Affordable housing is the defining crisis so many cities are facing, said Grace Levin. And she wants to be part of the solution.

Grace, a student in the Master's for Urban Planning Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, is South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation’s summer intern; part of her experience here will be solidifying what side of urban planning she wants to pursue.

“I came in interested in being sort of a general planner,” she said, “but I think as I've taken more and more classes, and after this experience, too, I would love to continue working on affordable housing projects.”

IN THE NEWS!

South Boston NDC was featured on CBS Boston. Executive Director Donna Brown and Garden Manager Noah White talked about our lot on D Street and West 7th, which we’ll be transforming into a pocket park and community garden thanks to a grant from Lowe’s Hometowns!

South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation has been selected as a Lowe’s Hometowns grant recipient!

South Boston NDC will create a public pocket park and community garden on the lot it owns at the corner of D Street and West Seventh Street, an area of the neighborhood that lacks open space and trees. \

“We are thrilled to be selected as one of Lowe’s 100 projects for 2022,” said South Boston NDC Executive Director Donna Brown. “Our goal is to transform this lot into an asset that will provide an environmental improvement for the neighborhood and gardening access to low-income residents.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C., June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's revealed the 100 community-nominated impact projects that have been selected as part of this year's Lowe's Hometowns program, with 2022 serving as the first of a five-year, $100 million commitment to the communities it serves. With projects spanning 40 states and Washington, D.C., Lowe's will help restore and revitalize spaces that serve as the hubs and heartbeats of communities, including neighborhood housing, parks, community centers and much more.

Owen McCarthy has found himself a home at South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation … in more ways than one.

He’s not only a longtime resident (16 years) in South Boston NDC housing, he’s also the organization's maintenance manager.

He does everything from apartment cleanouts to yard maintenance to helping seniors hang their curtains … and everything in between.

Because Owen lives in South Boston NDC housing, “I’m close to [the residents]. I connect with them,” he said. “I know everything they are going through, too, because I’m in the same situation.”

Everything aligned just right for Elizabeth Quinn. The last year of her life was full thanks to a team of people who worked together to help her out.

“I think the biggest part was just knowing that she landed in a community place where her last year of life was rich and full because of the people that she was surrounded by,” said Kathy Lafferty, executive director at the South Boston Neighborhood House. “That, to me, is the best part of the whole thing.”