On a hot August Saturday afternoon in southern Oregon, community members trickled into Phoenix High School's auditorium. Some brought their children and stopped to grab a free lunch of enchiladas and watermelon juice from Rogue Food Unites before taking their seats at a cluster of round tables. They talked as they ate, enjoying the sun that filtered through the large windows.

More than 300 people gathered at the NeighborWorks Training Institute this month for "It Takes a Village: Achieving Black Wealth and Economic Prosperity," part of a symposia series with a focus on advancing equity for people of color.

Since 2017, with generous support from the Kresge Foundation, NeighborWorks America has strategically invested in creative community development within its network of nearly 250 nonprofits. 

One of the highlights at any NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) is the chance to tour the communities where NeighborWorks network organizations are doing the work and having the greatest impact. Neighborhood tours offer NTI attendees a chance to learn, exchange ideas and be inspired. The May NTI in San Francisco, California, included several tours of Chinatown, with a stop at an SRO building. 

Often when people speak of Black wealth, they talk first of homeownership, and that's certainly one path to get there, explains Sheila Anderson, senior director of NeighborWorks America's Western Region. "But that's not the end all for building wealth." To truly increase wealth and assets in Black households and communities, we must think more broadly, she says.

Rose Garcia grew up living with her grandparents in New Mexico. Her grandfather owned a bar and pool hall, and her grandmother operated a grocery store and meat market. "My grandma had me helping in the store from a very young age – stocking cans, sweeping floors and bathrooms, and waiting on customers," Garcia recalls.
 

Rose Garcia grew up living with her grandparents in New Mexico. Her grandfather owned a bar and pool hall, and her grandmother operated a grocery store and meat market. "My grandma had me helping in the store from a very young age – stocking cans, sweeping floors and bathrooms, and waiting on customers," Garcia recalls.
 

In a way, the gathering of older, monolingual residents in what has become a Chinatown Town Hall started with egg salad. "We had these Sunday lunches," recalls the Rev. Norman Fong, who spent 30 years at the helm of Chinatown Community Development Center. "When we started, we didn't have a lot of money, so I asked my church to make egg salad sandwiches." 

NeighborWorks America released new impact data showing just how much of a difference the organization and its network are making in the field of affordable housing and community development. While the data reflects nationwide housing trends — including a limited inventory of homes and higher home prices — it also shows an increase in the number of homeowners preserved and an increase in the number of rental homes in the network.

NeighborWorks America was built on a foundation of equity, inclusion, integrity and service. This month, the national nonprofit has named two individuals as the 2023 recipients of the NeighborWorks Founders Award, presented to those who embody NeighborWorks' core values and whose lasting contributions shaped both NeighborWorks and its network: Rev. Norman Fong and Donald R. Phoenix.