Work Not in the Community, but of the Community

October 2020

45 Stories for 45 Years

Contributor: Sean Sullivan, Owner of The Port Bar, EBALDC Board Chair

As a director at Covenant House, a national nonprofit providing housing and support services to young people in need, I came to Oakland nearly 20 years ago to find a building that would suit our needs for a shelter in the East Bay. We enlisted the help of real estate broker, and then EBALDC Board Member, Victor Jin.

Throughout our search, Victor expounded on the services and support that EBALDC was creating in the Oakland communities they served and beyond. By the time we had secured a property for the Covenant House shelter (Governor Jerry Brown’s former residence, a sprawling yet monastic compound off Jack London Square), I had begun to look at EBALDC and the organization’s approach as a model for how to engage with the community to make the changes and improvements they want and need.

In 2017, I joined the EBALDC Board and last year stepped into the role of Board Chair. It is an honor for me personally and professionally to be a part of this organization. It is an honor to be able to lend my skills and my efforts, through EBALDC, to play such a major role in not only the affordable housing space in the Bay Area, but also in providing the services and support our communities need to be healthy.

Vince Gray, my mentor at Covenant House in Washington D.C. and immediate past mayor, used to remind us that our work was not to be in the community, but of the community. That simple idea of centering the community and working with residents each step of the way, not just swooping in and doing a project on their behalf, has served as a guiding principle of mine ever since. I am proud to continue to live my values in service of EBALDC and our vision for an equitable and healthy East Bay.

 As EBALDC marks our 45th anniversary, we will be gathering more stories like this one from our friends, family, community members, partners and more stakeholders that have made our impact possible. We would be honored for you to join us:

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