NKCDC Annual Report

New Kensington Community Development Corporation

Fiscal Year 2017

Annual Report

ABOUT NKCDC With more than 30 years of experience, we’ve developed a multifaceted approach to neighborhood revitalization.

New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) was founded in 1985 by the leadership of the local civic association to meet community housing needs.

In 1997, we pioneered vacant land management as a strategy for neighborhood revitalization. Today, we have distinguished ourselves as a multi-faceted community development corporation that empowers residents and business leaders to make positive changes in their community.

In the Fishtown, Kensington, and Port Richmond neighborhoods, NKCDC serves more than 30,000 low and moderate income families and 60,000 residents. NKCDC provides housing advising services to the greater Philadelphia region.

NKCDC has received the Best Practices award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Organization of Excellence award from NeighborWorks America, of which we are a chartered member.

OUR MISSION NKCDC strengthens the physical, social and economic fabric of the community by being a catalyst for sustainable development and community building.

Volunteers at the Green Building United work day. Improving the underpass at Frankford Ave and Lehigh Ave has long been a priority of NKCDC and local civic organization, the Somerset Neighbors for Better Living. Photo by Lowell Brown.

2017 at a Glance Healthy Homes

51 Individuals and families found a

home at Orinoka Civic House 161 Households received down payment assistance through Wells Fargo’s NeighborhoodLIFT program

223 Clients purchased homes 867 Received energy counseling 41 905 7,848 19,000

Engaged Communities Block leaders trained Vacant parcels stabilized Contributing volunteers Attendees at 160 NKCDC events

Sustainable Businesses 4 Commercial corridors

served and maintained 33 Businesses referred to the

Storefront Improvement Program

363 Businesses reached

(Top to bottom) Vetri’s Mobile Kitchen teaches healthy cooking at the NKCDC Garden Center.

Somerset Neighbors for Better Living board members watch a presentation at their monthly community meeting. A student at the Workshop School works on an entry to the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby made possible by Philadelphia Federal Credit Union. Photos by Lowell Brown.

2017 Highlight

Felix M. Torres-Colon Executive Director three metropolitan regions— New England, Baltimore, the greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area.

In Spring 2017, NKCDC enthusiastically welcomed Felix M. Torres-Colon as the next Executive Director, following the retirement of longtime Executive Director, Sandy Salzman.

He brings a lifelong commitment to community development, deep familiarity with the Philadelphia region, and warm relationships with many of NKCDC’s partners, including the congressionally chartered NeighborWorks America organization, of which NKCDC is a member.

“I know that Sandy, her staff, and the board have built one of the best CDCs in the country,” Felix said upon arriving at NKCDC. “I’m Felix is a veteran leader in the honored to be able to join community development field them and contribute to this legacy.” with diverse experience in

Felix holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Harvard University and completed graduate coursework in City Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Working with communities is the best job in community development,” Felix said.

“Along with the staff, the Philadelphia communities NKCDC works with are engaged and actively transforming themselves, which is a critical part of their sucess.”

Felix lives in Willingboro, New Jersey, with his wife Sharon, and several rescue dogs.

2017 Highlight

ORINOKA CIVIC HOUSE A $17.8 million overhaul of the abandoned Orinoka Mills factory in Kensington opens its doors.

Once a textile mill for curtains and upholstery, Orinoka Mills sat vacant for three decades at the corner of Ruth and Somerset Streets in Kensington. The deteriorating building was a magnet for drugs, blight, and crime until NKCDC took ownership.

In 2015, we began transforming the 70,000 square foot eyesore into a vibrant, mixed-use building including 51 affordable apartments, a small commercial space, an indoor community room, and home to NKCDC’s main offices.

and activities. Residents have already held holiday potlucks and cookie-baking events, participated in a tree-planting day, and joined a weatherization workshop.

The restoration of Orinoka Civic House is a catalytic moment for the neighborhood. When NKCDC’s main offices move to Orinoka in 2018, we will bring our core services to the heart of Kensington and within easy walking distance of the Market-Frankford line’s Somerset station.

Our physical presence in the neighborhood will serve as an anchor for new commercial activity and increase access to services for community members.

