Donald R. Phoenix worked at NeighborWorks® America for more than 26 years. He was regional vice president of the Southern Region at the time of Hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, and was part of the NeighborWorks support team as the region began to rebuild. Isaac Igbonagwam, a relationship manager in the Southern Region, asked Phoenix for some of his reflections from that time.

NeighborWorks: How did the impact of Hurricane Katrina affect you personally?

Just before the pandemic, St. Mary Development Corp. began exploring technology as a way to keep older adults in the organization’s Dayton, Ohio, community linked with the outside world and with one another. Five years later, the organization remains more convinced than ever that technology is a key to keeping people engaged. What’s more, says Natalynne Baker, executive vice president of the organization, those who don’t learn new technologies risk missing out, losing their voice and losing access to some types of care. 
In what’s being called “the first of its kind” in Cleveland, the Lotus housing development is offering stable housing and workforce development training to formerly homeless young adults aged 18 to 24. Developed by CHN Housing Partners, a member of the NeighborWorks network, the Lotus is designed to support young people who have aged out of foster care. It provides them with safe, stable, affordable housing, along with services aimed at helping them become self-sufficient.

When a for-sale sign goes up on a piece of undeveloped land in Austin, Texas, everyone looks – especially if it’s near jobs and schools. That includes for-profit developers, of course. And it includes Foundation Communities, a NeighborWorks nonprofit that is looking to build and grow its affordable multifamily apartment homes as the community struggles with ever-increasing rents. 

Housing counselors often see people at the best of times – on the verge of fulfilling a dream – but also see people at their most vulnerable times and everywhere in between. “It’s taxing work,” says Ann DiPetta, who has worked in the affordable housing and community development field for over 20 years. “It’s demanding. It can be emotionally difficult. And it’s important to take care of yourself so you don’t burn out.”
Cindy Vidal struggled to find a place she could afford – a home where she could raise her children in a safe, stable environment. That search ended when she discovered Guardian Village, a newly opened housing development in the heart of Reedley, California. The village shows how NeighborWorks network organizations are creating homes and building America. Veterans are also being helped by these new apartment homes.

To meet the growing need for housing and services for lower-income seniors, NeighborWorks network organization Nevada HAND (Housing and Neighborhood Development) is developing its latest senior housing development, the Buffalo Cactus Senior Apartments, in Las Vegas. When it opens in mid-2025, this senior living community will provide 125 new affordable housing units for seniors with annual incomes between 30% and 60% of the area median income.

Subscribe to Healthy communities