During NeighborWorks America's symposium, "45&Forward, Readying Our Field for the Future," President & CEO Marietta Rodriguez kicked things off looking both backward and forward. As experts said repeatedly during the event: You have to look back to look forward. Text from her speech follows.
It's an honor to be here with you today, in Pittsburgh – the birthplace of the NeighborWorks movement. This city, with its rich history of community and resident-led revitalization, is a constant reminder of what's possible when neighbors come together to shape their own futures.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the organizers of this incredible symposium, and to all of you – the community development champions and affordable housing leaders who are here today. Your dedication, your passion, and your unwavering belief in the power of community inspire me every day.
This year, we're celebrating more than another year of transformative change at NeighborWorks America; we're celebrating 45 years of building communities, 45 years of building communities of shaping futures, of investing in neighborhoods and empowering people.
It's been an incredible journey – one filled with challenges, triumphs, and the kind of resilience that can only be forged through a deep connection to the communities we serve.
Today, we look 45 & Forward. We embrace our legacy, but we don't rest on our laurels. We ask ourselves: What's next? How can we ensure that our field is not only ready for the future, but actively shaping it?
These are the questions that bring us together for this symposium. They speak to the heart of who we are at NeighborWorks and the principles that guide our work and shape how we interact with each other and the communities we serve: Accountability, Collaboration, Integrity, Inclusion, and Stewardship. These values have been our compass for 45 years and will continue to guide us as we move forward.
Visualizing the Invisible
Let me ask you to do something for a moment.
Imagine a neighborhood.
Any neighborhood. A place you call home, a place you grew up, or maybe a place you've only visited in passing. Visualize the streets, the shops, the houses ... But now, I want you to imagine what lies beneath the surface. A map, invisible to the naked eye, reveals that community's actual landscape.
It's a map of generational poverty, limited access to credit, and health disparities tied to housing. It exists in every city, town, and rural landscape across America. It's the map of the racial wealth gap, a stark reality that cannot be ignored.
This map is what I see every day, and we, as a network, are committed to redrawing it.
While revealing deep-seated challenges, this map is not a map of despair. It's a map of potential. It shows us where we need to invest, where we need to listen, and where we need to act. It's a call to action for all of us gathered here today.
That's why we're in Pittsburgh, the city where it all began. We're here to learn, collaborate, and chart a course for the future of community development. We're here to equip ourselves with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to transform these invisible lines of hardship into vibrant pathways of opportunity.
We're here to look 45 and forward, to celebrate our roots, honor our legacy, and prepare our field for the future.
45 years of growth, resilience and adaptation
Forty-five years ago, the seeds of change were sown right here in Pittsburgh. A woman named Dorothy Mae Richardson, alongside her neighbors, faced the devastation of redlining in their neighborhood and ignited a grassroots movement.
As Steve Tuminaro, a former NeighborWorks leader, so eloquently put it, "I was fortunate to know Dorothy. She was impressive. She was determined. She was stubborn. But she would put on her Sunday hat when she had important meetings with lenders. She got the work done."
Dorothy Richardson and her neighbors refused to be defined by the invisible, discriminatory lines drawn on their map. They mobilized and demanded a voice in shaping their community. Their relentless spirit of resident engagement and involvement sparked a movement that NeighborWorks America sought to replicate across the nation. Born from this crisis, a response to systemic inequity, we rapidly expanded into a nationwide network of nearly 250 organizations. Leveraging billions in public and private investments, we've been welcomed into communities to foster support networks, and these networks have tirelessly responded to countless crises over the last 45 years.
Tuminaro highlights a key innovation of our early approach: "As I view it: to me that was the biggest thing: bridging these separate silos of banking and housing. It really pioneered the concept of using federal funding to leverage and attract private sector funding. Really no one had done that as a program approach. It continues to be one of the strengths of the corporation."
In 2008, when 3.1 million Americans filed for foreclosure during the first year of the mortgage crisis, NeighborWorks responded with a national program funded by Congress to protect homeowners. When we faced another housing crisis during the recent pandemic NeighborWorks America again became the organization trusted to oversee and implement the Housing Stability Counseling Program, to help people stay in their homes, rented or owned.
We've weathered economic downturns from the aforementioned housing crises, devastating natural disasters and a global pandemic. But NeighborWorks continues to adapt, innovate, and respond to our communities' ever-changing needs. We launched campaigns to increase homeownership and access to down payment assistance; we created multifamily initiatives and provided eviction prevention counseling; we developed comprehensive solutions that address and seek to solve disparities and systemic inequities. Through it all, we center resident voices, community-driven solutions, and our core values of collaboration and inclusion.
