Christopher Jones is a regional manager with Related Affordable in San Francisco. A Mississippi native who spent much of his adult life in New Orleans, Jones joined Related early this year. As part of our ongoing Q&A series, we caught up with him to ask what it was like growing up with a property manager for a mother, his recent move to California and a range of other topics.
Tell us a little bit about your history with Related Affordable.
I’m a regional manager in San Francisco at Hunters Point. Hunters Point consists of four connected, but independent communities. There are 604 units in total. I just started here in January, but I’ve been in property management for 13 years now. I was previously living and working in New Orleans, where I was most recently a regional manager, and I’ve been in San Francisco for just about a year. It’s been great so far. I live about 15 minutes from the property. I came out here with my husband who got a job working for Stanford Children’s Hospital. He works in infection prevention there. When I first got out here, I was with a different company, but it was a third-party management company, and I realized I preferred working on the owner-operator side of the business because of the closer connection you have with the owners. Everyone has a common goal, and it’s much more a community of shared ideas. I like that about Related. The transition to California and Related so far has been great. I love the culture here. It’s refreshing. And you can’t beat the California weather.
Tell us a bit about Hunters Point.
It’s so unique. Every day, it’s rich in culture. Residents are really engaged, very focused and passionate about their communities. There’s a rich history here as well, with several of the streets in our community named after activists who led the charge for affordable housing in this neighborhood. The communities have been here since the early 70s, so you have generations of families that have lived here in the same units for decades.
Walk us through a typical day.
So much of my day, maybe 65 percent, is communicating with residents. We recently rolled out a really exciting rent forgiveness program, and speaking to residents about it has been incredibly gratifying, with some breaking down in tears. We’re trying to encourage good paying habits after the challenges of the pandemic when back rent became an issue. If they put a good faith effort toward paying that back balance for 12 months, we’re forgiving the entire back balance. It’s been well received. I’m also doing a lot of communicating around a comprehensive rehabilitation of the property that begins this summer. When I’m not communicating, I’m usually helping prepare for major events around the property. March was very, very busy because we had two NSPIRE and two MOR HUD inspections. It was a huge team undertaking to coordinate everything and get the right teams in place. We even brought up a maintenance team from Southern California to assist with the inspection prep. Everyone did great. It was a true testament to the team and its ability to get big jobs done. Many worked weekends and long hours, but it went well.
You seem especially even-keeled given all of your responsibilities. To what do you attribute that sense of calmness on the job?
It’s funny you say that, because I never thought I’d be in this field. My mom was a regional property manager for 30 years, and I remember going on site tours and site visits with her and saying I’d never get into that. It’s more than a 9 to 5 job. And yet, sure enough, she gave me my first role managing a small 48-unit property in Mississippi in 2010, and I learned so much from her about how to stay cool under pressure. She’s very compassionate and taught me the importance of listening to residents. She instilled in me that you have to be patient in this work. Your residents are your customers, and if they’re happy, your job gets easier. So, I always take time for my residents, and I always instruct staff that residents come first.
Is there anything about the move toward a fully integrated Related Affordable you’re looking forward to?
I’m excited about the sole focus on the affordable business and the ability to share ideas and concepts across the company that we can build upon. I’m a big competitor, so when I heard that we would be the largest operator of affordable housing, I got excited. My goal is to be the best in class. That’s something that everyone can be proud of. It means a lot to be part of the largest and best affordable management company in the nation.