As a major element of the 2013 North of In summer 2017, we completed the residential Lehigh Revitalization Plan, Orinoka serves as a physical example of the community-wide portion of Orinoka Civic House and new revitalization efforts underway. NKCDC has neighbors began moving into the renovated been working closely with residents and one and two-bedroom apartments. Priced between 20 and 60 percent of average median Somerset Neighbors for Better Living civic association over the last ten years to support income, these units help to meet a growing their vision for the neighborhood. We are need for affordable housing in Philadelphia. proud to open the doors of Orinoka Civic We anticipate the mixed-use building will serve House, but we are even more excited about the broader community action that it represents. as a hub for community-oriented programs Residents at Orinoka Civic House, volunteers from TD Bank, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society plant trees around the perimeter of the building. Photo by Lowell Brown.

2017 Highlight

GATEWAY TRANSFORMATION For years, the blighted Viaduct underpass at Frankford and Lehigh was a source of frustration in the neighborhood.

Improving the underpass has long been a priority of NKCDC and the local civic organization, the Somerset Neighbors for Better Living (SNBL). Working with the Community Design Collaborative at SNBL meetings, residents envisioned Frankford Avenue as a clean and safe neighborhood gateway.

Over the last few years—with financial support from Conrail, Domus, the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program, and the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation—NKCDC stabilized vacant lots along the Viaduct, planted small gardens, and

installed LED pedestrian lighting under the tracks.

In 2017, we undertook a full transformation of the vacant lots at the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Sterner Streets as the Green Building United’s (formerly the Delaware Valley Green Building Council) inaugural Community Impact Project. With the help of local businesses and neighbors, Green Building United and NKCDC raised over $14,000 to brighten the gateway with gardens. In June, more than 60 volunteers built trellises, installed a drip irrigation system, and planted fruit trees, perennials, berry bushes, and wildflowers.

We are continuing to work closely with residents to stabilize the Viaduct through public safety partnerships, community art, and greenspace activation.

(Left) Volunteers from Green Building United, NKCDC, and the community plant gardens near the underpass. Photo by Carlos Masip. (Right) NKCDC’s Vacant Land Management crew cleans the underpass. Photo by Lowell Brown.

THE KENSINGTON STOREFRONT: A PORCH LIGHT HUB

neighborhood and helps participants cope A new collaboration brings with and recover from trauma. behavioral health resources, arts therapy, and a community gathering With the help of the Local Initiatives space to Kensington Avenue.

In January 2017, Mural Arts Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services launched a hub of their collaborative Porch Light program—an innovative pilot that combines art with behavioral health services—on Kensington Avenue.

In partnership with community organizations NKCDC, Impact Services, and Prevention Point Philadelphia, the Kensington Storefront provides an accessible space for community meetings, weekly arts programming, and free social services such as legal clinics, flu shots, and job assistance.

In the spring of 2017, the Kensington Storefront began bringing together diverse community members—adults, children, those living with addiction, transient homeless, and business owners—to make art that beautifies the

Support Coalition, we sponsored two creative placemaking projects over the summer.

To make the space feel more safe and welcoming at all times of day, artist Ali Williams led workshops to establish a series of positive affirmations for Storefront visitors, which became the “Forgive and Grow” mural on the front grate.

Resident and brick sculptor, Michael Morgan, taught community members different ways to leave their mark on both bricks and the community. One participant, a transient homeless woman, humbly described the brickmaking workshop as one of the first times she felt part of the wider Kensington community.

She expressed gratitude for being able to contribute to something permanent in the neighborhood. The community-made bricks now stand as part of a 10-foot- tall sculpture at the Frankford Gateway.

STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS, STRONGER NEIGHBORS The Sustainable Communities Initiative brings together Kensington stakeholders to build a stronger community.

The Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) partnership between NKCDC, IMPACT Services, and Philadelphia LISC, is a holistic approach to neighborhood development. Bringing together neighborhood stakeholders, the initiative tackles equitable real estate development, health and safety, economic development and policy, and community leadership.

The Kensington partners are working on a new traumainformed approach to community development that will incorporate mental and behavioral health practices into block-by-block community organizing.

We aim to acknowledge the physical and mental toll that comes from living in a neighborhood

suffering from decades of disinvestment, neglect, poverty and the opioid epidemic, without allowing these experiences to be the defining characteristics of the community, or its residents.

In 2017, community leaders joined in co-design sessions to develop a training curriculum specific to the needs of Kensington. Using NKCDC’s network of Community Connectors, this new model will connect residents with traumainformed principles and equip them with new tools to share power, build trust, communicate with compassion, and promote safety on their blocks.

