What should you do if you unearth several tons of broken milk bottles filled with toxic substances during a development project? Call Ann Houston.
Known for her dogged determination and unbeatable problem-solving skills, Houston is a recipient of the 2025 NeighborWorks Founders Award. Robert “Bobby” Calvillo, executive director of Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc., is also a 2025 NeighborWorks Founders Award recipient. The awards will be presented April 3 at the NeighborWorks Executive Symposium.
“The beauty of Ann Houston is that she is always thinking and striving to find creative solutions to challenges facing the community development industry,” shared Joanie Straussman Brandon, NeighborWorks America’s regional vice president, Northeast Region. Whether leveraging the EPA’s Brownfields Program to eliminate environmental hazards (like those milk bottles) or reimagining entire neighborhoods as vibrant, mixed-income communities, Houston has built a career out of transforming obstacles into opportunities for lasting impact.
Finding a home in housing reform
Ann Houston’s path into affordable housing began with a deep curiosity about how communities form, shaped by the turbulent years following the Vietnam War. She focused on rebuilding and strengthening neighborhoods through local change. Initially, her interest in housing began as a path in carpentry, but she soon discovered cabinet making required a patience for sanding that she didn’t quite possess. That realization led her to a broader landscape: urban redevelopment. Across the country, cities were rethinking how they could better serve their residents, and Houston saw an opportunity to be part of something bigger.
Her first steps into the field took her to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where she worked at a community action agency in one of the poorest areas in the country. It was the early 1980s, and homelessness was on the rise. Alongside a coalition of advocates, she launched a community development organization and opened Main Street Shelter in Holyoke, the fourth state-funded family shelter in Massachusetts, which housed eight families. Her early work in affordable housing inspired her to deepen her expertise at MIT’s real estate program, bringing for-profit strategies to the nonprofit world. She then expanded her work across the Commonwealth, first as a lender and then with Codman Square Neighborhood Developers. In 2003, an exciting opportunity arose in Chelsea.
Creating Community in the Box District
Houston saw real potential in the job opportunity at Chelsea Neighborhood Developers – later renamed The Neighborhood Developers (TND). But the organization was struggling with a weak portfolio, an executive director with health issues and a strained relationship with the city manager. Chelsea itself had only been out of receivership for a decade, and its schools remained under state control.
When the team began the project, they quickly discovered serious environmental hazards, including PCBs laced through the entire neighborhood. (The broken milk bottles with toxic waste were discovered during her second Chelsea project.) But Houston kept working toward her end goal: mixed-income housing that would create a sense of community and pride amongst its residents.
“I could see a path forward, but what I really believe in are teams. I really believe in a community. I don't think anybody has all the answers and I don't think anybody can see all of the issues,” Houston shared. “And so at every step, I always figured out: Who else do we need at the table? How do we form those alliances?”
Her vision became a reality and The Neighborhood Developers continued their work in Chelsea, listening to residents and partnering with them to strengthen the community. In 2013, at the opening of the Highland Terrace Apartments, the deputy director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership publicly congratulated Houston on the project and shared, “Money matters but this is about so much more than money. This is about vision and determination and partnership. This is about political will and risk-taking and execution. These are the essential ingredients. We work all over the state and we don't see this kind of comprehensive effort driven by these essential ingredients all that often. This is special. And all of you here in Chelsea should be proud."
Houston and her colleagues continue to celebrate all that has become of the Box District:
“Last fall the Governor announced a $4 Billion Affordable Homes Act in the Box District,” she shared.
Her impact on Chelsea was so significant that neighboring towns took note. The Mayor of Revere came to her, asking if she could expand TND’s work to their town. Everett wanted to be included, too. As the impact of these projects spread, TND’s reach grew exponentially.
Exponential Growth and Lasting Impact
During Houston’s 15-year tenure as executive director, TND’s assets grew from $11.8 million to $100 million, and staff expanded from nine to 30. The impact of the organization’s growth was wide-reaching with more than 900 leaders trained and engaged during her tenure and nearly 17,000 clients benefitting from financial empowerment programming. At the same time, the organization began to accelerate its production of affordable homes, with the portfolio increasing by 350% (112 to 395 units) — a trend that continues today as the organization expands into Lynn.
Houston’s legacy also includes:
- Co-leading the development of the statewide Neighborhood Stabilization Fund to acquire and rehabilitate foreclosed properties.
- Partnering with PACE to integrate healthcare and affordable housing at St. Therese.
- Serving on NeighborWorks America’s National Community Initiatives Advisory Group and National Real Estate Advisory Group.
- Launching CONNECT, a Financial Opportunity Center integrating workforce development, financial education and homeownership resources.
By bringing service providers together under one roof in Chelsea, CONNECT created a strong, evolving model that integrated workforce development, financial education, coaching, and first-time homebuyer services. The approach was intentional: Bundling these resources allowed individuals to build skills, access necessary financial tools, and receive personalized coaching to navigate challenges. This comprehensive support system, combined with the power of peer networks, significantly improved outcomes, helping people make meaningful financial progress. Even after accomplishing so much at TND, Houston wasn’t finished innovating.
Launching OppCo
Houston’s experience with NeighborWorks highlighted a common challenge: Small community development organizations often lacked the resources to scale effectively. In Boston, many resisted mergers, preferring to remain independent despite financial and operational struggles. On a morning run in Washington, D.C., with a group of executive directors, the idea for Opportunity Communities (OppCo) was born. OppCo was created to strengthen local developers by providing shared services in financial management, real estate development, and operations, allowing them to focus on building equitable communities. Now seven years in, the organization continues to evolve. Under Houston’s leadership at OppCo, the organization established Homes for Equity. Houston also helped develop a fellowship, currently enrolling its second cohort after a successful launch, aimed at increasing access to real estate development careers for professionals from historically excluded communities, providing the training and support needed to become project managers..
The Secret to Success
So where does Houston credit her success? She believes in the power of collaboration. She knows how to ask the right questions. She’s not afraid of a challenge. But most importantly, she knows how to listen. “What’s important about all of this, understanding of the needs, how to design programs and how to design housing, was it was always deeply informed by the residents, by the people living in the community,” Houston shared, emphasizing another of NeighborWorks America’s founding values. “Listening was a critical part. That’s how we knew what needs were really pressing and what we’re just the current buzz in the nonprofit world.”
