Oakland Planning & Development Corporation

OPDC never operates in a silo. The excellent work done in real estate development, job development and training, and community organizing is a true partnership with residents, employers, and educational institutions. OPDC continues to partner with other community based organizations including Community Human Services and Oakland Transportation Management Association to reach common community goals. The staff of OPDC are qualified and dedicated, consistently delivering a very high quality end product.

I have been involved as a community volunteer and board member of OPDC for nearly a decade. It is hard to imagine Oakland without OPDC. They have rehabilitated and built scores of owner occupied homes throughout Oakland's diverse neighborhoods. They manage a portfolio of well maintained and affordable apartments. They have helped hundreds of neighbors in Oakland and nearby communities to help themselves by providing real world job training and career placement services through JobLInks. Through their community organizing program, they have made Oakland a better place with programs such as Keep it Clean Oakland and the Dumpster Program. They work hand in hand with other community based non-profits such as the Oakland Community Council, Oakland Transportation Management Association, Oakland Business Improvement District, and Community Human Services. Most importantly, OPDC cares about our community and its residents and they work hard every day to make Oakland a great place to live.

Community Human Services has been partnering with OPDC to provide housing to folks in need for ten years. I became a board member because of that incredible service partnership.

I think OPDC is a perfect example of how Community Development Corporations should be working in neighborhoods. The organization understands the critical interplay of housing, community coalitions and service provision. I regularly work with service providers that have no relationship with their CDC and in some cases talk about an environment of conflict with them. Oakland is lucky to have a visionary CDC that values partnership.