Rosilyn Butler is the bright, cheerful manager of three Catholic Charities Senior Housing complexes, including St. Marks Place, where we spoke with her. After observing her for just a few minutes, you can see why she’s a favorite among her residents.
Ms. Butler has been with Catholic Charities for 7 months and has been working in property management for 16 years, the last 2 years in senior properties. She started in property management right out of high school. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do and her mother suggested she enroll in a fair housing class. Her mother guessed right. Ms. Butler is still in the same field and “loves it.” She prides herself on keeping up with rapidly changing federal housing regulations.
Ms. Butler moved from Dallas to Baltimore just for the job with Catholic Charities and her family has not yet joined her here. Since she’s on her own here, she especially enjoys that her tenants nurture her and give her a lot of hugs and love, and that she, in turn, can share her love and hugs with them. She feels good when she leaves work at the end of the day and enjoys being able to put a smile on peoples’ faces.
Ms. Butler says she enjoys working with seniors because they are very stable and reliable and, compared to her experience managing family properties, the seniors experience less family drama and trying situations. In addition to her responsibilities for keeping the building running smoothly and in good repair, ensuring that all federal and state regulations and policies are upheld and managing leases and rents, Ms. Butler also plays an important role in helping each complex build a sense of community. The residents of each Senior Housing community are quite independent and organize their own social activities, such as bingo games, potluck dinners, and field trips, but the property manager also assists, especially in new properties, to get things going and to encourage meaningful activities that appeal to the diverse populations in each building. Anyone who meets Ms. Butler would know that she’s a great social organizer and her residents reap the benefits of her skills.