Resilient Communities Forum Series: Neighborhood Revitalization
Increasing instability in communities, coupled with shrinking resources and growing demand, has led many community development organizations to rethink how they invest in their local communities. On October 20, 2011, NeighborWorks America held the first in a Resilient Communities Forum Series, on Neighborhood Revitalization. This event was designed to help participants learn about the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative which is working to help communities better align federal resources, and two local initiatives that connect housing with education and workforce development to improve the lives of residents while rebuilding distressed communities.
Speakers and Materials
Luke Tate, Senior Advisor for Urban Policy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Luke Tate serves as Senior Advisor for Urban Policy at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, working in the Office of Policy Development and Research. He is a lead on the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. Luke works primarily on neighborhood revitalization in distressed communities, Choice Neighborhoods, and the connections between housing, community development, and other areas of urban policy, including education, economic welfare and upward economic mobility, energy and sustainability, and long-term disaster recovery. He previously served on the Presidential Transition team focused on urban policy and HUD, and as Special Assistant to the Secretary at HUD. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, he did community development and educational work in Nicaragua, worked on community policy in the Office of the Governor of Arizona, and worked on President Obama's presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Harvard University.
Resources:
Presentation: White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative
Report: Building Neighborhoods of Opportunity
Report: Creating Pathways to Opportunity
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Ann Houston, Executive Director, Chelsea Neighborhood Developers, Chelsea, Massachusetts
Ann Houston has served as Executive Director of Chelsea Neighborhood Developers since 2004. The agency has an annual operating budget of $1.5 million and a portfolio of 207 rental units and 22,000 square feet of commercial space. Over the past five years, CND has undertaken $64 million of residential and commercial development. The organization has several ongoing significant projects that support its mission to build healthy neighborhoods. It is spearheading a new Transit Oriented Development neighborhood in downtown Chelsea, where CND has completed a 22,000 square foot commercial redevelopment, and built 41 affordable rental apartments and 26 mixed-income condominiums. It is currently relocating the sole remaining industrial manufacturer to make way for a park and more housing. In 2008, CND began a Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative to acquire and redevelop strategically located foreclosed properties to improve the market in vulnerable neighborhoods. In addition, the agency has just completed 48 units of new housing and is beginning construction on 32 units. Community Engagement programs build neighbor-to-neighbor connections and resident-to-city civic connections. Financial Literacy and Matched Savings programs (Individual Development Accounts) increase household resources to expand economic capacity.
Resources:
Presentation: Resilient Communities Forum
CONNECT: Connecting Residents to Resources
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Chris Krehmeyer, President/CEO, Beyond Housing, St, Louis, Missouri
Chris Krehmeyer is the President/CEO of Beyond Housing, a NeighborWorks organization in St. Louis, Missouri. He has served in that capacity since 1993 and has led the organization through a name change, helped spin off a not-for-profit property management company, guided the organization through a successful merger and launched a new economic development project that began with the construction of a grocery store. Beyond Housing currently has over 45 full time employees, a budget of almost $6 million and controls assets worth over $20 million. The organization delivers its mission by producing and managing serviced enriched affordable rental housing, operating a Homeownership Center engaging in comprehensive Community Building Initiatives and leading the region’s Foreclosure Intervention Work. The new strategic vision of Beyond Housing is to alleviate the consequences of poverty in the neighborhoods and the families they serve.
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