Renaissance Neighborhood Development
Corporation (RNDC) is a locally managed, locally governed
subsidiary of Volunteers of America, one of the nation's oldest, largest, and
most comprehensive human service charities. RNDC is a collaboration between
Volunteers of America Inc. and Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans. Our
initial goal is to create 1,000 units of workforce housing in Post-Katrina New
Orleans.
Volunteers of America was founded in 1896 by social reformers
Ballington and Maud Booth. The Booths pledged to "go wherever we are needed, and
do whatever comes to hand." That declaration took on new meaning in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The national organization and the local
affiliate of Volunteers of America saw that quality housing for working
individuals and families would be a huge need in New Orleans. The two entities
developed a plan to bring affordable housing to the residents of New Orleans
through the Coming Back Home Initiative which established the goal of creating
1,000 housing units in the Greater New Orleans Area and commissioned RNDC to
achieve this goal.
The Volunteers of America national office currently
owns and operates more than 250 affordable housing communities in 31 states
providing homes for more than 20,000 people, thus making it one of the nation's
largest non-profit housing organizations.
The partnership between these
entities will fully utilize Volunteers of America's vast housing experience and
its ability to secure funding through national relationships, as well as
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans' ability to select appropriate sites,
conceptualize developments, create and maintain local relationships, and manage
the development team for the implementation of selected projects. Working
together they have raised over $2 million dollars in investment capital toward
the achievement of the initial goal.
We are committed to serving working
households in the key employment sectors of New Orleans. These individuals are
critical to bringing about the full recovery of New Orleans and many have been
prevented from returning home because of the lack of affordable housing. We are
providing workforce housing in emerging urban neighborhoods, to create
developments that are in close proximity to employment opportunities, have good
access to commercial services and which are well served by public
transportation. We believe that housing is one component of collaboration in
building healthy communities, including services tailored to the needs of the
residents, jobs and economic development, quality education, public safety and
other essential infrastructure and public services.
Through the creation
and rehabilitation of both multi-family rental buildings and single family
for-sale housing, Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation is dedicated
to providing affordable, and safe housing to the working people of New Orleans
and to those still struggling to return home post Katrina.
