In December of 2022, Steve Wilson became one of our newest Home on the Westside homeowners when he moved into 850 Proctor Street in the English Avenue neighborhood near Kathyrn Johnson Memorial Park. For Wilson, buying a home in the community where he was raised is special.

“The process for Home on the Westside was surprisingly simple, and it made me feel really at ease. I ended up with a wonderful home in a wonderful neighborhood back where I grew up…and I’m feeling like I’m back home again,” said Wilson.

He joins three Proctor Street Home on the Westside homeowners with two more closing on their new homes in March. Check out his home buying journey: https://youtu.be/ZOKDiAgE8II

Revitalizing our community is a team effort, one that relies heavily on the support of our many incredible volunteers. To thank them for their hard work and dedication, we shine a light on people who actively support our mission.

This month, we honor Nosha Harwell. See what inspires him to give her time as a volunteer for Westside Future Fund.

Q: How did you first hear about the Westside Future Fund?

A: I met John Ahmann while he was jogging on the Beltline near the beginning of the COVID-19 era and I was giving out hand sanitizer via my company Pureneed. He asked me how much my sanitizer was and I told him it was free. Then he asked, “How much will 50 bottles cost?I would like to give them to the homeless.” I was shocked and excited at the same time.

I only had 48 bottles, so Ibottled the last two while he was standing there. He told me all about Westside Future Fund, and the rest is history. Ever since then, I have made it my business to pay it forward by volunteering.

Q: What is your favorite part about serving with the WFF Volunteer Corp?

A: My favorite part about serving with the WFF Volunteer Corps is being a part of something bigger than myself. WFF brings different people together to work as a team. Plus, I enjoy getting out of the house, meeting my neighbors, setting goals, and accomplishing them.

Q: What inspires you about this service opportunity?

A: It’s the feeling I get from helping others that keeps me coming back. Knowing that I have the power to change lives and serve the community means a lot to me. And I’m inspired by the chance to be a part of the rebuilding and development of the historic Westside.

Q: What do you want others to know about the Westside Future Fund and why it’s so important?

A:  WFF puts smiles on many faces. They’re like angels sent from heaven, and they need everyone’s help rebuilding underdeveloped communities like the Westside of Atlanta. Our community can count WFF because they provide us with hope. It’s important that communities have leaders and organizations like this to move toward a brighter future.

While exploring the historic Westside, you’ll find Black history that made American history on nearly every block — including the streets you’re driving on. There are several streets in the community named after nationally prominent Black leaders from Atlanta, each of whom contributed to advancing civil rights and democracy for all Americans. While some names are more well known than others, each of them have made history worth knowing.

In honor of Black History Month, we are taking a trip down some of these iconic streets to learn more about their namesakes.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard

Today, almost every major city in the United States has a street named after the icon of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968). His role guiding the movement cannot be overstated — Dr. King was the face of the fight for equality for Black Americans.

He was a scholar, having first graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Westside Atlanta, and then earning degrees from Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University.

Dr. King moved to Alabama after meeting Corretta Scott, a native of Alabama also studying in the city. They got married and moved closer to her family in Alabama in 1953. He first worked as a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, one of the most influential churches in the local Black community. During the following year, a series of segregated seating incidents on public buses led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956. King was a key leader in the movement, and by the end had gained national recognition.

Over the next decade, Dr. King led marches, sit-ins and protests across the country in the name of civil rights and equality. Alongside fellow luminaries, Dr. King co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group that led the charge against racial segregation in the South. His leadership in the Civil Rights Movement led to tremendous achievements and pivotal legislative gains including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. On October 14, 1964, Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In 1968, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan established Martin Luther King, Jr. Day honoring his pivotal role in securing equal rights for Black Americans — and his legacy continues to inspire people to this day.

In 1976, Hunter Street would be renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Atlanta to honor the Civil Rights legend. The street ran directly through the area where Dr. King lived and learned, being home to landmarks where he ate, learned, prayed and planned his movements including Pascal’s restaurant, West Hunter Street Baptist Church and more.

Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard

Though only three years older, Reverend Ralph David Abernathy (1926-1990) is often referred to as a mentor of Dr. King. More importantly, he was Dr. King’s closest friend.

Abernathy was a Baptist minister at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, the largest Black church in the city. He collaborated with Dr. King to form the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization that went on to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Rev. Abernathy later co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) alongside Dr. King and other civil rights leaders. Rev. Abernathy assumed the role of president of the organization following Dr. King’s assassination.

Over the next two decades, Rev. Abernathy served as an advisory committee member of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), addressed the United Nations (UN) on the matter of world peace, brokered a deal between the FBI and American Indian Movement protestors during the Wounded Knee incident of 1973, and testified before the U.S. Congress in support of extending the Voting Rights Act in 1982.

