About a year ago life changed radically for all of us. This period has been challenging in so many ways, but it has also helped us learn much about what makes us stronger and how we can grow.  As a result, Jubilee Housing is adapting in new ways that should position us for increasing impact in the days ahead. We are investing in our management infrastructure and skill sets so that we can support enhanced mission activities. We are going deeper in diversity and inclusion work at the staff and Board levels so that our work and culture matches the call for racial equity. And, we are pursuing a number of new projects including an expanded reentry housing and services continuum.  

Just as we were finalizing this column, we learned that Jubilee Housing’s EucKal project was selected to advance to the next stage of underwriting for financing from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD). This selection will allow us to break ground on 50 units of new justice housing in the coming months.

Coming off the heels of Women’s History month, we remain conscious of the particular gifts and contributions of women who have shaped our organization. Looking to the past there are co-founders Barbara Moore, Carolyn Banker Cresswell, and Terry Flood, two of which are still engaged in our work as board members.  There is Rosa Hatfield, our first resident Property Manager, who we feature in this edition. In the present, notable leaders such as Director of Youth Services Audrey Walker (see her recent blog post here), and Dorothy Larimer, Vice President of Property Management and Development. In this newsletter, we will introduce you to a few of these women.

As you read the articles below, please celebrate these people and their contributions with us, and notice that a sense of normalcy and joy is returning!