Not a Nonprofit: Why I Chose a Public Benefit LLC

When people hear “affordable housing” or “housing initiative,” they think nonprofit. That’s the model everyone expects. But Little Haven was never about following expectations — it was about creating a housing model that both honors lived experience and challenges the barriers found in traditional housing systems.

 

I live with a disability. I’ve spent years searching for a small, affordable home that actually works for me and I’ve been shut out at every turn — by zoning, by policies, by a market that assumes everyone has two incomes. Those barriers are exactly why Little Haven exists.

 

So when it came time to choose the structure for this company, I knew one thing: I wasn’t going to build it on charity drives or fundraising galas. I also wasn’t looking at this company as a way to become a billionaire. I needed a model that could sustain itself and protect the reason I was building it.

 

I want to prove to the world that a company doesn’t need to be a nonprofit to do the right thing. You can, in fact, make a profit and still help people — when you stop treating business as a race to squeeze every dime possible out of people and start asking a different question: how much good can I do while making enough to live with dignity?

 

 

Why not a nonprofit?

 

Because I’ve lived the barriers nonprofits can’t touch. I don’t want Little Haven’s future hanging on whether someone with deep pockets or political influence decides people like me are “worthy” this year. Nonprofits do incredible work, but they’re forced to depend on generosity. I want something different: a model that works because it’s built to work.

 

 

Why a Public Benefit LLC?

 

A PBLLC bakes the mission into the bones of the company. Affordability and accessibility aren’t buzzwords — they’re who we are. No leader can strip them away for profit. That means Little Haven can’t be hijacked, watered down, or turned into just another developer chasing dollars. The barriers I’ve lived through are written into our DNA — not to repeat them, but to make sure they’re never repeated for anyone else.

 

 

What this means in practice

 

• No handouts, no gouging. Little Haven shows there’s a middle ground between public assistance on one end and price-gouging on the other.

 

• Not charity, but equity: We refuse to believe housing assistance is the only path to affordability. At Little Haven, every buyer becomes an Owner — building equity and dignity on their own terms.

 

• Protected from greed: Our Public Benefit status makes it impossible for anyone to override Little Haven’s mission or put money ahead of people.

 

 

The bottom line

 

I’m not rejecting profit. I’m rejecting greed. I want Little Haven to earn enough to sustain itself — and to support the livelihoods of myself and my team — but never at the expense of the people we serve.

 

Homeownership isn’t a handout. It’s dignity, stability, and equity. And it’s long past time to prove it’s possible.