Today, West Hunter Street Baptist Church, where Rev. Abernathy preached during his time in Atlanta, is under renovation.

Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard

Known as the “Dean of the Civil Rights Movement,” Reverend Joseph E. Lowery (1921-2020) started as a minister at the Warren Street Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and later joined Dr. King in the fight for equality.

Rev. Lowery spearheaded the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, an organization dedicated to desegregation, and took part in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Lowery, like Rev. Abernathy, was one of the co-founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Rev. Lowery succeeded Rev. Abernathy as president in 1977. In addition to his involvement with the SCLC, Rev. Lowery also co-founded the Black Leadership Forum, a consortium of Black advocacy groups.

Following the end of the Civil Rights Movement, Rev. Lowery was a leading advocate for the end of apartheid in South Africa and he served as pastor of Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta from 1986 through 1992.

Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway

Formerly Bankhead Highway, this thoroughfare is named after famed civil rights attorney and activist Donald Lee Hollowell (1917-2004). Hollowell was pivotal in the effort to desegregate schools throughout the state of Georgia, leading lawsuits that would ultimately integrate Atlanta Public Schools and the state public universities including the University of Georgia in 1961.

Hollowell also acted as one of Dr. King’s personal attorneys, freeing him from prison in 1960. His work in Georgia garnered national recognition, and in 1966, he was appointed regional director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by President Lyndon B. Johnson, becoming the first Black regional director of a major federal agency.

Joseph E. Boone Boulevard

Reverend Joseph E. Boone (1922-2006) was the head pastor of the Rush Memorial Congregational Church of the Atlanta University Center and a key figure of the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. Boone is best known for his leadership in launching the Atlanta Student Movement and working to integrate stores, restaurants and schools in the city.

Dr. King named Rev. Boone the chief negotiator of Operation Breadbasket, a program that encouraged businesses to employ Black Americans. Boone led a team of more than 200 ministers in more than 30 cities for the operation. Then-Governor Jimmy Carter appointed Boone to the Governor’s Council on Human Relations in 1971, and Boone would go on to be a leader in the business community with a focus on improving the economic development of Black communities.

James P. Brawley Drive

A brilliant academic, James P. Brawley (1894-1985) served as president of Clark College from 1941 to 1965. Brawley relocated Clark College to its current location in the Atlanta University Center and launched initiatives to advance the school’s programs. Brawley was a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an organization that helped raise funds for several new buildings to be added to the campus.

His leadership at Clark College paved the way for the establishment of a development office, a restructured curriculum that included a new pharmacy program that would become nationally renowned, as well as an expansion of the university grounds to include an athletic field and new academic buildings. By the end of Brawley’s tenure, the university was operating on a surplus with zero debt.

Meet Sylvia Russell, WFF’s Governance and Nominating Committee Chair

In 2013, AT&T Georgia President Sylvia Russell decided it was time to retire. Russell came to Atlanta in 1996, and after more than 20 years of hard work and dedication with the telecom corporation, it was time to embark on a new mission. Russell considered having a relaxing, care-free retirement, but when she looked around Atlanta she said to herself ‘there’s still work to be done.’ That’s when she discovered Westside Future Fund (WFF).

Leading the Way

“I made a conscious decision to help make Atlanta a better place,” said Russell. “We have this huge wealth gap that is both troubling and perplexing. The Westside of Atlanta has consistently been left behind, and these neighborhoods have not benefited from the economic growth much of Atlanta has experienced. Rather than stand by, I wanted to be a part of doing something to make a difference, which is what led me to Westside Future Fund.”

Russell sits on the WFF Board of Directors and chairs the Governance and Nominating Committee. She also sits on the Booker T. Washington High School Go Team, an advisory group she describes as the ‘principal’s kitchen cabinet.’

She brings years of experience from a lengthy history of leadership in corporate and philanthropic organizations in Atlanta including service on the Board of Directors of the Technical College System of Georgia, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Corporation for Economic Development, the Woodruff Arts Center and Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE).

Cheering for the Westside

On the WFF Board, Russell’s extensive experience and knowledge help guide decision making on both economic and education initiatives. Among all of the work that she does with the Westside, there’s one role she believes is most important, and it is driven by her passion for the community.

“The most important thing I do is be a big cheerleader,” she said. “When people who know me ask what I’m doing, one of the first things that comes out of my mouth is the work of Westside Future Fund. I just feel so good about the possibilities it brings to the communities we’re serving.”

