- [Regina] Next on "You Oughta Know."

(air whooshes) - [Shirley] Find out why people are flocking to this charming house nestled in Wilmington.

(air whooshes) - [Regina] Charity is on the menu at this Philly pizzeria.

(air whooshes) - [Shirley] A New Jersey artist proves talent and tenacity are keys to success.

(air whooshes) - Plus, from street art to fine art galleries, meet Philly's village potter.

(upbeat music) Welcome to the show.

I'm Regina Mitchell.

- And I'm Shirley Min.

Known as the village potter, Roberto Lugo's art speaks volumes.

And as we learn, he draws his inspiration from life.

(upbeat music) - My name is Roberto Lugo.

I am a potter, a poet, a visual artist, and an educator.

I came to pottery in a really sort of unorthodox way.

First, I made a decision when I was about 25 that I wanted to go to college.

I really didn't have any direction.

I was just taking classes more so that I can get to know what it is that I wanted to do.

And so I thought I'd taken art class as a way to sort of introduce myself to college.

And so when I started working in pottery, it was like physical too.

And so it immediately felt like I had a relationship to it 'cause it was art, but it was also work.

I come from really humble beginnings.

All of my grandparents are from Puerto Rico.

People are always gonna see me in a certain way.

People are always gonna see me as a person of color.

People are always gonna see me as somebody from the ghetto.

And because of the way that I speak and articulate, that's just such an organic part of me that I can't get rid of.

And so I started to embrace that and see that as what makes me distinct, what makes me unique in my heritage, and what I should be proud of.

I've used the term "ghetto" so much in my life.

And the reason why is because, for me, ghetto means resourceful.

It's people who do a lot of stuff with very little, who've had every single obstacle in front of them, put in front of them, and look, they still figure out a way to survive.

And for me, that's my culture, my heritage, and what I'm proud of.

And so this idea of being a village potter is me being made out of all these parts.

This exhibition is called "Village Potter."

It happened initially by Grounds For Sculpture exhibiting interest in my artwork.

And so I talked to them about working on developing their educational program here, working on this monolithic sculpture, just work on larger pieces of pottery.

The large piece is very similar to how I approach and paint my pottery in my studio.

You know, I'm thinking about representation, but I'm also thinking about it in ways that, how can I connect with other people who maybe don't understand these things?

There are certain visual elements that immediately strike us as individuals based off of our lived experience.

And so I really like to play to those because one of the things that that does is that allows me to connect with people from a broad range of places.

I haven't ever worked in this scale.

And so working with a piece that's a vase, but not made out of clay is a huge step.

So I created it using 3D rendering software.

And it can be translated digitally and be made in the scale that it is, which is 20 feet tall.

In this exhibition, I'm also working on pottery anywhere between three to five feet tall, which is huge for me.

And I was thinking about these pieces in relationship to the very large ceramic work.

So almost like creating a village of pots in this area, in this atmosphere.

And having those pots have different shapes, different colors, different patterns found in the large piece.

And so I almost look at this whole thing as an installation.

One of the reasons why I think this show is so important is because I'm talking about a village of people who work together and support in all the different ways that they did to be able to create and put me in a place where I'm at.

Not just looking at what people are doing for you in terms of a community, but also how the little things that you do to support other people come together to make a huge difference.

♪ Eyes wide, clothes torn, yeah ♪ - "Roberto Lugo: The Village Potter" is on display now at Grounds for Sculpture.

We'll have a link to that page on our website.

(air whooshes) - More people are now vacationing in home rental units.

And if you are a property owner, there's a real opportunity to turn your space into extra cash.

- Is the bed straight enough for you?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) When we first started, it was a little shaky.

It was a little scary.

Put up some money, got into it, and it kind of took off, and just been running ever since.

- [Regina] This year has been rather busy for Kim and Montay Roundtree.

In the past eight months, they've opened three new Airbnb units, while still working their day jobs.

- I have traditional real estate duplex.

Definitely, I made more money doing this than I do from my traditional.

I don't have to worry about the tenants tearing things up, being late on their rent.

With Airbnb, all my money is paid up front.

