Viewpoint: Yes, you can go home again. And you can try to help others while you're there.

Can you go home again? And, if you can, can you make your second career the business of helping others find permanent homes? For Tom Bard, the answer is an emphatic yes. In August 2021, Tom returned to the University of Notre Dame (where he graduated in 1964) as a Fellow in cohort 3 of the Inspired Leadership Initiative. ILI is a year-long program of encore learning designed to help accomplished professionals discern their next act.

Bard returned to ND and ILI after a long and successful career that began at ND as an electrical engineer, had a stop in the Navy, included an MBA at the Harvard Business School and involved significant accomplishment in real estate development in Portland, Oregon. While in ILI — a program that includes time in the classroom, structured discernment and exploration of the resources available at ND — Bard studied music, the environment and social justice. Through his scholarship and networking, he became aware of the persistent issues of racial injustice and housing disparities in South Bend.

Since his ILI commencement, Bard has met with leaders throughout town including those representing racial justice, the underhoused and campus experts. His efforts have culminated in a decision to build a two-family home in the northwest side taking advantage of two essential city programs: the Pre-Approved Plan catalog and the sewer reimbursement policy. Both will contribute significantly to reducing the cost of construction and approvals.

Among the realities facing Bard and the underhoused are the significant increases in the costs of real estate — both for new construction and in demand for existing properties. Informed in the classroom, by his bankers and civic leaders, he is evaluating additional options. One of the most attractive involves purchasing an existing home and offering it to someone who is currently underhoused. It is the harsh reality that when one rents, it is more expensive and the family often can “afford” far less than if one were to purchase.

The situation is further exacerbated as banks prefer to lend to those considered more creditworthy than a former renter. Bard is evaluating the option to purchase an affordable property and to work with a formerly unhoused person and family. To be eligible, the client would have to have a job that could support the eventual cost of living in the property. Bard and a potential partner would purchase the property. They would structure a financial agreement that helps the client build equity with the eventual goal of purchasing the person’s new home.

Not every community is home to a Notre Dame or an ILI, but for South Bend, you have a grand opportunity nearby. Though ILI is relatively new, having only graduated four cohorts, a number of fellows have roots in the community. In addition to Bard’s work in affordable housing, prior ILI Fellows have worked on human trafficking, developed a solar panel business to employ formerly incarcerated individuals and enhanced a program to educate those currently incarcerated.

And me, the author of this piece. I was also a Fellow with Tom. My journey led me to the craft of writing. During my ILI year, I wrote a regular column in the ViewPoint section of The Observer, the student newspaper serving the tri-campus community. I continue to write for a number of Notre Dame initiatives.

While the ILI program is designed to offer new opportunities to its fellows, it strikes me that it also offers a wonderful set of opportunities to its home — South Bend. And, yes, you can go home again. For more information about ILI, see https://ili.nd.edu/contact/

Mary Ellen Woods is a 1980 University of Notre Dame graduate. She lives in Chicago.