We will launch a four-block pilot of the trauma-informed community development model in the spring of 2018, but the co-design process already is creating positive change in the community. “Through this process, I found my imagination.” said resident Brenda Mosely.

(Top to bottom) Mural on the Kensington Storefront grate by Ali M. Williams. Community leaders participate in co-design sessions. All are welcome at Tea and Textiles, a weekly program at the Kensington Storefront. Photos by Lowell Brown and Tishara Grayson.

UNLOCKING THE DOORS TO HOME OWNERSHIP By connecting homebuyers with the tools they need, NKCDC works to make home ownership a reality for everyone.

When a client walks through our doors, NKCDC housing advisors are with them every step of the way. In addition to homebuyer education workshops and one-on-one support, NKCDC partners with non-profit lending institutions to bring down payment assistance to homeowners throughout Philadelphia.

With Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks we connected 161 homebuyers to the NeighborhoodLIFT program, sponsored by Wells Fargo in partnership with NeighborWorks America, in the last year. The program provided grants between $2,500 and $7,500 to eligible homebuyers in Philadelphia County.

As NeighborhoodLIFT began winding down, we entered another partnership

with Finanta to bring Project Reinvest: Homeownership, which provides $10,500 long-term, interest-free down payment assistance loans, to Philadelphia.

In June, Darrell and Shalaya Hendricks became one of the first families to take advantage of the program. After a few bad renting experiences, they decided to buy their first home. They took an online first-time homebuyer workshop with NKCDC and met one-on-one with a housing advisor to discuss budgeting and credit, mortgages, and the home-buying process. They qualified for Project Reinvest down payment assistance and now they have a home to call their own.

Over the last 30 years, NKCDC has helped thousands of families purchase their first homes. We aim to build sustainable and engaged communities through healthy, secure housing.

The Hendricks family bought their first home in June thanks in part to a Project Reinvest: Homeownership down payment assistance loan.

Photo by Lowell Brown.

OUR WORK Community Engagement

Vacant Land Management

Through interaction with city and state governments, we give voice to resident concerns. Our Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) organizes and mobilizes residents; our Community Connectors program advances block associations and equips block leaders; we work with neighbors to start and support local civic associations; and in collaboration with Impact Services and Philadelphia LISC, we are developing a trauma-informed approach to community development.

In response to community need, NKCDC pioneered the use of vacant land management as a tool for community development. We create clean and green open spaces, organize volunteer greening projects, and stabilize and maintain vacant lots throughout the neighborhood.

Economic Development We promote local business development to create jobs and community wealth. We match entrepreneurs and existing businesses with city and state resources, publish a local business directory, maintain an inventory of available commercial properties, provide corridor management for five local commercial corridors, and work with the arts as a vehicle for economic stimulation.

Housing Services Since 1985, NKCDC has helped more than 4,000 low and moderate income families purchase their first home. We offer biweekly homebuyer workshops, weatherization education, energy assistance, financial literacy, and foreclosure prevention.

Real Estate Development We bring life to abandoned buildings with the development of affordable housing and collaborate with city, state and federal agencies on brownfield redevelopment. Our recent projects include Coral Street Arts House (2005), Awesometown (2016) and Orinoka Civic House (2017).

Resident and artist Michael Morgan works on his sculpture at the Frankford Gateway with bricks made by community members at a Kensington Storefront workshop. Photo by Bea Rider.

Scenes from the 2017 Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby & Arts Festival.

Photos by Lowell Brown.

PFCU KENSINGTON KINETIC SCULPTURE DERBY & ARTS FESTIVAL The Philadelphia Federal Credit Union Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby and Arts Festival is a wacky, creative celebration of human-powered transit and neighborhood artists in East Kensington.

On Saturday, May 20, 2017, 22 Derby teams, 200+ local arts vendors, and 15,000 spectators joined in this design competition, parade of human-powered vehicle floats, and arts festival to promote local businesses and raise funds for the community development work of the East Kensington Neighbors Association and NKCDC.

