If you weren’t living in Boston back in 1981, it would be hard to imagine what it was like to live in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
The 1970s was a decade of tremendous disinvestment along Dudley Street and down Blue Hill Avenue. Absentee landlords engaged in rampant arson as a way to cash-out of their neglected properties. Burned-out shells and vacant lots blighted every block in these neighborhoods.
A group of neighbors began meeting in their kitchens and living rooms to figure out what to do. They realized no one was coming from outside the neighborhood to help them. This small group of Puerto Rican neighbors resolved, “We have to do it ourselves.”
They formed Nuestra Comunidad (“our community”), one of the first community development corporations in Boston, in order to rebuild lost homes and realize their vision of a revitalized Roxbury.
Over the past 35 years, Nuestra Comunidad has delivered on the vision of those founding members, resulting in a track record, and a bright future, that honors them.
Whether you’ve lived in Roxbury for all that time, or just moved to the neighborhood, you can see our work all around you.
After 35 years of revitalization, Roxbury is at a cross-roads, facing the threat of displacement. Now more then ever, Nuestra’s experience and proven track record of delivering affordable housing and economic opportunity is critical.
Read about their strategy, see highlights from 35 years of success plus photo credit.