People sometimes ask Dr. Bill McKinney, executive director of New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), why he left anthropology, the field he studied in college and graduate school. His answer?  

"I didn't," he explains. "I'm an anthropologist every day. My goal was never to be an academic; my goal was to make change."  

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. 

When a group of residents from NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) attended NeighborWorks America's Community Leadership Institute, a training event aiming to strengthen the voice and skills of community and resident leaders, they already had an idea of what they wanted to do. Their project idea?

NeighborWorks America welcomed eight new affiliates to its robust network, adding both capacity and expertise. This brings the number of NeighborWorks network organizations, located in every state, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to 247.

For a learning cohort process supported by NeighborWorks America, community development organizations worked hand in hand with arts organizations as they re-imagined the future of their neighborhoods. What they found was often unexpected and revealed ways that the milestones found on the journey are just as important as the final destination. 

As Black History Month begins, stories about Black innovators and innovations abound. At NeighborWorks America, those stories stem from the work of Dorothy Mae Richardson, "founding mother."

It's not coming until just after Christmas, but one thing that Nevada HAND senior living residents will be able to receive this month is the new COVID-19 vaccine. Staff and medical staff will receive the vaccine, too. In case there are side effects, half the staff and residents will be inoculated in December, and the other half will be inoculated two weeks later. 

Training isn't just a way to keep certifications current; it's a way to keep knowledge current. And as current events continue to create moving targets for affordable housing and community development professionals – with eviction moratoriums, unemployment, rental relief, and a kaleidoscope of grants and programs – housing counselors, educators and trainers need to keep up.

As communities struggle to find balance and recover from the impacts of COVID-19, high unemployment and social injustice, NeighborWorks organizations are working to balance the need for change and supporting equality while also keeping residents united and safe.