Thank you to our 2017 Sponsors TITLE SPONSOR

Philadelphia Federal Credit Union

PLATINUM

Essentia Water J2 Philadelphia Brewing Company

GOLD

Devil Fish Ink JA Cunningham Equipment

SILVER

Stuart Leon Bike Crash Law

BRONZE

Citizen Bank Diamond & Associates Fireball Printing Johnny Brenda’s Last Stop

NextFab Philly Cam Vision Zero Philadelphia

FRIENDS OF THE DERBY

City Fitness Design Philadelphia Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles Front Street Cafe Greensgrow Farms Little Giant Creative RAIR Vestige Witty Gritty

PRIZE BAG DONATIONS

Art Machine Productions At Home Modern Bikes and Beans Black Vulture Gallery Bunch of Everything Delicious Boutique

& Corseterie DiPinto’s Guitars Ed’s Barber Shop Evil Genius Brewing Company Firth & Wilson Transport Cycles Fishtown Animal Hospital Fishtown Bikes and Beans Fishtown Pharmacy Flotation Forkspoon Studio Franklin and Poe Head Games Joe’s Steaks La Colombe Lloyd’s Whiskey Bar Love and Hair Peace Philadelphia Drum and Percussion Pole Studio Rowhouse Distillery Shoo-Fry

Sketch Burger Slice Pizza Smooth N Pops Soup Kitchen Café Sulimay’s Diner Two Percent to Glory Urban Exchange Vestige Weckerly’s

AFTER PARTY PARTNERS

Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse El Cantinflas Flotation Kensington Quarters Lloyd’s Whiskey Bar Lululemon Riverwards Produce Shoo-Fry Sketch Burger The Igloo

OUR SUPPORT

Fiscal Year 2017

NKCDC is grateful for generous support from individuals and organizations who share our commitment to sustaining a vibrant, healthy community. The following list represents our funding partners from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.

ORGANIZATIONS

Beacon Church City of Philadelphia Commerce Department Division of Housing and Community Development Community College of Philadelphia Community Ventures Corporation Consolidated Rail Corporation Diamond & Associates Domus, Inc. Energy Coordinating Agency Excelon Employee Giving Campaign Fairmount Park Trust Fund First Presbyterian Church in Kensington Friends Center City Retirement Community The Grandom Institution Impact Services Corporation Independence Blue Cross/Keystone Health Plan East James Mayberry Property Management Keep Philadelphia Beautiful Local Inititatives Support Corporation M&T Charitable Foundation Mayors Fund for Philadelphia MB Charitable Foundation Mon Valley Initiative MR Contractor Inc Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks NeighborWorks America New York Community Trust (LJTJ Fund) One Clipboard/Splash

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Pew Charitable Trusts - Employee Matching Gifts Program Philadelphia Activities Fund Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development Philadelphia Federal Credit Union PREIT Charitable Fund St. Christophers Foundation for Children The Franklin Institute Third Sector New England/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation United Way Donor Choice Utility Emergency Service Fund VAR Construction Wells Fargo Regional Foundation

INDIVIDUALS

Anonymous Jeffrey Allegretti Michael Alles Wesley Cascone Fernando Chang-Muy Jenee Chizick John Consolvo Noelle Dames Kathleen Downey Ruth Erenberg David Fecteau Heather Hanowitz Mara Henao and Stephanie Altimari Dana Hirschenbaum Kristie Landry Giana Lawrence

Timothy Lederer Thailan Lim Matt and Jamie Ludwig Katherine Martin Deborah McColloch Arthur Meckler Nives Milotich Graham O’Neill Christine Paul Clifford Pearlman and Lynn Marks Marilyn Pitt Marissa Rumpf Rita Schiazza Joseph Sergio Maura Shenker Lynette Smart Elmira Smith Carol Smythe Jonathan Snyder Sydney Stewart Ruth Stuto Ana Ventura Juliet Whelan

IN-KIND Acme Lowes Shoprite TechSoup

*NKCDC makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of these listings.

Should you find an error, please contact Bea Rider at 215.427.0350 x111 or brider@nkcdc.org to make the correction.

(Left, top to bottom) Judges and spectators at the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby. Supporters at the Kensington Storefront opening. Volunteers paint a fence at a summer block party. Staff, residents, and volunteers at the Green Building United planting day. (Right) Over 7,800 volunteers gave their time at NKCDC events this year, such as the biannual community clean-up. Photo by Lowell Brown.