Mostly, properties are taken care of 'cause they're constantly cleaned and turned over.

We're probably gonna do five or six units in Philadelphia, and then branch out to other states.

- [Regina] The Roundtrees are just one of many who are getting into bed with the home rental business.

While luxury hotels and other destination resorts are seeing a return to pre-pandemic normal, the private home rental sector is seeing a financial boom with companies like Airbnb reporting up 70% for a $1.5 billion quarter.

Airbnb senior communications manager Sam Randall says the earning opportunity has increased because people aren't just renting around popular destinations anymore.

- You can search for a yurt or a tree house or a castle.

There are just some very cool listings on our site.

6,000 towns have received their first Airbnb booking during the pandemic.

That speaks to people being willing to search outside of the traditional vacation areas.

- [Regina] Randall says this is why people who don't even live near popular tourist stops are now able to make so much money.

- We actually put out new data today looking at the typical host earnings in the US in 2021, which was nearly $14,000.

That represents more than two months of pay for the typical US household.

(upbeat music) Specifically, in Pennsylvania, it was actually a top 10 state for new host income in 2021, with new hosts earning more than $45 million.

(upbeat music) I think people are becoming more aware of the economic opportunity around hosting.

And I think it's important for people to know that it is a viable option for some additional income.

It's certainly, I think, becoming more important as the cost of living continues to go up.

- [Regina] It also helps that renters are now staying longer as they work remotely from anywhere they choose.

The Roundtrees say they already have someone who has asked to stay for six months.

The guaranteed money makes their side investment more than just a way to pay bills.

It's a vehicle that can create generational wealth for their children.

- It's not what social media makes it look like.

It has its ups and downs, of course, like any other business.

Everybody has a story, but I don't want my kids to grow up or have to live like I had to live when I was young.

I do everything in my power to make sure that they don't have to struggle.

(upbeat music) - If you're interested in jumping in on this trend, Randall says there's a ton of information on how to get started on their Airbnb website.

- The top rated Airbnb in all of Delaware is actually a tiny home in Wilmington.

And despite its size, you'll be amazed at how much charm is packed into such a small space.

Nestled in Wilmington's Trolley Square is a tiny home with a bright blue door.

Listed on Airbnb for about a year now, Superhost Eric Hoover has transformed the 450 square foot space.

- When I moved in, it was ugly, gross carpet, a really strange drop ceiling, an outdated kitchen.

The floor was rotting apart and had old termite damage.

I found stuff on Pinterest and online and kind of put this image of what I wanted and just slowly, piece by piece, made it happen.

(perky music) - [Shirley] And all of his hard work is paying off.

Eric's tiny house, which isn't the cheapest Airbnb to stay in in the area, has been booked for most of the year.

And in such a short time, he's achieved a near perfect five star rating because of all of the charm and personal touches he's brought into the space.

- My biggest pet peeve when I go to an Airbnb is when they don't have any food for you whatsoever.

You know, basic amenities like some butter and salt and pepper would go a long way.

So I kind of took that idea and ran with it, and I fully stocked the fridge, fully stocked the freezer and the pantry.

I try to give the nicest dishware possible, fancy toilet papers.

I just try to spare no expense so that they really feel like they've had a really excellent experience.

- I've stayed in Airbnbs and, over time, you notice things like, "Oh, I wish this Airbnb had this.

I wish they had that."

So when I came in to help Eric, I was like, "All right, we need to get some tea towels.

We need to get all the little touches."

- [Shirley] There's games, a yoga mat, phone chargers, a speaker.

If you need something, chances are Eric and Courtney have it covered.

(upbeat music) - Spent a lot of time creating a map.

People are always asking, "What is there to do in Wilmington?"

And I love Wilmington.

I'm born and raised here.

And I finally decided to just compile it all.

And I have it all mapped out and laid out for them to just explore.

And actually, right next to me, this is one of four paintings of local parks in the area that are all very near and dear to my heart, all from the same local artist.

(upbeat music) - [Shirley] They even make fresh bread to welcome their guests.

(upbeat music) - It smells really nice when they walk in.

It's like extra welcoming.