Russell’s extensive philanthropic involvement experience both personally and with AT&T Georgia has largely centered around education, which she describes as her primary focus.

According to her, bridging the wealth gap and priming members of the community to succeed requires stability in the four impact areas of focus for the Westside Future Fund: safety and security, cradle to career education, community health and wellness, and most importantly access to affordable housing.

Russell says, “When you think about the wealth gap and eradicating poverty, housing is a huge part of that. There is nothing like the stability of having a home. Without it, how can you do anything? How can you educate your kids?”

A Lasting Impact

After working with the organization for several years, she believes the Westside Future Fund is on the right track to make structural change, and she is confident that the mission to revitalize the community is being realized through their collective work.

“We work with the community and we listen to address all of the things that any of us would want for ourselves and for our families,” said Russell. “I think we’re creating a model that can be replicated over time by other communities. We are looking at it holistically and with the intent for this to be a systemic, long-term solution.”

As WFF continues its transformative work revitalizing the community, awareness of the importance of the organization’s mission remains a sticking point for Russell. She encourages people to experience the Westside community firsthand by taking one of the Westside Future Fund monthly tours.

Input from experienced leaders like Russell and the community have guided the tremendous success WFF has had in all of its initiatives – forging pathways for Westside residents to live in a safe, healthy and vibrant community.

“This is an organization that has dug in deep, has a plan, and is executing that plan. The plan is what makes the city better – and that makes all of us better.”

Westside Future Fund (WFF) touted its 2022 achievements at the first Transform Westside Summit of the year on Friday, January 20. After the Summit, WFF was featured in the SaportaReport (January 23) as an organization that successfully balances revitalizing communities with ensuring affordability for legacy residents. Read the story: https://tinyurl.com/WFFOffersLessons

Good News for the Westside

Community members and business leaders gathered to hear more about the mobilization of more than 700 individual volunteers across several projects throughout the year and progress toward a goal of developing or financing 800 affordable units in the community. So far, the organization has 219 units in service, 153 in development and another 304 planned for development – for a total of 676 units toward the 800 unit goal.

Panelists also highlighted the 970 Jefferson Street partnership with the Food Well Alliance and the growth of the Home on the Westside program.

Event Highlights

Westside Future Fund panelists included: Tameka Askew, Home on the Westside Manager; Rachel Carey, Chief Real Estate Officer; Charles Forde, Director of Project Finance; Raquel Hudson, Director of Programs; and Derrick Jordan, Real Estate Development Contractor.

Darryl Lesure, Senior Principal Lead at Chick-fil-A Corporate, kicked off the event by leading devotion and moderators Ebony Ford and Benjamin Early invited new members of the crowd to introduce themselves.

The moderators then took a moment to honor the late Yolanda Owens. Known as The Skincare Chef, Owens was loved and admired by the Westside community that she called home. In 2003, Owens launched Iwi Fresh, a holistic skincare business, and she opened her first brick and mortar location in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood in 2010.

Transforming Our Summits

Beginning in February, the organization will host the Transform Westside Summit on the third Friday of each month from 7:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The Summit, which began in 2016 as the brainchild of Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, was created to foster community fellowship and networking.

“We hope that starting later and hosting fewer meetings each month will help us maintain a high rate of engagement among Westside residents and community supporters,” said Ahmann. “More than 10,000 people have attended our Summits over the years, and we hope more people will find value in the information we continue to share.”

Couldn’t attend the event? Watch the full Transform Westside Summit on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mByhV3qQDkA

Revitalizing the Westside is a team effort, one that relies heavily on the support of our many incredible volunteers. To thank them for their hard work and dedication, we will shine a light on people who actively support our mission.

This month, we recognize Rani Shrivastava. A few years ago, Rani embarked on a personal mission to collect books for Westside children and families – all out of the kindness of her heart and a drive to make a difference. See how Rani started volunteering with us.

Q: How did you first hear about the Westside Future Fund?

A: I was talking with my mother about wanting to support schools in Atlanta, but I didn’t know what to do. Later that same day, my mother’s friend mentioned that Westside Future Fund may be a good place to get involved. I went to the website and found what I was looking for – an organization that could help children’s education in my hometown.

Q: What is your favorite part of serving with the WFF Volunteer Corp?

A: Being able to serve my community is my favorite part of working with the WFF Volunteer Corp. WFF is so well organized and impactful here in Atlanta. Helping  build my community is such a rewarding experience and observing the impact my efforts have made make it all the better.

Q: What inspires you about this service opportunity?

A:  Reading has always been a passion of mine, and that gave me the idea to collect books and donate them to WFF. I was happy to foster a child’s love for reading. I collected books ranging from picture books to chapter books and novels, too.

