Here Comes The Neighborhood

A non-profit affordable housing developer sets an example as one of the first to move into an impoverished neighborhood.

1 minute read

December 31, 2005, 11:00 AM PST

By David Gest

Five years ago, Dan Short began a journey that would lead him to the â€œMustard Seed Development Corp. -- a community-centered nonprofit with deep religious roots. Short looked at the neighborhood...and discovered its ZIP code, 73114, made up the second-poorest in the Oklahoma City. Mustard Seed's plan became to take the entire area and make it the group's focus...In order to address these concerns, Short decided he had to practice what he would soon begin to preach. He moved into the neighborhood."

"It's the core belief we have. By moving here and living here, we are close to the people that we're working with and we become their neighbors and their families. We become connected in very real waysâ€¦It makes it possible for us to do a much more effective job of understanding what the needs are and developing solutions with them -- not for them."

FULL STORY: Like a Good Neighbor

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 in Oklahoma Gazette

Community / Economic Development Oklahoma

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