West Elmwood Housing Development Corp

Programs: Real estate development-this program consists of multifamily, rental, homeownership, rehab, mixed-use and commercial development, brownfields remediation, construction management, green construction, and healthy homes. The agency has leveraged over $73 million for real estate activity and infrastructure in the west end over 25 years. In the 7 years up to 2011, wehdc made over 1,300 units lead safe. For the years 2005-2009, wehdc was the second top producer of affordable housing units in the city of providence.

home ownership preservation and promotion-wehdc offers a full spectrum of services including homebuyer education, landlord classes, financial fitness, credit counseling, and foreclosure prevention. To date, the agency has served over 4,500 people, and 536 have achieved homeownership. Wehdc staff members have counseled over 1,400 households at risk of foreclosure. Even in a difficult economy, in 2010 and 2011, 78 new first time homebuyers progressed through the home ownership center.

community building and organization-wehdcs community building efforts involve collaborations with other agencies, resident engagement, youth programs, and urban agriculture that provides access to local, healthy, fresh, ethnically appropriate foods. Wehdc has a long history of partnering and collaborating that dates back to a 2003 award for such efforts and has served as fiduciary agent to start-up groups. Chief collaborations in 2012 included sankofa and we can. Sankofa is a collaborative endeavor comprised of wehdc, african alliance of ri, friends of bucklin park, ri food policy council, and other agencies and individuals. Together they work to address the need for healthy food options in the west end, including choices that reflect the cultural diversity of the area. We can, the west end community action network, is a collaborative created to approach community improvement more holistically through partnerships. We can achieved funding for multiple west end improvement projects in 2012. Additionally, wehdc worked with lisc to complete a community contract, or strategic plan, for the west end neighborhood.

asset management.