Name
Supporting Developers of Color in Affordable Housing and Economic DevelopmentĀ 
Date & Time
Friday, September 9, 2022, 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Avery Ebron Michael Davidson
Description

Smaller-scale, infill developers and community development corporations comprise a unique class of developers focused on meeting housing and economic needs of the most vulnerable communities. Often led by people of color and operating in communities where vacant and deteriorated properties are a significant issue, these corporations create residential and mixed-use projects with inclusionary, multi-stakeholder engagement at their core. Their portfolios tend to focus on medium-density housing and commercial spaces occupied by locally owned small businesses that subcontract locally. Despite their demonstrated impact, these developers are consistently met with financing challenges and capacity constraints rooted in structural and institutional racism. This session will share lessons from three programs in Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit which have successfully connected small-scale developers of color to training, financing, and land needed to create stable, vibrant neighborhoods, and build generational wealth for Black residents. Attendees will come away understanding institutionally and structurally racist obstacles these developers face, community-building strategies for overcoming these obstacles, and what it might look like to create financing systems that advance community development.

Session Type
Breakout Session