Owens. “We only have a short time on this earth and we believe we must make a difference in the lives of those in need.”  

If you would like to make a secure online donation toward the completion of Phase II in the village in LaHatte, Haiti, visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/vtshomes. Those wishing to make a donation by check, please make it payable to Food For The Poor and mail to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 89122” to ensure your donation is accurately routed. All gifts are tax-deductible.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.