Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation

Programs: Real estate developmentswbcdc develops affordable housing for low and moderate income families in order to help sustain and preserve neighborhoods and address the ongoing housing crisis in boston. The organization has a portfolio of 8 affordable family sized apartments in roslindale that were acquired and preserved as affordable in the summer of 2016. Swbcdc is also now co-developing a 27-unit, transit-oriented leed silver certified rental building within steps of the fairmount train station and the shops in hyde park's main commercial district. These apartments will be rented to very low, low and moderate-income families.

environmental stewardship and youth employmentswbcdc runs the hyde park green team. Through this program, the organization hires between 16 and 20 youth, ages 15 - 23 to preserve and restore city-owned urban wild sites in hyde park. This program is conducted in partnership with the boston parks department, which relies on the green team to support its goals for its natural sites in hyde park and the boston department of youth employment and engagement. The program also includes training on job readiness, leadership skills, community outreach, financial literacy and urban agriculture, landscaping, environmental stewardship, woods safety, and jobs in the environmental field. The program runs each summer.

community organizing and planningswbcdc organizes local residents to develop their own leadershipskills, identify issues they care about and the solutions they need, and take action on those issues in order to improve their community. Issues identified by swbcdc residents as priorities include affordable housing, economic and cultural development, neglected open space, development of a pedestrian greenway, transit equity, and access and inclusion of all residents in civic life and local decision making. Swbcdc is a also a member of the fairmount indigo network and the fairmount indigo cdc collaborative in order to improve service on the fairmount indigo line, make the neighborhoods along the line more accessible and affordable, increase the connection of employees to jobs along the line, and prevent displacement along the line. Swbcdc's community organizing work is carried out via its resident-driven organizing committee, pohwer (people of hyde park wanting equal representation): for an inclusionary vision of hyde park. Since forming in late 2016, pohwer has won a commitment from the state's department of conservation and recreation to redevelop a long vacant former park based on the community's goals and designs. The committee has also advanced other goals relating to economic development, neponset river pollution and has started turning its focus to development and housing affordability issues. Over 100 residents have participated in community organizing events to date including 12 residents to date who are most active in leading the work through the power committee. An additional 220 residents have demonstrated interest in participating in the future.