Culture and arts are often considered luxuries for the people that Better Family Life helps and empowers, says DeBorah Ahmed, co-founder and vice president of Cultural Arts at the NeighborWorks network organization. They shouldn't be.

For decades, the Mission District in San Francisco has been a hub for working-class Latino immigrants. As immigrants from other places arrived, too, the district maintained its Latino centricity  with a supportive, vibrant ecosystem. Then, gentrification, arm in arm with the tech industry, began to change the neighborhood – both the people who could afford to live there and the businesses they frequented.
 

When it comes to wealth and health, it's the proverbial chicken-and-egg question, says Molly Barackman-Eder, NeighborWorks America's director of Financial Capability. "Is it health impacting wealth or wealth impacting health?" she asks. But more important than the question, she says, is the fact that the two items are inextricably linked; for a successful outcome, you need both health and wealth management. 

When it comes to wealth and health, it's the proverbial chicken-and-egg question, says Molly Barackman-Eder, NeighborWorks America's director of Financial Capability. "Is it health impacting wealth or wealth impacting health?" she asks. But more important than the question, she says, is the fact that the two items are inextricably linked; for a successful outcome, you need both health and wealth management. 

When Shane Sutherland joined the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, his goal was to identify opportunities to develop affordable housing in partnership with Black churches. "Being a Black-led organization ourselves, we wanted to work with the Black churches in our community," shares Sutherland, director of operations for Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC).