When first approached to attend NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute (CLI), Rocio was a little skeptical. She liked the idea of learning new skills to help neighbors in her Umbrella Works community, but she was not sure how it was all going to work, especially during a pandemic.
When Rocio moved into the Umbrella Works seven years ago, she found herself with extra time on her hands and wanting to learn new skills, she started volunteering in the office. She would have been content to continue that work if not for Ana Montanez, HDC’s resident services coordinator at Umbrella Works, who inspired her to participate in the CLI.
In January, the HDC contingency of six residents and five staff members joined the virtual CLI program with hundreds of people from across the country to share knowledge, learn skills, and move their communities forward. Rocio was most struck by the differences in communities, yet all were experiencing the same kind of issues. She loved learning more about the community development world and what was happening nationally. The most important skill she learned was creating actionable plans that would benefit her community.
Upon completion of CLI, Rocio went right to work. She came up with three action plans—celebrating Earth Day, expanding the community garden, and creating welcome baskets for new residents. Though the Earth Day event was rained out this year, the garden was a great success. More residents than before joined the fun and grew a bountiful crop of fresh vegetables. She is still in the process of finalizing the welcoming baskets to ensure that new residents know they are joining a community, not just renting an apartment.
Since CLI, Rocio is discovering new opportunities to grow personally and exercise her leadership. She has gotten even more involved in her community and recently participated in a career development program. “It was inspiring to see people who were like me accomplish so much and made me realize that I want to keep moving forward despite challenges that get in my way,” said Rocio. She is also part of HDC’s design charrette working group, which is helping to develop design standards of excellence for HDC communities.
Rocio and the other HDC participants continue to keep in touch through text conversations and plan to meet in-person when it is safe. Before CLI, Rocio’s title was office volunteer (by the way, she still volunteers at night when the office is closed to help out), but now she is known as “Community Leader.” A title that is well-earned and one she will live up to.
Every voice matters. At HDC, we are committed to raising up resident voices and opening doors so that residents can actively participate in the democratic process, speak out on issues important to them and their communities, and communicate how policies affect their everyday lives. We believe it is important to make the time and space to listen, and to support resident leaders in effectively using their voices. We support resident advocacy opportunities through our Resident Academy of Leadership & Inspiration, Voter Registration Drives, and holding constituent meetings and tours with elected officials.
Allentown, PA
Fredericksburg, PA
Lancaster, PA
Finding a place to live that meets one’s basic needs and budget can feel like a never-ending challenge. The complexity of lower-income families and individuals extend far beyond simply finding a safe, affordable, and welcoming place to call home. At HDC, we are committed to being an ally in speaking to issues, programs, and policies that improve quality of life of our residents. Issues that we know are important to our residents include:
We know we can’t solve the affordable housing challenge alone. We need champions to help change the conversation around what home means and why it matters. We are committed to educating elected officials to understand the needs and challenges of their constituents. We are here to provide solutions that work and offer affordable housing expertise that demonstrates the impact policy decisions have on lower-income families, seniors and those with disabilities. We work closely with and participate in alliances and coalitions to educate and advance shared policy priorities. Our advocacy partners include:
Wendy Smith serves as the Vice President of Property Management, responsible for the overall strategic direction for HDC’s management portfolio and the organization’s largest staff team. Previously, Wendy served as Asset and Operations Manager for a leading real estate firm based in New York City which owned over 11,000 affordable homes. Since 2008, Wendy has held roles in regional level operations for commercial and for-profit housing agencies. Wendy holds a degree in International Studies.