I think people really appreciate those extra little touches.

- [Shirley] So who stays here?

Eric says some guests are just passing through Delaware, while others like tiny houses.

- So I had a musician on Broadway, just want a place to escape, practice his instrument.

I had a virtual wedding here.

Two people during the thick of COVID wanted to have a wedding, get married.

So they found this place, and they broadcasted their wedding right from this room.

Whatever I can think of, I try to just go that extra mile.

- Eric says he'll eventually offer bikes to add to the experience.

And in the summer, he's going to switch out the fresh bread with homemade ice cream.

If you'd like to book Eric's tiny home, we will link you to his place on our website.

(air whooshes) - For 25 years, HomeFront has been helping homeless families in New Jersey secure a solid foundation for a successful future.

Joining me to share more about the organization is Sarah Stewart, its chief operating officer.

Thank you so much for being here, Sarah.

- Thank you.

- Let's start right at the beginning.

How did HomeFront come about?

- Yeah, what we now know is HomeFront really began as a group of volunteers who were called to engage when our founder and current CEO was taken by a friend to a group of motels in Mercer County, New Jersey.

And in those hotels, they found room after room of families, homeless families who were living there as a last resort.

And, then and now, a motel is no place to raise a child, right?

No place to warm a bottle, no place to play.

Very little opportunities for food and recreation.

- [Regina] There isn't even a kitchen.

- That's right.

And so what we now know as HomeFront began as a group of volunteers bringing meals to the motels.

And, from that, we learned more about what the families needed to be successful.

And HomeFront now, over the last 25 and 30 years, has grown to be a pretty comprehensive social services agency that offers a wide range of services, from housing, education, career support, services for children, that offer those families the path to self-sufficiency and a different future, for them and their kids.

- And, I mean, I guess being there was just a constant reminder of what they didn't have.

They didn't have a home.

They didn't have a kitchen.

They didn't have a dining room table.

And so the things that HomeFront offers are very different than a regular social service organization.

Can you talk more about that?

- Yeah, I think our real difference and what we think makes the difference for our families is to have those comprehensive services.

Right?

I think our founder would've told you, in the beginning, she thought the job was to put a roof over every child's head.

And that's still a core part of what we do, right?

Housing, running an emergency shelter, offering housing in the community.

But it's also about giving those children, those parents a vision of a different life and the tools to get there.

And so having those other options available to wrap that family in services, wrap that family in support, so that they can move on that path forward.

The housing is incredibly crucial, and it needs to be the first step, but that alone is not gonna solve this challenge.

And so I think what sets us apart is offering all those other support services, whether it's food, summer camp, helping the parents in the family get a high school diploma or a new job, a better paying job.

Those are the ingredients that are gonna help create long-term change for that family.

- 'Cause you don't even realize those things are so expensive, and they all add up.

And it could be someone like your neighbor who is having these problems because the face of homelessness always changes.

It never looks the same.

- That's right.

- What are some of the circumstances that brings people to your organization?

- You know, when I came to HomeFront, I thought we would hear so much about these sort of extraordinary circumstances.

You know, a family that had endured a house fire or instances of domestic violence or substance abuse.

And we certainly do hear those.

But I think most people don't realize that a lot of families living in poverty are experiencing homelessness, it's a result of living so close to the edge, right?

Less than half of Americans have more than $500 saved for an emergency.

So one car wreck, one medical bill, one bump in the road can really put a family in an incredibly difficult situation.

And so I think there's a misconception about families, that this can't happen to your family, right?

But there are so many families living so close to the edge that this is a challenge in every community in the country right now.

This isn't something reserved for kind of preconceived notions of pockets of poverty, right?

In every community, there are families that are struggling and living close to the edge.

- Especially right now.

I mean, it is the biggest topic how all of the skyrocketing prices, from groceries to gas, it's just sending those people who might be right there on that edge right over.

It's insane.

But Netflix right now has a really popular fictional show called "Maid," which is shining a light on what it looks like to be a part of the working poor.

- [Sarah] That's right.

- It's based off of Stephanie Land's bestselling book, "Maid."

And you guys have her coming to speak at your Women's Initiative reception.

