Founded in 2008, Sankofa Community Development Corporation (CDC) works with residents and other stakeholders in the Lower Ninth Ward to identify social challenges and address them through culturally-competent health-centered programming, strategic land acquisition and improvement, and community-based social enterprise. One core program is its Mobile Market, which brings fresh, local produce—some of which is grown by students on vacant lots the CDC has transformed into learning gardens—to area residents. Read more about Sankofa Community Development Corporation...
Established in 2006 to address the Broadmoor neighborhood’s housing needs following Hurricane Katrina, Broadmoor Development Corporation (BDC) rehabilitates owner-occupied properties, renovates and sells vacant properties, constructs new homes, and stabilizes blighted lots. Through its work, BDC has spurred the recovery of 87 percent of all Broadmoor residential properties, an area where all properties suffered between 6 and 10 feet of flooding. Read more about Broadmoor Development Corporation (BDC)...
Established in 2008 in order to address long-standing community revitalization needs that were only exacerbated after Hurricane Katrina, Broad Community Connections aims to revitalize New Orleans’ Broad Street corridor by promoting the economic, residential and cultural development of its diverse surrounding neighborhoods. One of the nonprofit’s core initiatives is the ReFresh Project, a fresh food hub. Opened in October 2014, the hub provides healthy and affordable food to the Broad Street neighborhoods, offers community engaged programming, education and training designed to promote he Read more about Broad Community Connections...
Written by LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) Director of Research Chris Walker, this report highlights early-stage results from LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative. The report demonstrates how a comprehensive community development approach that targets investments in affordable housing, economic development, education, health, and safety can significantly raise incomes and decrease unemployment in low-income neighborhoods. Also included are case studies in Providence, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Chicago.
Founded in the South Bronx in 1974 as a coalition of volunteers determined to save their community from the overwhelming incidents of arson, disinvestment, and abandonment, Mid Bronx Desperadoes (MBD) has been instrumental in the rebuilding of the Crotona Park East neighborhood in the South Bronx. To date, MBD has successfully constructed and renovated over 2,300 units of housing. In addition, MBD developed the construction of the New Horizons Retail Center, which has created over 200 full-time and part-time permanent jobs. Read more about Mid Bronx Desperadoes...
Acacia Network formed in 2009 when two Latino-based agencies, Promesa, Inc. and Bronx Addiction Services Integrated Concepts System, Inc. (BASICS) merged. With five additional Latino-based agencies joining the network since then, Acacia now offers a wide range of health, housing, and economic development programs. The network currently includes 7 community health centers, an early education center, 1,780 affordable housing units, and transitional housing for 750 families and 475 single adults. Read more about Acacia Network...
Started in a 3-bedroom apartment in 1980 by Southeast Asian refugees to help fellow refugees rebuild their lives after escaping countries suffering from political and social upheaval, Lao Family Community Development now has a 45-person staff, an Oakland headquarters, and two satellite offices. Today, it aims to assist diverse refugee, immigrant, limited English, and low-income U.S. Read more about Lao Family Community Development...
Incorporated in 1999, Menomonee Valley Partners (MVP) promotes the sustainable redevelopment of Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, an area left with several hundred acres of vacant buildings and abandoned, contaminated land after its strong industrial base moved to areas outside of the central city. MVP’s programs include business recruitment, technical assistance to area businesses, and environmental enhancements. Since MVP’s inception, the Valley has attracted more than $600 million in private investment. Read more about Menomonee Valley Partners...
Based in Milwaukee, the United Community Center (UCC) provides education, cultural arts, recreation, community development, and health and human services to 15,000 near south side residents, largely Hispanic, on an annual basis. Aiming to increase neighborhood stability, in 1994 UCC initiated its Walker Square Neighborhood Development Initiative, which provides support and resources to help families purchase and stay in homes. Read more about United Community Center...
The Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN) was founded in 1995 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, which has anchored the neighborhood for more than a century. LBWN uses a three-pronged approach to comprehensive neighborhood revitalization: grassroots leadership development, economic development, and home rehabilitation and ownership. Since its establishment, LBWE is credited with facilitating $34.6 of investment in its focus area, which includes Milwaukee’s Silver City, Burnham Park, and Layton Park Neighborhoods. Read more about Layton Boulevard West Neighbors, Inc....
Founded in 1983 to enhance the standard of living of Milwaukee’s northwest side, NWSCDC helps foster collaborative projects that aim to create jobs and spur economic development. Its most recent project is Villard Square, an $11 million, mixed-use development that combines a Milwaukee Public Library branch with 47 units of mixed-income housing for families where grandparents are serving as primary caregivers. Read more about Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC)...
Destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina presented the opportunity — and the challenge — for New Orleans to revive its troubled public housing and integrate residents into the planning processes. This case study from the National Housing Institute describes one community development organization's efforts to build trust between displaced residents and local social service providers, and offers lessons learned for other cities struggling to revitalize their public housing.
