NeighborWorks® America honored the legacy of three Midwest network organizations Monday night during a reception that capped off the first full day of the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The organizations, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Hispanic Housing Development Corp., and South Bend Heritage, were celebrating 50 years of impact in the greater Chicago area.
“Fifty years of impact,” NeighborWorks President & CEO Marietta Rodriguez said during the event, held at the Chicago Cultural Center. “That phrase means something. Fifty years of impact is not just about longevity. It’s about consistency. It’s about trust. It’s about local organizations that stayed rooted in place while the world changed around them.”
The organizations, she said, helped families achieve stable homeownership, preserved affordable rental housing, and strengthened neighborhoods for decades.
Chicago is a city that truly understands the power of neighborhoods, she said, “the value of legacy, and the importance of showing up for community year after year.”
Lisa Hasegawa, regional vice president, NeighborWorks America, kicked off the event and Rick Guzman, executive director of The Neighbor Project, acted as the emcee, shining the spotlight on the organizations and their role in housing solutions. Chicago served as a laboratory for early community development organizations that centered residents, Guzman said, adding that the Neighborhood Housing Services model laid the foundation for what later became known as the NeighborWorks network.
Tony Hernadez, president & CEO of Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, appreciated not just the recognition, but the partnership his organization has had with NeighborWorks. He spoke of the organization’s legacy or revitalization – and of mentorship, including the mentorship he received from retired founder Hipolito “Paul” Roldan. “The legacy I was charged with is building the American Dream on a foundation of safe, quality and affordable housing,” he said. His goal now is to strengthen that foundation, he said. The organization recently held a groundbreaking on its 59th development project.
“It is the success of our residents that provides the strength and energy for the HHDC team to continue to advance the cause of affordable housing across the communities we serve by acting as a bulwark against displacement by developing and preserving affordable units and by providing the voice for better housing policies.”
The same neighborhoods HHDC and NHS of Chicago helped build and preserve homes are today some of the most desirable places to live, work and raise families in Chicago, he said. “This is hard work, good work, and today, even more necessary work.”
Marco Mariani, executive director of South Bend Heritage Foundation in nearby Indiana, said his organization is connected with Chicago by the South Shore, where it’s committed to stabilizing and empowering neighborhoods. “I appreciate the NeighborWorks network so much,” said Mariani, who has been receiving training from NeighborWorks Training Institutes for 30 years.
“For our 50th year, our theme was adaptation,” Mariani shared. “We all continue to adapt. We’re going to keep fighting the good fight, all day every day. I appreciate all of you for the work you do.”
Anthony Simpkins, president & CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, which also served as host for the first NeighborWorks Training Institute back in the late 1970s, was the last of the leaders to speak.
He said the recent death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights leader and a giant in the community development field in Chicago, reminds us that the world is always changing. “and that we, as organizations, have to continually change as well … we have to be organizations that double down on our commitment to communities and to working with residents of those communities to build opportunities. This network is essential to helping us do that.”
NHS of Chicago’s mission is to build thriving, diverse neighborhoods of choice that people are proud to call home, he said. “We want to help develop neighborhoods where people can build lasting economic and cultural legacies of wealth. NHS does this primarily through the power of homeownership and an ecosystem of community outreach, education, lending and developing affordable housing opportunities. We’re looking forward to doing this another 50 years.”
The event was sponsored by Community Housing Capital, which provides lending exclusively for the NeighborWorks network and this year marked $1.2 billion in investments.
Cindy Holler, president & CEO of CHC, spoke of the many leaders in Chicago – and the network – that are truly building communities. “And here we are,” she said. “We’ve got to stay in the fight and keep it going.”
