Founders’ Story

Housing changes lives.

There it was—that plot of land.

That tiny parcel of the earth, soon to be home to a Habitat For Humanity house. 

Brenna White traveled past it every day on her way to work at the local homeless shelter. A glance always made her smile. 

To anyone else, it was a vacant lot. To her, as a candidate that could receive the house, it meant more: promise, stability, even hope.

Brenna was a young single mother trapped in limbo—packing up her possessions and moving herself and her daughter every few months. There was no planning for the future. Not when she was constantly forced to find a new place for her child. 

But that plot was a small kernel of hope for Brenna—it was her ticket to stability.

Brenna got the call. She would not be the recipient of the house. Others had bigger, more pressing needs. She understood—she saw that every day at the homeless shelter.

Another plan needed to be made, but Brenna didn’t qualify for subsidized housing, nor did she have enough to pay full market rent.

But then, Habitat For Humanity called back. 

The original recipient turned down the offer—they couldn’t commit to the sweat-equity hours Habitat requires. That meant Brenna and her daughter would be the recipients of the house, a stable roof, and a small, special plot of land they could finally call home. 

Brenna worked for over a year to help build her future home. From foundation to trim work, she was involved in the process. She not only created a stable future for herself, but she also realized how much she loved developing a home. 

It was around this time she met her future husband, Nick Phillips.

Enrichment beyond the roof.

Nick Phillips, having grown up with a disabled mother (due to a severe car accident), also understood the impact of stable housing. Nick’s mother lived in a subsidized, permanently-affordable home. He saw how pivotal that house was for her.

This impact led him to become a property manager with The Housing Authority. 

In his ten years in affordable housing and development, Nick worked to leave every community better than he found it. To him, property management was more than just being a landlord. It was the opportunity to create and develop housing that gave people access to better resources.

Nick was involved in the construction and revitalization of several low-income communities, along with the development of an after-school program, commissaries, and community centers that could enrich the lives of others.

After some time together, Nick and Brenna moved into the Habitat for Humanity house and were married in 2012. Life quickly changed. They had a son in 2016. Nick was promoted. Brenna finished her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado and planned to pursue her law degree.

Before considering different law programs, Nick and Brenna visited Nick’s Godmother who lived in Bayou St. John for 40 years. In Brenna’s words, she “knew she was home.”

New Orleans was like nowhere else. Their kids could grow up around a diverse community full of history, culture, and tradition (not to mention, incredible food and music).

So she applied and was accepted at Tulane Law School.

Brenna will be the first to tell you the move had nothing to do with law school—and everything to do with New Orleans. 

After 5 years of living in the Habitat For Humanity home, they sold it back to Habitat—so that the next family could reap the benefits of stable housing—and moved to the Crescent City. 

Giving New Orleans a “kickback” it deserves.

Now settled in Mid-City, Nick and Brenna arrived at the short-term rental (STR) experience like most families—as a way to supplement their home and provide stability for their growing family.

Soon, their STR management skills blossomed into helping other property owners in the city by managing their properties.

But with the experience and understanding of what a stable roof can do and combined 20+ years in community development, they wanted to improve the impact of this hospitality model.

They asked themselves, “Can we use the potential and promise of short term rentals to positively impact underserved communities? Can tourism create more housing in New Orleans?”

Unexpectedly inspired by the “kickback”—the notorious backroom incentive where only a few players stand to gain—Nick and Brenna wanted this alternative profit to be “kicked back” to the New Orleans community and sustain the people that make up its irreplaceable culture.

Kickback Properties started in 2014.

Brenna White & Nick Phillips founded Kickback Properties (KBP) as an inquisitive approach to flipping the impact-script of short-term rentals (STRs) and elevating the standard of property management in New Orleans. As a rental & property management service, KBP wants to ensure the best result of a New Orleans experience is what remains behind—by allowing guests to directly support the community at large through their stay & provide an accountable, effective management service.