Our 43rd Annual Gala this past June honored two comprehensive community development initiatives in Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. Now, Ohio’s Community Properties Initiative and Atlanta’s Piece by Piece Regional Foreclosure Response Initiative will join NHC this November in New Orleans at our 2015 Solutions for Restoring Neighborhoods Convening to share insights on how their respective community development models have achieved success.
The Community Properties Initiative was founded at the request of Ohio State University and its on-campus community development subsidiary, Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment. Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) acquired the portfolio of 250 buildings with over 1,330 Section 8 housing units in and adjacent to the Weinland Park neighborhood. Since its beginning 12 years ago, The Community Properties Initiative has remained true to its goal of community engagement and accountability by establishing and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders in the community.
Piece by Piece was founded in 2010 to counter the damage the Atlanta metropolitan area experienced as a result of the foreclosure crisis. Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) convened more than 140 public- and private-sector housing leaders from the federal, state, local and county levels with various certifications, information and expertise that could be combined together to have a powerful impact on the foreclosure crisis. Piece by Piece partners with housing leaders to host sector meetings that engage housing officials in local government, research, lending and housing counseling. These meetings offer insight into foreclosure mitigation processes, strategies to combat foreclosure and open the floor for discussions on how to tackle the long-term impacts of foreclosure.
These initiatives were honored with the Housing Visionary Award for their consistent work to create affordable housing and strengthen communities. The Solutions for Restoring Neighborhoods Convening will explore solutions for creating affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods with sessions that demonstrate how housing is a nexus connected to education, transportation, economic development, health, the environment, public safety and other social issues. Hear from representatives from these great initiatives, and from housing leaders around the country, about practical lessons for our own communities.
Read more about our 2015 Gala honorees here, and check back soon for more information about Solutions for Restoring Neighborhoods.