Greg Perlman

Greg Perlman is a Los Angeles native who graduated from Boston University’s School of Management with a degree in accounting. His foundation biography uses the name Gregory Perlman.⁠[1]

According to his company biography, he has worked in affordable housing acquisition and development since 1987.⁠[2]

He acquired his first Section 8 housing property.⁠[2]

The company timeline dates GHC’s formation to 2002.⁠[2]

GHC acquired two portfolios totaling 3,500 units in Ohio and Pennsylvania.⁠[2]

GHC established PK Management for property operations.⁠[2]

He and his wife, Jodi, established the Perlman Foundation. It initially offered scholarships to high-school graduates living in Section 8 housing who entered college, then expanded its community partnerships.⁠[3][4]

GHC bought out limited partners’ interests to retain more than 8,100 units for the long term.⁠[2]

After selling its non-affordable-housing assets, the firm adopted the name GHC Housing Partners. Affordable Housing Finance reported that it completed 22 acquisitions covering 2,771 units that year.⁠[4]

The foundation launched the Bridging the Gap Awards to support smaller nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities.⁠[3]

The foundation formally adopted the ALL WAYS UP name. Its educational support developed to include scholarships, mentoring, leadership activities and preparation for employment after graduation.⁠[3][5]

The Perlmans later recalled that Wade Trimmer of the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission explained that some shelter residents held full-time jobs. The couple began funding security deposits and furniture to help families move into housing.⁠[6]

He and Jodi co-founded The Change Reaction for working people in Los Angeles facing financial emergencies. The organization uses social workers, medical staff, teachers and other community professionals to identify individual needs and arrange support.⁠[7]

UCLA Health reported that the couple’s Angel Fund supported hospitalized patients’ families with nonmedical costs such as transportation and rent. They also supported the 3 Wishes Program for patients approaching the end of life.⁠[8]

According to GHC’s timeline, one refinancing transaction exceeded $1.2 billion.⁠[2]

Following the Los Angeles wildfires, the couple seeded The Change Reaction’s Wildfire Direct Giving Fund with $10 million to assist affected residents, essential workers and people who lost jobs or income because of the fires.⁠[9][10]

Associated Press reported that the organization had distributed checks to about 3,000 people by then, with payments of up to $5,000.⁠[10]

He appeared on the School of Hard Knocks podcast to discuss housing investment, his business career and philanthropy. The episode description highlighted his intention to give away most of his fortune.⁠[11]

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that, during roughly six years of The Change Reaction’s operation, the couple had provided more than $60 million to over 43,000 families through the organization.⁠[6]

The Change Reaction describes its model as vetted direct giving: frontline professionals identify specific needs, and the organization responds quickly to expenses that could destabilize households. Its philosophy also encourages recipients to help others in their own ways.⁠[12]

GHC’s company website is https://ghchousing.com/ (opens in a new window). ALL WAYS UP is at https://www.allwaysup.org/ (opens in a new window). The Change Reaction is at https://www.changereaction.org/ (opens in a new window); its organization YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel, https://www.youtube.com/@TheChangeReactionOrg (opens in a new window), publishes philanthropy programs featuring Perlman.⁠[2][5][7][13]