REACH RIVERSIDE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

The REACH Riverside Development Corporation was formed in 2017 to remove the barriers to prosperity and well-being facing Wilmington, Delawares Riverside neighborhood, a community experiencing the devastating impacts of decades of discrimination and neglect. REACH is the community quarterback entity leading implementation of the Purpose Built Communities revitalization model, a holistic approach focused on housing, education and health initiatives.

REACH is also the managing partner of The WRK Group, a group of three nonprofits - REACH Riverside, Kingswood Community Center (KCC), and The Warehouse (TWH) - working with Riverside residents to revitalize the community and remove barriers to prosperity. This unique organizational structure enables Kingswood and The Warehouse to focus on service delivery, while REACH leads redevelopment strategy and houses administrative functions such as development, marketing, finance/accounting, and human resources for all three organizations. Today the WRK Group is made up of 50 employees who deploy over $10 million in annual revenue to create opportunities that will enable the residents of Riverside to thrive.

The WRK Group has made remarkable progress in just five years: construction of the first 141 mixed income housing units of Imani Village (Phases 1 and 2) were completed in fall 2022 and summer 2023, respectively. The Teen Warehouse, created in 2018, opened in 2021 and now serves over 200 teens annually with workforce development and enrichment programs; KCC has doubled the number served through its Early Learning Academy, youth, family and senior programs. During the Covid-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida flooding in 2021, REACH mobilized and delivered vital relief efforts for the entire community.

Over the next eight years the plan calls for: the completion of Imani Village in five phases, creating 552 additional units of mixed income housing and up to 100 units of homes for ownership; building a new, 80,000SF Kingswood Community Center facility to replace the current aging 17,000SF facility; implementation of the RESTORE program (Real Estate Strategies To Obtain Racial Equity) where catalyst properties will be purchased and developed to provide community serving amenities and home ownership opportunities; and supportive and enriching programs for all ages will be provided with outstanding quality, responsiveness and positive outcomes. The WRK Group and its partners have raised $254 million for this 14-year project, including a $50 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant.

Aspirational Goals & Primary Outcomes
o Families have access to high quality, long-term, mixed income affordable housing yielding
social connectiveness vital to economic transformation
▪ At least 80% of the existing Riverside families residing within the community at the
inception of the initiative (2017) become housed in Imani Village – 238
families by end of 2028
o The built environment supports the community through the promotion of developing
commercial choice and creating equitable communal investments by community members
▪ 40 acres of underutilized property will be converted into community serving
properties by 2033
o Promote community wealth creation by access to affordable home ownership
▪ 100 homes facilitated by REACH will be acquired within the community

REACH Riverside is a promising example of a neighborhood place-based partnership that is employing a holistic approach that utilizes a broad network of partners, all focused on the highest need area of the city. Specifically, REACH has:

Built strong relationship at all levels of government.
Innovated around responsible land acquisition.
Effectively braided public and private funding to support the work.
Incorporated youth and community voice into organization leadership and programming.
Leveraged a broad network of partners to support programming and built environment.

The REACH Riverside Development Corporation was formed in 2017 to remove the barriers to prosperity and well-being facing Wilmington, Delawares Riverside neighborhood, an impoverished community (47.5% of households in poverty) experiencing the devastating impacts of decades of discrimination and neglect. REACH is leading implementation of the Purpose Built Communities revitalization model, a holistic approach focused on building mixed-income housing, education and health initiatives.

In 2019 REACH began development of a transformation plan for Riverside. The plan calls for the replacement of 273 dilapidated public housing units with 693 mixed income housing units to create Imani Village; up to 100 home ownership opportunities with financial education to support success; provision of economic mobility programs to residents; expansion of high quality early learning education; the provision of high quality K-12 education and out-of-school programming for children and youth; improved access to primary healthcare and wellness resources; and neighborhood economic development and job creation.

REACH has made remarkable progress in just five years: construction of the first 141 mixed income housing units of Imani Village (Phases 1 and 2) were completed in fall 2022 and summer 2023, respectively. The Teen Warehouse, created by REACH in 2018, now serves over 200 teens annually with workforce development and enrichment programs; REACH's service partner, Kingswood Community Center, has doubled the number served through its Early Learning Academy, youth, family and senior programs. During the Covid-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida flooding in 2021, REACH mobilized and delivered vital relief efforts for the entire community.

Over the next eight years the plan calls for the completion of Imani Village in five phases, creating 552 additional units of mixed income housing and up to 100 units of homes for ownership; building a new, 80,000SF Kingswood Community Center; economic development and neighborhood improvements; all bolstered with supportive programs for all ages.