Courtney Stewart’s Right Hand Foundation is changing lives, one family at a time
By David Caraviello
Courtney Stewart kept ending up in motels. He had partnered with an Atlanta grassroots organization that helped feed and clothe the homeless, so he’d go out during the holidays or at other times of year and try to spread a little kindness among those who needed it most. Again and again those outings would take him to motels, where mothers and their children were often living for months at a time, paying per-night rates because they couldn’t get into an apartment or a home of their own.
“I would meet women who were in a motel room with three or four kids,” Stewart recalled. “And I started building relationships with them, because they were very, very sweet, and were grateful for the things we were doing. I’d ask, ‘How long have you been here?’ and they’d say, ‘Six months, on and off.’ I ask, ‘How much do you pay?’ They’d say, ‘$50 on weeknights, on the weekend $75.’ Doing the math, I realized that was enough to get into an apartment, and at least have stability. And they’d tell me that they had an eviction, or didn’t have stable employment, or they had gone through some things to put them in this situation.”
After enough of those visits, something clicked for Stewart, an Atlanta native who founded an artist management company that guides the careers of musicians like multi-platinum Khalid. Stewart had been searching for a mission for his Right Hand Foundation, formed in 2015. Suddenly, he had one. Stewart bought and renovated a duplex in College Park to create Right Hand Havens, which provide free housing and educational resources for single mothers and their children who are facing homelessness.
The road to financial stability
“It lifted my spirit to be able to help people in this situation,” Stewart said. “Because we all go through things in life. People unfortunately lose jobs, some people deal with illness, and it’s not fair that if you have an eviction or make some mistakes in your past that you can’t qualify for an apartment. So I was like, I want to do something about it.”
Families live free in the fully-furnished Havens for one year, during which they prepare to take the next step. Mothers meet weekly with a financial literacy coach to strengthen their ability to save and budget. They receive career coaching that can include learning interview skills, vocational training and identifying employment opportunities. They meet with wellness coaches to support their physical and mental well-being. Donations go toward essentials like utility bills, groceries and childcare.
Right Hand Foundation has relationships with apartment complexes and mortgage brokers to help families find a stable place to live after their year in the Havens ends. The first family to stay in the Havens recently transitioned into an apartment near the workplace of the mother, who works in a dental office. She was able to stay employed through the pandemic, receive a raise, and save $15,000. The duplex is currently home to two more families, which Right Hand finds through its relationships with women’s shelters and organizations like Fulton County Schools.
The real definition of success
As the father of a 2-year-old son, seeing families stuck in desperate living conditions struck an emotional chord with Stewart. Watching them transition to a more stable situation “is humbling,” he added. “We’ve formed relationships with these families. They are like family to us. To see them be able to grow and find that stability is rewarding. We continue to keep in touch with the first person who was in the program, and we’re encouraging her to give back to the women who are currently in the program. We want to continue to have a relationship with them so they can be a support system in a real-life situation. They can say, ‘I was here a year ago. You can do it, too.’”
For Stewart, Right Hand Foundation is a way to stay rooted to the needs of his hometown. Drawn to the arts while at North Atlanta High School, he found his calling in management, and his first client was friend and musician Bobby Valentino. His Right Hand Company now oversees the careers of Khalid, Wynne, Spencer Barnett and Sinead Harnett, He’s also a co-founder of Keep Cool Records, whose roster includes Normani and VanJess.
“Success is a very broad term, and there’s a different level of success for everyone,” Stewart said. “But the real value is in, OK, what can you do for others? With these resources you have, how can you empower others? That’s real success. Becoming one of the biggest managers in the music business is a goal that I wanted to achieve. But this work that I'm doing now, these lives that we’re involved in and are helping to change, that that's the real success. And that's the real legacy that I want to pass on.”