What do you hope that the people in attendance walk away with having heard her tell her story or tell the reason why she wrote this book?

- Stephanie does such an amazing job in her book, and in the adaptation that Netflix has, of showing the reality of living life in poverty in our country right now, right?

She was incredibly hardworking, incredibly dedicated to her children, and still hit barrier after barrier, right?

She tells the story of the paradox of trying to seek a better paying job and needing childcare, but not being able to get childcare until she could demonstrate that she had enough income, right?

And so the personal story she tells is so compelling 'cause it really puts a face on what we were talking about before.

About how hard work alone isn't enough.

That's important and critical, but the structural barriers that families are facing are real, and we have to think as a group about how we can address them.

So when you ask what I hope folks take away from the event, it's not only a better understanding of the reality of poverty and homelessness in our community, but the HomeFront Women's Initiative was founded by a group of ladies who invited women.

Their goal was to reach 1,000 women who would each give $100 a year to help support other women in their communities, we certainly welcome men as well, with the goal of recognizing that, as a community, we can make a change here, right?

We can choose to support families differently and create those services that support families that are trying to break the cycle of poverty.

And so I hope they leave both with the reality and the understanding of poverty, but also a sense that together we can make a change and being part of that solution.

- Absolutely.

I can't think of a better way to help people.

Sarah, thank you so much for all your information, and for coming here and sharing it with our audience.

- Thank you for the chance.

- And here's how you can learn more about HomeFront's Women's Initiative Reception.

Since opening its doors in 2019, a South Philadelphia restaurant has made it part of their business plan to support local neighborhood charities.

(upbeat music) - My husband and I live in South Philly, and our restaurant is just a few blocks away from where we live at 17th and Snyder.

We are Stina Pizzeria, but we have a tour of the Mediterranean.

The wonderful thing is that all of these Mediterranean countries we share very similar foods.

Bobby is able to kind of give his interpretation of all those different cuisines.

- My wife and I opened this restaurant in 2019.

We have a wood-burning oven, and we have lots of fun bringing all the flavors that, all these different cuisines that are in the same region, kind of meld with each other.

And so it makes a lot of sense.

(upbeat music) - We decided when we opened the restaurant that we'd be a mission-driven restaurant.

We care very much about the community and the community in which we live.

And we just wanted to start a business so that we could give back to the community as well.

- From the day that we've been open, basically, we've had that as part of our business plan, that we raise money for community organizations in our neighborhood in Philadelphia, smaller organizations that we can try to make an impact on.

- We take 1% of our daily sales.

And usually, the last Tuesday of each month, we take 20% of that evening sales.

And we give that to a specific organization.

And we pick a different organization each month.

The charities that we choose, usually, they sort of align with the things that we believe in or that we feel passionate about.

One of the organizations that we've given money to is Unity in the Community.

- I'm the executive director of Unity in the Community that deals with gun violence prevention.

Some of the stuff that we do in the community, we host food giveaways.

We work with young people to get to our back to school drive.

We help with rental assistance.

We launched our carpentry academy in which we teach young people the trades.

Conflict resolutions.

A lot of things that we do in the community to be on the ground and help the residents.

Stina Pizza assisted us with our scholarship program.

We give our scholarship to young kids every year.

We give close to $20,000 to less fortunate kids who need help with going to college.

And anytime I call them, Stina Pizza has been right there in the community helping us out.

And it's good to have a business that stands with you in our neighborhood.

- These are people that are just grassroots.

And for us to be able to give money to them, that really makes an impact as well.

- It's something that we want to do.

We live a few blocks from here, and we want to give back as much as we can.

(upbeat music) - We've also started doing a Guest Chef Series where we bring in different chefs throughout all of Philadelphia, all different backgrounds, all different cuisines.

- So we started the Guest Chef Series last summer 2021, and it was a real success.

It's one chef every month, and they come in, and we collaborate, and they take over our kitchen.

We basically do like a prix fixe menu, and we raise money throughout the night, and we give away 20% of that, in addition to the percentage that we give for the whole month.

So it's really great.

- And the beauty of having all these different chefs is that we're able to highlight all the different cuisines.

