FROM KIDS TO SENIORS: EBALDC SUPPORTS RESIDENTS TO RECLAIM AND REWRITE THEIR NARRATIVES
Since receiving a grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, the EBALDC Youth Program is planning student field trips year-round for the next two years. And this summer, through funding from the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY), with partner, The Hidden Genius Project, teens completed the three-week Catalyst Programming in coding, designing video games and building websites. Focused on teens of color, the program is an introduction to the tech industry and opens up the possibilities of pursuing a career path in software engineering.
This spring and summer, seniors at Avalon Senior Housing in Emeryville were treated to a Mother’s Day tea and barbeques celebrating Father’s Day and the 4th of July. The first communal gatherings since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 found residents ready to mingle and have a neighborly good time. EBALDC’s Resident Services team provided the main fixings, and everyone caught up with one another for hours.
Seniors at Avalon Senior Housing in Emeryville line-up at an EBALDC Resident Services
sponsored buffet for a 4th of July BBQ community get together.
When EBALDC purchased the MacArthur Park Apartments in Oakland’s Eastmont neighborhood, through their Housing Acquisition Fund (HAF) created to address the housing crisis, the complex didn’t have a single blade of grass and not one tree on the entire property, let alone a welcoming space for neighbors to gather. Annie Ledbury, the manager of EBALDC’s Creative Community Development program, in partnership with residents, came up with a resourceful solution for making a space where residents could gather and start to form relationships. Together with nearby Castlemont High School’s interns in the CastleWorks design and gardening programs, residents co-designed a community space, tearing down fences, putting in raised-bed gardens, and rebuilding their community.
MacArthur Park Apartments: Before
MacArthur Park Apartments: After
EBALDC’s commitment to building Healthy Neighborhoods – in addition to developing affordable housing – features an innovative model that supports childhood learning, strong families, financial literacy, and vibrant communities. It takes form in after-school and summer education programs from kindergarten to college; social services to strengthen community connections and motivate leadership; career development and entrepreneurship programs; income support services, financial counseling and coaching; and creating healthy environments and preserving existing housing.
For EBALDC Youth Program Instructor, Kwanya Watkins, the agency’s commitment to thriving communities from early childhood on up is a full circle, nine-year story. Her skills and knowledge-building in childhood schooling began in 2013 soon after she, her mother and two sisters took up residence at EBALDC’s affordable housing complex Lion Creek Crossings. She said, “When I was younger, my family would move around a lot. We didn’t stay in one community for very long. So once we settled in at Lion Creek Crossings, I wanted to be involved, make my face known, know my neighbors. I began volunteering and became part of LCC’s close-knit community.”
At age 18, Kwanya signed up to be an intern in EBALDC’s teen-based Roaring Forward program. It was her first job and her first chance to explore career options, and in the process, discover a passion for working with children.
“It was a big step into being independent,” said Kwanya. “At first, I didn’t think I would be good at working with children. But when the second and third weeks rolled around, I was getting really used to it. I built bonds with the instructors and the youth who were very receptive. The kids just gravitated to me.”
After her internship, she attended Treasure Island Job Corps, a federal training program where she focused on nursing and office administration skills. She then gained further professional experience working as an Education Ambassador at Oakland Housing Authority, which partnered with OUSD schools, and picked up part-time positions at Lockwood Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Club in San Leandro. Around the beginning of the pandemic, she interviewed for the Lion’s Pride instructor position and is now back where she started. Youth Program Coordinator, Maria Contreras said of her colleague, “Kwanya was one of the first teens I worked with. I’ve watched her grow. She took part in all of our workshops — resume building, career skills — and she was always volunteering at community events. We love for our students to come work with us and succeed, and Kwanya is now my co-worker.”
“Investing in our community is at the core of EBALDC’s Healthy Neighborhoods approach. We are an affordable housing developer that leads with our community development work,” said Elle Fersan, Executive Vice President of Resource Development and Communications. “That’s why we keep growing and providing more community-based and community-led solutions and services to ensure the well-being of our residents,” she added. “Most importantly, we believe in the power of community leadership and place-based approaches that emphasize rebuilding wealth and reshaping the narrative about the agency of disenfranchised communities.”