For the past 15 years, Treger has had the privilege of founding and leading Humble Design, a national nonprofit dedicated to furnishing homes for individuals and families emerging from homelessness. Through that work, she witnessed firsthand the transformative power of creating a space that is not just functional but also beautiful, welcoming, and dignified. To date, Humble Design has furnished over 4,500 homes for over 11,000 hard-working moms, dads, kids, and veterans exiting homeless shelters in five states.  Families who have benefited from the home furnishings from Humble Design have had a 99 percent success rate of remaining in their homes. Humble Design was born out of the belief that families emerging from homelessness deserve to come home each day to a clean, friendly, and dignified home. Many of these families have left behind all personal items upon escaping and entering an emergency shelter. Most have no beds, books, toys, or furniture to call their own. Today, up to 13 homes a week in 4 cities across the country are furnished and decorated with the same care, love, and empathy that her very first client received. 

 

She has learned through this transformative work that when a family feels proud of where they live, they are more likely to stay housed, rebuild their lives, and thrive. But her years at Humble Design also taught her something even more profound: while furnishings and design are essential to keeping families sustainably housed, they are only part of the solution. The deeper issue lies in the lack of stable, affordable housing — and the fact that far too many low-income families remain lifelong renters with no pathway to ownership or wealth-building.

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She came to believe that the most effective way to create lasting change for the unhoused and low-income population is to turn renters into owners and to create quality affordable housing for those living paycheck to paycheck. Homeownership is one of the most powerful tools for building generational wealth, breaking cycles of poverty, and giving families the stability they need to flourish.

This realization is the foundation for her next chapter: the creation of a mission-driven, affordable housing investment and real estate company. The model will focus on:

• Developing and rehabilitating dignified, beautiful, and welcoming affordable housing communities.

• Providing pathways to ownership for low-income residents, allowing them to build equity over time.

• Ensuring that affordability never comes at the expense of quality, design, or dignity.

Treger believes that beauty and dignity matter just as much in affordable housing as they do anywhere else. When people are given not only a place to live but a place to be proud of, the ripple effects extend through generations.

After 15 years of building a nationally recognized nonprofit that changes lives, she is now bringing that same passion, vision, and operational expertise to the real estate and investment space — to create affordable housing solutions that truly change the trajectory of families’ lives.

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Treger is honored with:

• Two Emmys for the TV show “Welcome Home,” which follows Treger and her husband, Rob, as they transform a family's life through design.

• Awarded ABC World News Person of the Week, Volunteer of the Year in Michigan, Woman of Distinction in California, IIDA Business Innovator, TCH Diversity Award, the Lighthouse Salute America Award, Optimist Club's Ruby Award, Girl Scout of America's One Tough Cookie Award, Make your Marc award by Marc Fisher, and Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40, and others.

• Represented Humble Design on national talk-show appearances, news articles, and in-depth studies about the impact that they have had. She has been a guest multiple times on the Kelly Clarkson Show, the Rachael Ray Show, ABC, Upworthy, CNN, Today Show, Fast Company, New York Times, Ford Go Further, Meredith Vieira Show, LADBible, Inside Edition, Motor City Rising, the Radiant Project, and many others.

• Speaking engagements include International Women’s Day in Seattle, the CUSP Conference, IIDA keynote, Maria Shriver's guest on Agents of Change, IHFA Keynote, Be Bold Now, and One Girl Revolution, to name a few.

• Securing lasting partnerships with Progressive Insurance, Fruit of the Loom, CB2, Clorox, and many more.

• Expanding her education from the marketing BFA from the School of Visual Arts to receive a Master's Degree in the Field of Management from Harvard Extension School.

 

She understands the notion that empathy can change someone's world and guide us to a better appreciation of what it is to be human.  “It will be my job to alleviate others’ suffering and create pathways for others to join me. We should be showing families who need our kindness that we are not different at all; we are all one moment away from a disaster, and we need to be kind to one another.”