Women's Housing and Economic Development Corp.

Using a model of place‐based community development, WHEDco is helping to restore the critical sense of pride of place and culture in the Bronx that was lost as a result of severe and protracted public disinvestment. While the destruction of the Bronx spanned more than a decade and did not come about as a single cataclysmic event such as Hurricane Katrina, its consequences have been equally traumatic and profound. The decline of the Bronx shredded the social fabric of tens of thousands of lives, resulting in a loss of memory of its extraordinary assets and an enduring sense of shame and responsibility among its residents, particularly today’s youth.In order to create a more beautiful, equitable, and economically vibrant Bronx, WHEDco works with neighborhood residents to restore pride of place and culture as the foundation for healthy neighborhood growth and individual achievement. These values serve as our guiding framework: Service to low‐income communities of the Bronx: We are rooted in communities of the South Bronx – historic, present and future. Pride of place: We believe that the physical environment and quality of life in communities have a profound effect on people. We seek to create beautiful, high quality, healthy places that enable residents to take pride in their communities and thrive. Health and wellness: We believe that health and wellness are critical factors in helping families and individuals to reach their potential and achieve success. Therefore we are committed to improving health and physical fitness among residents of the South Bronx. Learning and capacity building: We prize inquiry, learning, and capacity building, and are committed to continuously assessing our performance and making improvements. We also encourage and support staff professional development. Innovation: We are committed to out‐of‐the box approaches to solving social problems, and evaluating what works and what doesn’t. Strong partnerships: We believe that in order to achieve our mission, we need to build strong partnerships with an array of like‐minded organizations.  Therefore we seek opportunities for collaborative thinking and work.