Story behind Realty4Rehab

story behind Realty4Rehab

Return to Increase Resources to Address the Opioid Crisis

The Story behind Realty4Rehab

Jennifer Hodge, a woman with fierce dedication to making a difference in the addiction world, was the first realtor to be granted the "Good Neighbor Award" by the 400 North Board of Realtors in 2014. She and her son, Robbie Hodge, came up with a plan to help people suffering from addiction with funding to get the help they need but can't always afford.
Jennifer explains, “Robbie's addiction started at age 15 when his appendix was removed. He was prescribed pain killers, and it was history from there.” Robbie struggled with the emotional pain from his dad's addiction, and also from mental health issues like OCD, ADHD and anxiety. As a young teen, he unknowingly ventured into his own addiction simply looking to numb the pain from his struggles. Many struggling with addiction are simply trying to cope with pain and/or untreated mental health issues.

"Life was horrendous for me," Jennifer said. "Having a son crying out for help for his addiction, yet I didn't have the funds to support his recovery. As a mom, that was one of the worst feelings ever. I felt so helpless, and I was scared for my son's life. Every day was a battle, not knowing if he'd make it out alive. I wouldn't wish this on anyone."
Jennifer is a Realtor, and at the time in 2010, real estate was still pretty slow from the down-turn. Since funds were so tight and most recovery centers are thousands upon thousands of dollars, getting help seemed next to impossible.

Her son Robbie was desperate for help, and not seeing any other solutions, Jennifer decided to call his school to see what they could do. They had him brought to a facility in middle Georgia for one week in a rubber room with another 12-year-old. Jennifer recounts, "I'm not sure what type of solution they thought this was. He spent his week there and left unchanged, not surprisingly. I didn't know what we were going to do at this point." It took time, but finally "House of Hope" in Alphareta gave him a scholarship to attend "Three Dimensional Life" in Gainesville, Ga. Jennifer was so thankful, expressing, "They gave me my son back."

It was 2012 when the idea for Realty4Rehab (R4R) was born on the front porch of Three Dimensional Life in Gainesville, Robbie and his mother came up with the idea of saving lives from addiction through real estate transactions. Jennifer explained, “We realized how much it took for us to get to this point and how few are actually able to get help. Together we knew we wanted to make a difference.”

The first thing Jennifer did for the cause was donate four mobile homes to New Beginnings Recovery Center in North Georgia. Now 89 women per year have an opportunity to recover from addiction. Thanks to these mobile homes, they have a bed and a chance to succeed. Jennifer recalls, "I helped numerous people pay for a portion of their rehab in 2014 through Realty4Rehab. It was then when I realized our dream could really be a reality - we really can make a difference through real estate transactions."

How it works
A seller or buyer contacts Realty4Rehab before listing a buying a home. R4R then connects them with a great Realtor of their choice. One-third of the Realtor's commission goes toward a recovery efforts. The buyer or seller gets to designate where 1/2 of the money goes, as long as it is a 501C and is helping in this epidemic. It may also go toward sponsoring someone to go to rehab—and there's no shortage of people needing help with addiction these days.

In 2015, Jennifer received the "Volunteer Works Award" by the National Association of Realtors, being 1 of 5 Realtors chosen across the country for having a charity they felt would go places. National recognition, was given by Century 21 National Headquarters in 2016 at their annual convention.

It was then she set out to ramp things up. She said, "I set up booths at events and started promoting R4R pretty heavily. I had Realtors starting to call me... wanting to help! When I realized this could really go somewhere, I filed for R4R to be a legitimate 501c3 charity."

The week the charity was filed, ads were placed in all Publix stores. It seemed it was really taking off. Sadly, this same week Jennifer Hodge's son, Robbie Hodge, left for heaven. Jennifer warns, "One pill will kill." Robbie, struggling with crippling anxiety, took ONE tainted Xanax, and that was enough to end his life. It's impossible to know what's legitimate and what's deadly these days. Robbie had a prescription for Xanax through a doctor, but he ran out, and he trusted the dealer when they said, "It's good." Jennifer explains, “If you've ever struggled with an anxiety attack, you realize that you'll do almost anything to quell it. Unfortunately, it was this oversight and one pill that cost him his life."
Jennifer claimed "My Facebook blew up from my viral posts about Robbie. He is now known around the country as the "BEAST" kid, as Beast was written on his shirt in one of the videos." She was told that Robbie was trending higher than Trump and Kardashian's for 2 days on Facebook. "I just want to get his story out so that we can hopefully save lives. He had such a huge, giving heart - and we are keeping it alive by helping others."

Jennifer, aka "Robbie's mom", with her can-do tenacious personality, had adopted the tagline, "It works if you work it." If you know her, you know nothing will stop her in the fight against addiction!

For More Information or to participate in an R4R transaction, contact:

Jennifer Bryant Hodge 678-793-1303
Founder CEO Realty4Rehab - Moving to Save Lives and Stop Addiction!
National Association of Realtors 2015 Volunteering Works Recipient
International Recognition for Realty4Rehab Century 21 -2016
"Good Neighbor Award" 2014, 400 N Board of Realtors
#2 Individual Sales Agent, 2013, 400 N Board of Realtors
#20 Century 21 Agent Georgia/South Carolina 2013
Top Sales & Listing Agent since 2001
Forsyth County Representative for Addiction/Behavioral Disorders
Partner with Forsyth County Teen Intervention

"Real Estate Professionals Nationwide Offering a Hand Up to Loosen the Grip of Addiction, One Closing at a Time."

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Web: www.Realty4Rehab.org

CENTURY 21 Results Realty Services
2920 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Suite 113
Cumming, GA 30041