Cares By Apartment Life

My husband and I have been a Cares Team for almost 2 years and we have absolutely loved our time doing it. It has strengthened our marriage and we have built a supportive community at our complex. With regards to posts below, I would say we were warned about the risk of losing our apartment and it is important to know the risk. Also, we are missionaries, and there is a lot of spiritual warfare around this position. We have felt well supported by Apartment Life staff.

wow

I could truly cry after reading about cares teams. I want to be involved

We absolutely LOVE being a CARES team! We've been able to meet so many incredible people in our apartment community who we might not have met otherwise. We have so much support from Apartment Life - both regionally and nationally. They have great resources to help us in creating community in our apartment community. We have been a CARES team for about a year and we're already looking ahead to extend our commitment. If you're thinking about being a CARES team - do it!! It's by far one of the best decisions we've ever made and we're SO glad we're a part of this amazing team!

My husband and I have been a CARES team for about a year and a half. We have had an amazing experience. We have had 2 Area Directors that have both been wonderful. They encourage us, meet any needs we may have and provide us with the resources we need to do a great job. Being a CARES team has enabled us to get to know our neighbors and our management staff in a way that we would never have been able to without this great program. If you have the opportunity to be a CARES team, take it. You won't regret it.

DONT DO IT OR KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



We enjoyed our experience as a CARES team at first.......... but we had our fair share of unknowns and inconsistency with placement and baffled at why we cannot get our security deposit returned...They say we cannot get our security deposit back as we did not fulfill our 2 year commitment??? We left each community above reproach and free of any damages. Our decision to end CARES was due to the inconsistency in placements since our initial two year commitment and our call to do youth ministry.



We started as a CARES Team in August 2011 where we served as a CARES Team but soon after we got placed, there was a switch in property managers the CARES program got cut in November 2011...since we were blindsided and had no where to go, we had to stay on property paying a full rent (in which we did not budget or plan for)... we then moved (at our expense) onto our new placement at another community in January 2012 where we served but soon after that not only did our CARES AD change twice at this time but our property manager informed us in May 2012 she would be getting transferred in summer of 2012 and the program was getting cut after she left. At the same time of such news - I was offered a property manager job which would of been a conflict of interest to do both CARES on the at a neighboring community



Therefore, in July 2012, we moved off the property and selected to be transferred as we waited for the next cares ministry call would take place... It certainly was God's timing to be blessed with a property manager job and an apartment onsite at same time we found out that potential of program being cut. I can see God's provision in it all.



As we waited to be transferred to an suitable apartment mission filed - we got a call from our church to work with the youth. Since we were unsure of when the next ministry assignment would happen with CARES, we accepted the opportunity with our church in September 2012....after considering our schedules with new part time ministry and considering if we would get placed at community, it potentially would not happen until late 2012/early 2013 but our 2 year commitment would be up in August 2013 - we could not see the effectiveness in starting a program potentially in late 2012 or early 2013 for a short period of time then ending as our 2 year commitment in August 2013. We then opted to withdraw out of CARES in November 2012 so we can have a stable housing environment and ministry as the CARES program environment was NOT providing us such and felt God was protecting us in it all by giving us other situations to pursue. Yes, while shy a couple months from our 2 year commitment, don't think we should be penalized for such.



In both ministry calls to serve as CARES, we served tirelessly, always had residents sharing how much we changed their lives, and we even referred a now approved team! Whether it is "policy" or not due to the 2 year commitment, I hope you can understand the frustration of the stop and start programs we have experienced and out of pocket expenses we incurred/experienced with the changes and moves we had to out of pocket ourselves in the short time of being a CARES Team (that was never discussed on potential problems that could happen when we interviewed for CARES)



CARES would be a wonderful program if they operated less like a business and more from the heart of Christ. I don't think they are fully open upfront about the issues involved with being a CARES team.

It was an rewarding opp to bond with residents BUT a diffcult program in the end and grateful to be out



Receiving our $500 deposit back will allow us to balance out our budget from the unplanned expenses with housing and moving but again nother issue we have to deal with.



I am still waiting on trying to get our deposit back!

If I could leave a negative star I would! Both of the previous reviews are correct!! I would not recommend this program to my worst enemy! This is by far the worst volunteer program I have ever been apart of! I have been volunteering practically all of my life with working in the Church! I have received better treatment working with Non-Christian Groups (Secular) and working with my Church than the Cares Team- Apartment Life. I thought this would be an excellent program (1) to give back to the community, (2) bring people closer to Christ and (3) save money to buy a house. We gave up everything to do this program (1) nice house (2) free time (3) shorter commute to our jobs and (4) SPACE. BOY WERE WE DUPED!!!

We went through the phone interview no problem, we went through the interview with an Area Director no problem, then came the problems. We were sent to look at a potential property By the Regional Operations Director, she said in the email: Would you consider this property and pray together to decide if this is where the Lord is leading you to serve? We want for both of you to be confident and excited before we move forward. In the email from the Regional Operations Director she made it sound as if this property was in West Plano, Frisco, South Lake, Highland Park! The property was a dump!!! One month later we get another email about a potential property the Regional Operations Director once again spoke highly about this property!! She told us once again Would you consider this property and pray together to decide if this is where the Lord is leading you to serve? We want for both of you to be confident and excited before we move forward. We go to visit the property the complex and it was dirty, people working on their cars, broke down cars, police in the complex , children playing in the parking lot, it was a mess!! It was like we were being difficult and on top of that we had to go to CARES Go Training!!

CARES Go Training

We were sitting at tables with people who had already been placed and others that were in the same boat at us. For all the ones that were not placed we all had the same story and we all talked about the email from the Regional Operations Director about Plan “B” for those who’s lease is up!

Plan B is going to your Church to see if they have temporary housing or even staying with family and friends until a property becomes available! Some people had been on the waiting list for 8 months others had been on the waiting list for 12 months! People were telling us that it was costing too much to continue going month to month! We even met a couple (Caresteam) that was placed however after a few months the apartment complex didn’t want the program and the Caresteam had to either move and pay for there own expenses or pay the current rent!



Your Commitment

You are required to attend monthly meets plus go to work, have family time, plus go to Bible Study, plus do your events and visit residents! You said OK that’s what you signed up for so why are you complaining! Your quarterly meetings are in Grand Prairie borderline Arlington @ 7 pm.-9 pm We are in Dallas TX if you are coming from Lewisville. Plano, Rockwall , Mckinney there is traffic!



The Best Part

As for both of the previous comments if you are in the Click you will get a nice Apartment I mean really nice apartments where the rent starts @ $1300 some are staying in $2200 apartments.



In Conclusion

Cares has lower level management that pretend to care about you until you do something that they don’t like (i.e. complain about something that was really valid) ?” In my honest opinion it would be better working with a Christian Organization on your own and at the end of the day you have no one to answer too or no reports to make sure you get in! DO YOUR OWN WITNESSING NOT THEIRS!!!

The idea is great... however, they do not look after their teams well. The apartment complex claimed they didn't like the events we did during our last month as a cares team (these events were previously approved by management) So they refused to reimburse us. They then claimed we never made a pet or apartment depost... which we did. After all was said and done we were not reimbursed the $300 and they claimed we owed them another $600. During this time I called and emailed my regional cares representative and several higher ups in the organization. NOBODY got back with me. They finally called me two months later to tell me that if I wouldn't do my reporting for my last month there... they would charge me a full months rent.



Long story short: Cares takes care of you until your inconvenient... their business ethics are criminal. This organization is a perfect example of how Christians can be immoral and christless pegans. If you want to share the Gospel in apartments... move into one and do it without Cares.