The Power of Dignity to Transform Housing

Maryum Phillips is president and CEO of Status: Home.

By Maryum Phillips

I found my calling under an archway at the University of Michigan.

I was walking to class one afternoon when I stopped to talk with a woman panhandling nearby. I had seen her before, and I wanted to connect with her. While we talked, a group of young men walked past, finished eating, and threw their trash at us. The disrespect stunned me. I apologized to her, and she said it happened all the time. That moment lit a fire in me that has never gone out. Every person deserves the same dignity, no matter what they have.

That belief carries me through my work today as President and CEO of Status: Home, Atlanta's oldest and largest provider of permanent supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. After we renovated our properties, I started bringing a lookbook of the finished apartments to show partners and donors. People are often surprised by how beautiful the units are. I tell them the beauty is intentional. A lease never diminishes anyone's right to dignity.

Leading a nonprofit challenged my own assumptions about what a CEO looks like. I once believed leadership required a personal origin story tied to the cause. Leading Status: Home taught me that trust, curiosity, and letting talented people lead their own areas build strong teams and lasting impact. I remind my team that they see solutions I would miss, and I lean on their expertise to shape decisions affecting our residents.

A mentor taught me to turn hope into a plan with concrete steps. That has stayed with me through every campaign and housing plan we build. A clear strategy turns intention into action, and action is what gets people housed. Dignity is the foundation everything else stands on, present from the day someone walks through our door.

Maryum Phillips is President and CEO of Status: Home,
https://x.com/StatusHome_Atl ; https://www.facebook.com/StatusHomeAtlantaGA ; https://www.instagram.com/statushomeatl/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/company/status-home-atlanta ;http://www.statushome.org