When people ask me what CSNDC’s core mission is, the short answer is housing. It’s the true answer, too — for 45 years, “job one” for this organization has been building and preserving affordable homes in Codman Square, and we are not stepping back from that primary focus for a moment. But the longer I sit in this seat, the more I find myself giving a different answer: we are in the business of enhancing the lives of the residents of this community. Housing is where that work starts. It isn’t where it ends.
I’m an educator by training, and educators tend to distrust single-cause explanations. You can’t solve a problem without addressing the underlying causes. It’s all connected. So when a family doesn’t have a home, we ask what put them in that position. And once they do have a home, we ask the question that too often goes unasked: what does this family need to be able to stay and thrive there? The answer is never just about a building; it’s so much more.
When we think about this broader mission — the mission of enhancing lives — the shape of CSNDC’s organization and all our other programming suddenly makes sense.
I have been associated with CSNDC for several decades, and even I underestimated the scope of what happens and by how much this organization has quietly accomplished over the years. Our pipeline of properties in some stage of development is as robust as any I’ve seen, which is a real testament to the leadership of my predecessor, Gail Latimore. We’ve put environmental justice at the forefront in the heart of the city, as our Climate Justice Alliance gatherings routinely draw large numbers of participants thoroughly engaged in critical discussions. Our Oasis on Ballou Farm has reopened, growing organic food with no pesticides for a neighborhood that has always deserved exactly that. These are just a few examples; there’s so much more. The people running these programs don’t ask for credit. They just do the work and rejoice in the knowledge that their work is helping their community grow and thrive.
Despite all this great work, we are still having the same conversations about a shortage of housing and the constant uphill battle against displacement. Longtime neighbors who can’t make the math work anymore are moving to places where their money stretches further. And the community we know and love is changing as a result. That’s why we are working so hard with our partner organizations to do everything we can to preserve the opportunity for people to stay in Codman Square. Our goal with other local service agencies is to build a practical community infrastructure through a holistic approach so residents clearly know where to go for what they need.
The driver of all of this will be a new strategic planning process which we plan to kick off at the beginning of next year. Strategic planning is one of my favorite parts of this work because it’s the moment when we stop guessing and start listening. We know what we want. This is our chance to hear what our community wants.
My own hopes are already taking shape: a thriving merchant association and small businesses that make Codman Square a place residents will want to be, not a place they need to leave to find what they want. I envision an arts center, adult learning and workshops, and organized activities for youth. I hope our “On the Square” project, now under development for the block of buildings where CSNDC’s office currently resides, will become a bubbling epicenter for these kinds of activities in Codman Square for years to come.
Underneath all of it is the thing I keep circling back to, which is community. What community means to me is a connection of heart and soul. Authenticity comes from having a good heart — which is why I routinely walk these streets rather than sit at my desk. Community means we are accessible to one another, because we all want the same things: quality of life, fairness and equity, and the chance to be seen, heard, and valued. It also means elevating an attitude of “we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.” That’s the connection everything else is built on.
So, I hope you will join us on October 8 as we celebrate 45 years of this work and look ahead to many more years of making connections and building community here in Codman Square. A colleague at CSNDC likes to remind me that, “Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.” She’s right. We’ll take the time to reflect and focus our energies on work that means the most to the people we serve. And we’ll continue to build on the incredible momentum that is behind this organization right now.
People sometimes ask me how much I like my job. On a scale of 1-10, I would say it’s somewhere around a 12. My father-in-law used to say, “If you find a job you love, you never have to work another day in your life.” That’s how I feel about CSNDC. Believe me, I’m working hard, but it is on behalf of humanity — and I feel honored to be connected to that purpose.
With gratitude,
Ingrid
