REALTOR® Community Involvement Spotlight: Deneka Vallius
REALTOR® Spotlight: Deneka Vallius
Deneka Vallius had an introduction to both real estate and hard work at a young age. A first generation Haitian-American, she watched her immigrant father work his French Quarter job with relentless focus, saving to invest in his first rental property. Once that goal was achieved, he kept pushing forward with Deneka right at his side, acting as a translator between her father and his tenants. While most kids were studying only what could be learned at school, she was getting a crash course in property management and picking up the skills and knowledge that she would one day use to help not only her south Louisiana neighbors, but Haitian citizens as well.
Finding Her Career in Real Estate
While attending
Tulane University
and earning her degree in public relations, Deneka began to take some elective real estate courses. She thought it may be a good fit given her background in property management, and she was right. By 2011, she had earned her real estate license and was increasingly taking note of the housing and financial struggles that were surrounding her area. As the daughter of an immigrant and someone with an empathetic nature, Deneka recognized that this was a space in which she could make a significant, positive impact.
Developing a Passion for Community Outreach
Chief among the challenges she saw was a simple lack of information. Low-income families and individuals were completely unaware of the programs available to help them achieve home ownership and greater levels of financial security. Deneka’s solution: knowledge! She knew that if she could reach these individuals and teach them about their options, she could help them improve their situation. In turn, she began to host free financial literacy and homebuyer classes. She became increasingly involved with the affordable housing community to ensure that home subsidies provided in New Orleans would continue to be accessible, and when COVID-19 struck, she aided clients with their unemployment claims, even when she had to do it via Skype or Zoom from another country!
Charitable Work in Haiti
During the early months of the pandemic, Deneka stayed in Haiti, near members of her extended family. Of course, being the person she is, this was far from a break in her work. In addition to continuing to help her clients back home, she dove headfirst into her recently established nonprofit organization, the Ayiti Cheri Foundation.
Having witnessed firsthand the language barriers that her father faced, Deneka started her foundation to help other young Haitian school children avoid the same struggles. With most speaking Haitian Creole at home and French in school, an alarming number of young children are unable to advance their education due to language obstacles. To address this, Ayiti Cheri Foundation offers services like afterschool tutoring, courses in English as a second language, and resources to Haitian parents who wish to learn French.
Moving Forward as a REALTOR® and Activist
While Deneka’s professional ambitions will surely continue to evolve, so will her community involvement and outreach. It’s her passion. In her own words, “We should all have an open ear. We as REALTORS® need to stop saying no. The word ‘no’ in the low-income community is what keeps everyone at that bottom.” We agree, Deneka, and we hope more REALTORS® will follow your lead!