OUR FINANCES Current Assets

Current Liabilities

$ 1,879,993 Cash 394,136 Grants and contracts receivable 11,314 Prepaid expenses 104,873 Escrow accounts

Accounts payable Accrued payroll & expenses Escrow deposits Deferred revenue Mortgages payable Agency Liability

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS

$ 2,390,316

$ 94,545 54,337 3,571 54,674 13,619 18,869

Property & Equipment

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITY

Land $ 185,772 Buildings & building improvements 687,067 Equipment 174,722 Automotive 46,502 Less depreciation (632,008)

Long-Term Debt

TOTAL PROPERTY & EQUIPTMENT

$ 462,055

Other Assets Investments Mortgages receivable Property held for sale and investment Note receivable

Mortgage payable Loan loss reserve

TOTAL LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

$ 239,615

$ 2,342,943 50,000

$ 2,392,943

Net Assets $ 479,362 2,020,000 844,195 124,184

TOTAL OTHER ASSETS

$ 3,467,741

TOTAL ASSETS

$ 6,320,112

Unrestricted Temporarily restricted Permanently restricted

$ 3,021,236 188,132 478,186

TOTAL NET ASSETS

$ 3,687,554

TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS

$ 6,320,112

OUR FINANCES Support & Revenue Grants & contributions Contract revenue City of Philadelphia City of Philadelphia - NTI Non-government Other government Rental income Interest income Program fees In-kind services Home sales

TOTAL SUPPORT & REVENUE

$ 775,724 692,430 3,532,600 189,484 562,691 37,612 13,028 75,632 53,963 2,624,611

$ 8,557,775

Expenses Program services Community Engagement Real Estate Development Housing Counseling Economic Development General & administrative

TOTAL EXPENSES

$ 647,503 6,135,318 642,414 529,731 176,813

$ 8,131,779

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS $ 425,996

(Top to bottom) The rehabbed Orinoka Civic House building, completed 2017. A tour of Orinoka organized

by PlanPhilly makes a stop at the Kensington Storefront.

NKCDC passes out weatherization kits at an SNBL meeting.

Photos by Lowell Brown.

OUR STAFF As of January, 2018

Administration

Rhonda Anthony, Accounting Clerk Lowell Brown, Senior Advisor Lisa Burgos, Morning Receptionist Pauline Kemp-Gaines, Afternoon Receptionist Debbie Kinkead, Executive Associate Bea Rider, Resource Development Director Shawn Sheu, Communications Associate Andrew Stachelek, Bookkeeper Felix Torres-Colon, Executive Director

Real Estate Development

Brian Horne, Construction Associate Renee Horst, Resident Services Associate Barb Varela, Managing Director, Real Estate and Finance

Economic Development

Kaelyn Anderson, Economic Development Director Brian Cooper, Commercial Corridor Steward Tishara Grayson, Economic Development AmeriCorps VISTA Brian Green, Commercial Corridor Coordinator Kelli Walsh, Commercial Corridor Coordinator

OUR BOARD

Graham O’Neill, President Timothy Lederer, Vice President Sydney Stewart, Secretary Joe A. Sergio, Treasurer

Keiko Cramer Eddie Johnson Todd Kimmel Katie M. Martin Carlos Masip

Housing Services

Maria Bonilla, Housing Advisor Mary Campbell, Acting Director of Housing Services Joseph Filipski, Associate Director of Housing Services/ Compliance Officer Melissa Kucherich, Foreclosure Prevention/ Housing Advisor Sakinah Lester, Energy/Housing Advisor Lorie Meyer, Director of Housing Services

Community Engagement

Tess Donie, Associate Community Engagement Director Andrew Goodman, Community Engagement Director Tess Kerins, Organizational Advancement AmeriCorps VISTA Lizette Lewis, Social Work Intern Katsi Miranda-Lozada, Community Engagement Associate Rodney Mobley, Community Engagement Associate Ellie Vamos, Community Engagement AmeriCorps VISTA

Vacant Land Management

Noel Olmo, Landscaper Tiff Vidra, Open Space Manager/Special Projects

Deborah McColloch Kevin Musselman Bill Pace Mike Parsell Ron Reilly

Marissa Rumpf Maura Shenker John Theobald Erica Vanstone

OUR BOARD*

NKCDC staff smiles for a photo at Coral Street Arts House, January 2018.

New Kensington Community Development Corporation 2515 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125 215-427-0350 NKCDC strengthens the physical, social and economic fabric of the community by being a catalyst for sustainable development and community building.