As former NeighborWorks America leader Margo Kelly has reminded us, "This organization has gone through major transitions in the past – some more prolonged than others, some true cliff-hangers. And ultimately... it has come through them stronger."
This resilience is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our mission, a mission that, as Kelly notes, "demands risk-taking and experimentation." We've had to be agile and nimble, constantly adapting to meet the evolving needs of the most vulnerable in our society. This has required us to experiment, take risks, and stretch ourselves in remarkable ways, always striving to address critical needs in the face of compounding challenges.
As Governor Edward M. Gramlich shared during a speech at NeighborWorks America’s 25th anniversary, “Throughout its rich history, [NeighborWorks] has maintained the loyalty and devotion of its residents and has foreseen problems early and dealt with them effectively. It has combined the advantages of neighborhood decentralization with the advantages of centralization to exploit commonalities across regions. It has enlisted the efforts of thousands of dedicated and competent volunteers, and financial assistance from thousands of institutions, in a nonpartisan and effective way.”
We've seen firsthand the power of community development to change lives, to lift up families, and to create opportunities where there were once only barriers. As Joan Straussman Brandon aptly observed, "Because of NeighborWorks, thousands of people have become homeowners. Thousands of people are living in safe, affordable homes. Organizations have built capacity. And residents have become leaders in their community." This profound impact underscores the essence of our work: It's about neighborhoods. It's about people. And it's about the dedication and talent of the individuals who make up this incredible network.
Challenges and opportunities in a changing world
Economic Disruption. The very nature of work is transforming, widening the gap between those with the skills to thrive and those left behind.
Demographic Shifts. Our communities are becoming more diverse, and we must ensure that our efforts reflect and serve the needs of all residents.
Housing Instability. The affordable housing crisis continues to deepen, driven by rising costs, stagnant wages, and a lack of available units.
Climate Resilience. The increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters threaten the safety and stability of our communities, particularly those that are already vulnerable.
Technological Disruption. The rapid pace of technological advancement presents both challenges and opportunities, demanding that we adapt and innovate to remain relevant and effective.
These challenges disproportionately impact marginalized communities, exacerbating existing inequities and creating new barriers to opportunity.
But amidst these challenges, I see tremendous opportunity. I see a chance for us to rise to the occasion, to harness our collective ingenuity, and to forge a path toward a more equitable and sustainable future. I see the potential for us to not just react to change, but to actively shape it. To redraw those invisible maps, one community at a time.
This is why we're here today. To grapple with these complex issues, to learn from each other, and to envision a future where all communities thrive.
The Symposium's Focus: Readying Our Field for the Future
The challenges we face demand that we be more than reactive – we must be visionary. We must not only weather the storms but anticipate them, adapt to them, and emerge stronger on the other side. That is the focus of this symposium: Readying Our Field for the Future.
We are here to ask ourselves the tough questions:
How can we better understand the potential disruptions that lie ahead in the next decade? How can we anticipate the unexpected and build resilience into our organizations and communities?
What lessons from our 45-year history can guide us into the future? What practices, principles, and partnerships have proven most effective, and how can we leverage them in new ways?
What new tools, resources, and innovative approaches will we need to embrace? How can we leverage technology, data, and cross-sector collaboration to create lasting change?
How can we adapt, remain strong, and proactively shape a future where all communities thrive, regardless of their zip code or demographics?
These are not easy questions, but they are the questions we must grapple with if we are to fulfill our mission in the years to come.
This symposium is our opportunity to tap into the collective wisdom of this incredible network. Together, with the insights of cross-sector experts and with collaboration from you, the experts in your states and communities, we will develop strategies to make our organizations and communities 'future-ready.' We will explore the changing dynamics of our workforce, the urgency of climate resilience and readiness, the integration of sectors like housing, transportation, and workforce development, and the critical importance of diversity and inclusion in all our efforts.
With the guidance of The Institute for the Future, we'll turn uncertainty into inspiration, using proven tools and frameworks to transform our challenges into catalysts for innovation and positive change.
Call to action
In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of you for your tireless efforts to build strong communities. You are the heart and soul of NeighborWorks, and your dedication inspires me every day.
Together, we have achieved remarkable things. Since 1991, the NeighborWorks network has created 480,000 new homeowners, constructed, acquired, and preserved 245,000 rental homes, repaired 1.2 million homes, and generated more than $147 billion in investment. These numbers represent more than just statistics; they represent lives transformed, families empowered, and communities revitalized.
But our work is far from over. The challenges we face are complex and evolving, but so too is our resolve. As we look 45 & Forward, let us carry this legacy of impact into the future. Let us continue to build on the foundation laid by those who came before us, and let us create a future where every community thrives, where every individual has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
08/28/2024