Whether it's Cambodian, French, Japanese, it just runs the gamut of all the wonderful creative chefs that are out there in Philadelphia.

- Stina Pizzeria's charitable Guest Chef Series is ongoing.

Head over to their website to reserve your spot.

(air whooshes) - From the Avengers to the Batman, these heroes have something in common.

They got their start in comic books.

- So what does it take to create or publish your own?

We went to South Jersey to find out.

- And meet the man who used his super talent to make his dreams come true, and created Camden's Comics.

(dramatic music) - I'm Ryan Brady.

I'm the artist and writer and the creator of "The Bolt" and "Anomaly."

Anomaly is this robot.

He has the ability to think.

But when he first wakes up, the scientist is watching like an old Superman-type movie, like an old Christopher Reeve Superman movie.

And that's the first thing this robot sees.

And he says, "Well, I wanna be a superhero."

(upbeat music) I went to Rutgers Camden, and that's where I came with "The Bolt."

He's a college student.

His ability is that he can throw lightening bolts.

He and his friend are trying to save the city.

So I made it more of a fictional-type Camden.

It's actually being run by these two supervillain gangs.

The Bolt is gonna mess up their plans and save the city from these supervillain gang.

I've always loved comic books.

I've always been making comic books when I was a kid.

When I grew up, "The Death of Superman" happened and "Batman: Knightfall" happened, and there were huge events in my household.

(adventurous music) I'm a huge geek.

(laughs) I love comic books.

I love being in that world and being able to say, "This is gonna happen" because it's comic book.

(adventurous music) In 2013, my friend was making a website for comic books.

We were gonna do digital comics.

It was like a big thing at that point.

And I had Bolt number one penciled in a drawer.

I was like George McFly.

- Oh no, no, no, no.

I never, I never let anybody read my stories.

- Why not?

Well, what if they didn't like them?

What if they told me I was no good?

(upbeat music) - It actually got a good reception.

People really liked it, but I thought, "Oh, well, maybe I'll keep making more."

And that's where it started.

(upbeat music) "Bolt 6" is the first 20-page comic book.

And that's the one where I had comic book boards.

I swung for the fences on that one.

Now, each one is just like, let's do that again and again.

And it's just a great feeling to put all that work in and see it done.

It's cool just to see costumes and superpowers.

I think we all wish we had those.

And I think comic books speak to everyone.

We can all relate to a character like Peter Parker.

He has the everyday problems that we have.

We can all relate to wanting to be better than we are, and wanting to be the person who's gonna, to help out when things are tough.

(bright music) I teach in the Camden County Library System.

I go to different libraries, and I teach comic books.

And I always hear the kids say like, "Oh, I can't draw.

You know, I can't do that."

I actually had an old comic that I made in eighth grade and I say, "Look, this is where I was when I was your age.

This is where I am now.

Like, don't look at my work now and say, 'I can't do that' 'cause you can."

I want them to see that anyone can make comic books.

From the stories, I hope they just see that you don't have to be the best person to try to be better.

Anyone can be a hero, just be the best you can.

(dramatic music) Anytime I can talk about comic books, teach comic books, I'm happy.

I just have a huge imagination, and I like being able to explore that and just make things, and being able to hold my product, being able to hold it and say, "Yeah, this is something I made" and seeing other people enjoy it.

That's really cool.

(dramatic music) - You can find links to Camden's Comics or info about the classes Ryan teaches on our website.

- And here's something really cool.

Ryan made us into superheroes.

(laughs) - Oh my God, I love yours.

- Isn't it neat?

I love yours, too.

- So if you were a superhero, what power would you have?

- Time warp.

- Ooh.

- Yes, I could go back in time or to the future.

I would stop your kids from making messes.

- Absolutely.

What about yours?

- I like that one.

I would wanna be like a genie, to be able to grant wishes.

But I don't have to grant all of them if I don't want to.

(Shirley laughs) - Anyway, thanks, everybody.

Thank you, Ryan.

And thank you all for watching.

- We won't be back until June 17th.

We hope to see you then.

Good night.

- Bye.

(upbeat music)