Support for Nicholas House families flows from Head’s Plumbing and Power the Nation

Phenus Head Jr., the founder of Head's Plumbing Sales and Service, asked the Lord to bless him. And to use him.

"But I don't want to be a cup," he prayed those many nights ago. "Use me. I want to be a pitcher. I want to be a pitcher with a strong handle."

Though Head is now retired, Georgia's oldest Black-owned plumbing company finds its drive to succeed, and to give back, through leadership by two of Phenus and Sheila Head's three children: their daughter, Khadija J. Head, and a son, Odari Head. 

And so it was simply the family way when a crew of 11 from Head's Plumbing poured out pitchers full of support for Atlanta's nonprofit Nicholas House and the homeless families it assists on a path to self-sufficiency. A crew from the company worked at the Boulevard Shelter to install three tankless water heaters, three HALO water filtration systems, and hot water filtration; revamp a drainage system; repair a leak in an ice maker that had caused the room beneath to be unsuitable for living; and renovate three bathrooms.

Head's performed the project just a few days after the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also a National Day of Service, and just a few more before the beginning of Black History Month as part of ServiceTitan’s Power the Nation campaign.

“The first time I saw the Power the Nation campaign, I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of and our company to be a part of and our teammates to be a part of,” says Khadija Head, the chief executive officer.

Nicholas House provides food and necessities while working with families to increase their income and find permanent housing. 

“Head's Plumbing, with the support of ServiceTitan, has come to really knock out a lot of our plumbing issues,” says Jannan Thomas, the executive director at Nicholas House. "This took a big burden off us. They took a project that we needed to have done, and they said, 'We can do that. We can help you. And we're going to make that happen.'”

Khadija Head credits her parents, married for 47 years, for setting the family's foundation and for setting the example that those who lead, serve.

"It's always about 'how can we help others?'" Head says. "Because we're so fortunate in the position that we are, how can we leverage this opportunity to help others that otherwise would go without?"

Families are priority at Boulevard Shelter

The emergency shelter itself is a pitcher, rather than a cup, in efforts by the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to assist Atlanta residents. 

Nicholas House offers multiple programs, including supportive housing for families with disabilities, rehousing and financial assistance for rent and utilities, and help involving past-due rent or utility bills and landlord dispute mediation.

Two towering trees, serving as sentinels for this safe space, frame the front of the shelter. The three-level Late Victorian house, built in 1904 and totaling 8,000 square feet, sits across Boulevard from Grant Park, a 130-acre public green and recreational space, in southeast Atlanta.

What helps make the Boulevard Shelter significant in Atlanta is it’s one of the few facilities able to keep families together.

"Every family in our shelter has their own room," Thomas says. "The family can stay together, all of them and no matter the age of their children, until we can get them into housing. We have a goal to get families moved out within 60 days."

The shelter is capable of housing 12 families.

“But right now we have eight families,” Thomas says, “because a couple of rooms are offline because of these repairs that were needed that Head's Plumbing is doing for us. We're super grateful this project is going to help us get those rooms back online.”

Missions and core values align

The repairs to put rooms at the Boulevard Shelter back in use are significant. So are the improved showers, sinks, and toilets. And so is the station where parents can clean baby bottles. 

“It's things like that that really bring the joy and excitement in my life,” says Odari Head, the company president.

But getting down to the very basics, the installation of three tankless heaters means hot water will flow. And flow. And flow.

"Can you imagine sharing your home with 39 other family members?" Khadija Head asks. "If you are the first one to take a shower, it's all great. But when we get to the 33rd, 34th, and 35th person taking that shower, you may or may not have hot water." 

Nicholas House relies on city, county, and federal government support for about 65% of its budget, and the remainder arrives in the form of donations from individuals and organizations. The assistance from Head’s Plumbing, backed by its collaboration with ServiceTitan and #PowerTheNation, turned out to be a significant, and unexpected, gift.

“They contacted us,” Thomas says of Head’s Plumbing. "We felt like we won the lottery when they reached out." 

But what might’ve felt like chance turned out to be Head’s Plumbing determining exactly where to pour from its pitcher.

"I wanted to make sure the impact we provide would have a great reach," Khadija Head says. "And I wanted to make sure the structure of the organization wouldn't just be something that will be here today, gone tomorrow. I wanted to make sure they aligned with our mission and our core values as a company." 

When Head talks about mission and core values, she means Head’s Plumbing. But she’s also talking about the Head family. Values underscored at home and taking root when Phenus Head Jr., his father and their wives opened Head’s Plumbing in 1981 still flourish in this fifth decade of service, and they will for years to come. 

Besides the siblings leading the company today, Cameron Head, one of Odari’s two sons and bound for Alabama A&M University in the fall, already has ideas about how he, and perhaps younger brother Jayden, can build on the Head’s Plumbing success and add chapters to this story.

All of it will make Phenus Head Jr. even prouder. His afternoon arrival, on his 78th birthday, came as a pleasant surprise for Odari and Cam. 

Phenus Head Jr. spoke with his daughter as she tried to scarf down bites of a late lunch, glancing over or offering an occasional “mm-hmm,” and then he used his storytelling prowess to illustrate for a stranger in mere minutes just what those Head family core values are all about.

“I've always told my kids that to whom much is given, much is expected,” he says. “This ties into that. We're doing something to help others.

“I wanted to see my kids and all these guys working, and see these young kids seeing them working,” he says. “That's the best gift I could get for a birthday present.”