From the CEO
Dear friend,
The historic challenges of 2020 have brought new meaning to the power of home at The Community Builders. As our country battles the COVID-19 pandemic and reckons with structural racism, The Community Builders has renewed its commitment to advancing racial equity in America through the homes we care for, the neighborhoods we strengthen and the people we connect to opportunity.
With help from donors like you, The Community Builders is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with what our residents need most – safe homes, financial stability, and digital connections. Our residential communities are a refuge, with heightened health protocols to keep residents and staff safe as we build even more opportunity with our development pipeline.
We are becoming stronger together. Thank you for your continued support as we realize our mission to build and sustain strong communities where all people can thrive.
Sincerely,
Bart Mitchell
President and CEO
2020 Board of Directors
Audra Bohannon
Andrew Clark
Brian L. P. Fallon
Carol Galante
Rita German
Richard High
David Johnson
Robin Powell Mandjes
Louis Mercedes
Patrick Nash
James Riccio
Jeffrey Sánchez
Amy Schectman
Monica Warren-Jones
Malcolm Williams
Kamillah Wood, MD
STRONGER TOGETHER
Through Community Life
We help families and seniors survive and thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic in Boston, Chicago, Norfolk and beyond.
Keeping young families healthy, wealthy & wise
The Community Builders help young children grow and thrive at home. In Boston, our Healthy Wealthy Wise program provides picture books, developmental toys and educational activities for families with children under age five. In partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, TCB Community Life navigators empower families with the learning tools, household supplies and economic coaching they need to maintain a healthy, stable home.
Sewing seniors helping front line workers
The Community Builders are protecting older residents from isolation and COVID-19 with a senior sewing program in Chicago. Our Community Life coordinators provide sewing machines and supplies to vulnerable senior residents who are sheltering at home. The residents work together, while remaining apart, to design and sew masks for nearby Rush University Hospital workers. The sewing program provides essential supplies for front line workers and keeps seniors active and healthy at home.
Delivering a lifeline to seniors and families
The Community Builders provide a lifeline to sheltered seniors and struggling families in Norfolk, Virginia. For seniors sheltering at home, TCB Community Life teams safely deliver prepared meals and make regular phone calls to ensure older residents have access to groceries, medications and a friendly voice. For active families, we provide an on-site food pantry with household supplies that families need to stay healthy and stable at home.
RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT
We connect more working parents to childcare and opportunity.
REAL ESTATE IMPACT
We provided homes to more than 13,000 households in 30 metro areas - and started construction on 517 more.
Marilyn Olds, Resident
This is the beginning of a new change with the comfort of a safe home with fresh air to breathe and peace. Thank you for the cake of freedom and choice and I can't wait for the icing in this community.
Hubert Dickerson, Resident
“We would especially like to thank TCB for sitting down with us at resident council meetings, informing us on how this construction would come about, and working with us for a smooth transition.”
Caroline Hayes, Resident
I told the contractors that they really outdid themselves and built a beautiful place for us to live that I love. I took my initial concerns to the Project Manager and Community Life. Now we have maintenance, cleaning crew and security who are always on top of their job.
Housing Highlight:
The Heart of East Baltimore
The redevelopment of Monument East has restored a unique building with a renewed purpose. Serving 170 elderly and disabled residents who call their home “The Heart of East Baltimore”, the renovation of Monument East was completed in partnership with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City in February 2020. New kitchens, bathrooms and at-home amenities became a lifeline for vulnerable residents when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived weeks later. Monument East is winner of The Urban Land Institute Baltimore 2020 WaveMaker Award, recognizing its unique architecture and community mission.
Housing Highlight: Renaissance and Renewal in Richmond
On the site of Armstrong High School, the first public school in Richmond for African American students, Armstrong Renaissance is a transformative redevelopment designed for the future and honoring the past. The first phases completed in 2020 include 105 new apartment homes, a central park and a 4,000-square foot community center that serves as a vibrant hub for afterschool activities, supportive services and resident programs. “Armstrong Renaissance is Richmond’s newest vibrant, thriving and diverse neighborhood,” said Mayor LeVar Stoney.
NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENTS
Our New Market Tax Credit investments go beyond housing to help make good neighborhoods great. This year, we strengthened communities with new local warehouse, urban farm and community center.
Investment Highlight: Altgeld Family Resource Center, Chicago, IL
This new 40,000 square foot multi-use facility developed by TCB will provide a public library, child care center, and community meeting spaces improving non-residential services and amenities within the Altgeld Gardens/Murray Homes community. This project is the final phase of the Chicago Housing Authority’s community master planning effort for the Altgeld/Murray community. It will enhance the community amenities for the residents ensuring access to opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency and success.
RESIDENT SUCCESS (2014 to 2020)
Scroll over the buildings below to discover five ways our residents reported feeling stronger together during 2020.
*Collected during in-home interviews. All statistics increased 4-6% from 2019.
71%
I engage in my school and/or work
91%
I have someone to turn to when feeling isolated.
86%
I feel safe in my building
76%
I talk to my neighbors
80%
I feel safe in my neighborhood
HOUSING AWARDS
Best Mixed-Use Development:
Aurora Arts Center
Readers’ Choice for Mixed-Use Development:
Avondale Town Center
Affordable Housing Hall of Fame:
Bev Bates
Best in American Living: Villas at the Ridgeway
Named the 2020 Best Mixed-Use Development by Multifamily Executive, the John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center connects a performing arts school, a restaurant and 38 new affordable apartments in Aurora, IL. TCB partnered with the city of Aurora and the Paramount Theatre to transform the 80,000 square foot development into the arts center that expands the community’s cultural and artistic offerings.
The Avondale Town Center, located in Cincinnati, OH, was named 2020 Readers’ Choice Mixed-Use Development by Affordable Housing Finance. The center brings together 119 mixed-income apartments and 76,000 square feet of commercial and retail space including a health center, a market and the community’s first laundromat. TCB partnered with the Avondale Development Corp. and the Avondale Coalition of Churches to create this multi-use development for the Avondale community.
Bev Bates was inducted into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame in 2020. A highly regarded innovator, Bev retired from The Community Builders in 2020 as executive vice president of real estate development. For over 30 years, Bev was a centerpiece of TCB’s growth and development. She led development of more than 20,000 affordable homes for families, seniors and adults with disabilities. Her legacy also includes the numerous talented community development leaders she attracted and mentored.
Villas at the Ridgeway was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders with the 2020 Best in American Living Award for Affordable, Multifamily Mid to High Rise developments. Located in Yonkers, NY, this community features 70 modern townhomes for families of all incomes, just steps away from public transit. The Villas are part of a multi-phase redevelopment in partnership with the Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers.
FINANCIALS
Total Net Assets
Operating Expenses
2020 Donors
Thank you to our donors. This list reflects gifts recorded as of Nov. 1, 2020.
Please contact us with questions about donor recognition.