Man Who Grew Up In Public Housing Is Now Giving Struggling Families A Place To Live
40-year-old Pierre Downing did not have an easy childhood.
He was raised by a single mother in a public housing development in Trenton, New Jersey. Oftentimes, his mom struggled to pay something as simple as the electric bill, and would have to make the choice of what to pay to make sure there is food on the table. She sacrificed a lot to make sure that her own sons would be fed, even if that meant not eating herself.
Downing knew when he grew up that he wanted to help struggling families and give back to people who were going through the same things he had to go through when he was younger.
Today, Downing is a member of the PACT Renaissance Collaborative (PRC) and the Vice President of Affordable Housing at Monadnock Development.
He received gifts from toy drives as a kid, and now he is organizing drives to give back to kids like him. For the third year in a row, the PRC has hosted a holiday toy drive, donating presents and snack gift bags to more than 700 families and children living in Harlem, Washington Heights, and Upper Manhattan.
With the toy drive, the PRC hopes to provide marginalized communities with some joy this holiday season.
“Home is the foundation of just everyday life. Our desired outcome, we kind of combat that stigma,” Downing told Good Morning America. “We give families a place where they’re proud to call home. And through that, they begin to transform other areas of their lives.”
Downing says he sees his own family in the people that he helps every day, which only inspires him to work even harder and do more to help the community.
He is committed to building up these families, whether it be through interacting with residents, or making sure that every apartment in the public housing is equipped with everything the family needs. He also says restoring old jungle gyms or basketball courts is very important to him since he understands first-hand the impact things like that has on parents who want to play and spend more time with their kids.
Learn more about Downing and his efforts in the video below:
