Community Development Centers

This week Rich and I were live at the Home Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center, by the time our show was off the air, the center was really filling up, this year's focus was on Green trends in building, and there were lots of good ideas for everyone, in this day and age, any time you are considering new constuction, or remodeling you really ought to consider a green alternative. Check out some of my previous posts, we have had a lot of Green building partners on last year. We intervied Kerry Wilson from the Smith Hill Community Development Center.HUD has set the standard in policy reforms that help community organizations like The Smith Hill C.D.C. make a unique impact in the lives of its most vulnerable citizens. Smith Hill is a densely populated neighborhood and is home to one of the most ethnically diverse population in Providence; more than forty nationalities are represented. The neighborhood is also one of the most economically vulnerable in the city, and evidence of the housing market downturn is abundant, with many for sale and for rent signs along the streets. Last week, 49 multifamily properties were listed for sale in Smith Hill, many of them bank-owned, priced from $72,500 to $345,900. Some of the programs The center offers are :

• Before- and after-school programs for students.
• An early childhood program.
• One of the state's busiest food pantries.

In neighborhoods like these, the need for the organization and participation of local residents to meet the challenges of their communities is of increasing importance. One of their latest developments is Capitol Square at Smith Hill, a new mixed-use development on Douglas Avenue completed last fall. The development consists of 13 condominiums priced well under market from $159,900 to $239,000 and six commercial units. It is a welcome new addition where there had previously been an abandoned field.