Community Development Corporations (CDCs)

Founded in 1975 as Southeast Development Inc. (SDI) to serve as the development arm of the Southeast Community Organization (SECO), an umbrella community organization in Baltimore, Southeast Community Development Corporation initially focused on developing affordable housing and commercial projects.  In 2000, SDI separated from SECO and adopted a broader mission—to promote the healthy, dynamic, and diverse communities of Southeast Baltimore.  Today, the CDC offers comprehensive homeownership education services, including financial counseling, first-time homeownership counseling, and foreclosure prevention counseling. It is also the only city nonprofit offering on-line classes, evening and weekend appointments, and bi-lingual services.  Its commercial projects include the redevelopment of two theaters and a school into a performing arts center, a public library, and youth center.  Also focused on sustainable community revitalization, the CDC has a green office building, has helped “green” area schools, and has partnered with other community groups to plant hundreds of trees in the area.

Established in 1986, Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) aims to create a stable, safe, and vibrant community in the South Dallas/Fair Park area by building partnerships that provide homeownership opportunities, job training, economic development, community education, and advocacy.  Since 1995, the CDC has developed over 250 energy efficient homes in the South Dallas/Fair Park neighborhoods.  Its commercial development projects include Spring Plaza Office Complex, a 21,000 square foot, two-­story office complex that the CDC built and now owns.  In addition to retail and office space, the complex houses ICDC’s offices, its business incubator, and a classroom facility where it offers a youth entrepreneur program, homeownership education, and other trainings.

Established in 2001, City Wide Community Development Corporation aims to revitalize neighborhoods and empower individuals and families to improve their quality of life.  To do so, the CDC focuses on developing affordable housing for women, veterans, homeless individuals, and low-income families, particularly in mixed-use, transit-oriented communities around rail stations.  City Wide is currently working on several projects in Dallas’ Lancaster Corridor, including a transit-oriented development with 193 apartment units, 14,000 square feet of office space, and a parking garage; as well as apartment homes for homeless women clustered around supportive services and a three-story, mixed-use development for veterans and seniors.

The Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) aims to cultivate growth, development, and investment in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights neighborhoods.  Since 2006, it has helped establish more than 16 new businesses in the area, creating more than 100 jobs and bringing millions of dollars into the community.  In August 2010, the MWCDC commissioned a ten-year housing strategy that is now guiding its work to create an inclusive, viable and sustainable housing stock, and has resulted in several completed residential rehab projects.  MWCDC also serves as a co-steward for Pittsburgh’s newest regional park, Emerald View Park, a 257-acre urban greenspace.  Its Emerald Trail Corps program provides at-risk adults job training opportunities while constructing park trails and performing ecological restoration.

Established in 1998, East End Community Services provides a range of programs that help residents of East Dayton succeed and break the cycle of generational poverty.  In 2006, it worked with the Twin Towers neighborhood (an area where about a quarter of the housing stock was vacant and deteriorating) and other local nonprofits to create a comprehensive housing strategy, which was then adopted by the City.  Subsequently, between 2010 and 2013, East End worked with local partners to actualize the community’s plan, resulting in the development of 84 new homes representing an $18 million investment in the neighborhood.  East End is now working with community members on a plan to revitalize a core thoroughfare, Xenia Avenue, with the goals of improving safety, attracting new businesses, and creating jobs.

Established to bring together agencies and businesses located west of Dayton’s Miami River in support of economic change and grassroots community development initiatives, Community Development Corporation Resource Consortium (CDCRC) focuses on helping these groups collectively leverage resources, increase capacity, and gain access to non-traditional funding sources.  Its work has enabled more than 500 families to maintain their homes, get a new car, repair their credit, or start a business.

Established in 1954, Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) focuses on attracting, retaining, and expanding sustainable jobs in the Lake Champlain region.  To do so, GBIC has developed seven industrial parks and helps businesses identify and connect to capital, financing, workforce development and training programs, and other needed resources.  GBIC also coordinates the creation of The Chittenden County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), an annual report authored by citizen work groups that documents all economic development activities in the county.