Q: What do you want others to know about the Westside Future Fund and why it’s so important?

A: WFF is invigorating a large part of our Atlanta metro community. So many Atlantans are proud to be associated with Dr. King, and WFF helps make Atlanta a city he would be proud of.

 

This past holiday season was something special for Steven, Jarrett, and Mila. In the final month of 2022, the three became new homeowners when they closed on Westside Future Fund (WFF) homes in English Avenue.

Each celebrated their closings with a ceremonious contract signing alongside members of the WFF team.

The purchases were made possible by the Home on the Westside program, an initiative to promote community retention by providing financing support to help lower the cost of homeownership.

Two of the homes can be found on Proctor Street just a quick walk across the street from Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park. The third home is a few blocks away on Meldrum Street on what  was formerly blighted, vacant land.

We are looking forward to even more closings in 2023. This month, another new single-family homeowner will be celebrating with a closing, and construction on five more properties will be complete in the first quarter.

It doesn’t stop there. Over the next six months, we will have ribbon cutting ceremonies for the completion of four different multi-family property renovations that were formerly blighted and vacant. These additions will bring a total of 33 rental units to our Home on the Westside program.

We look forward to a year of celebrations on the Westside.

After decades of neglect in English Avenue, a cluster of multi-family housing properties are finding new life. Just a block from Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway at the corner of Echo Street and Fox Street, Westside Future Fund acquired three multi-family housing complexes and is now renovating them as affordable housing units.

Two of the buildings were tenant occupied at purchase, and the third building was in desperate need of repair. Those repairs are underway and the building is currently in the framing stage. Once complete, it will house seven new units in addition to the 23 units in the existing two buildings – made possible thanks to acquisition and renovation financing funding from the WFF Impact Fund, charitable donors, and Invest Atlanta for providing the acquisition and renovation financing funding.

WFF has hired oaksATL as the contractor for this rebuild. Founded in 2016, oaksATL is a local Westside non-profit organization dedicated to combating community deterioration.

With increasing property development in the immediate area, the cost to rent a one-bedroom unit in the surrounding market starts at approximately $1,800 per month, well above the cost of rent two decades ago. The rising costs of housing in the new developments has trickled down to existing homes, with many legacy residents seeing their rent increasing to unaffordable amounts.

WFF is offering units in their newly renovated multi-family housing complexes for as low as $700 per month through the Home on the Westside program, a community retention initiative that prioritizes residents with a live, learn or work connection to the community.

WFF has a strong commitment to affordability to support legacy residents, utilizing raised charitable funds and a partnership with Atlanta Housing Authority to subsidize rent.

Multi-Family Projects in the Mix

Derrick Jordan, Westside resident and real estate development consultant at WFF, helps to guide the organization’s multi-family development projects to completion. For him, the role WFF plays in maintaining the fabric of the community is essential.

“Because of high-priced housing coming into the neighborhood and surrounding areas, we offer stability for legacy families who want to remain in the community,” said Jordan. “And the work we’re doing with new construction and rehabilitation is centered around successful community nodes that provide livable resources and potential employment.”

The Echo Street project is one of many multi-family development projects WFF that is slated for completion this year The initiative to produce quality, affordable multi-family housing throughout Vine City and English Avenue is a direct result of the Land Use Framing Plan developed and sponsored by the City of Atlanta and WFF and codified by the Atlanta City Council four years ago.

According to Jordan, “The plan was formed through a lot of community input and citizen participation. People came to the meetings and said ‘hey, this is what we want our community to look like.’ Affordable housing was laid out as one of the principal things the neighborhood needs, so we’ve been buying and rehabbing affordable homes in accordance with the plan the community helped create.”

There are currently 181 multi-family housing units in service thanks to WFF developments, and there are an additional 273 units either under construction or planned for construction in the near future that will also count against Mayor Dickens’ goal of 20,000 affordable units.

“The stability these projects bring to the community members is critical to preserving the fabric of who these communities are,” said Jordan.

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

More than 900 volunteers gathered to celebrate the legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the community. The MLK Day of Service brought together those who are committed to the mission of Westside Future Fund (WFF) – to revitalize the historic Westside and build a community that Dr. King would be proud to call home.

Our volunteer corps facilitated eight service projects throughout the historic Westside neighborhoods served by WFF including schools, museums, and community resource centers. Volunteers completed tasks like organizing, painting, cleaning, planting and repairing. Their efforts helped beautify and breathe life into each space while also building community with each other.

Dr. King lived and learned on the Westside. He attended Booker T. Washington High School (Ashview Heights Neighborhood), and he graduated from Morehouse College (AUC Neighborhood). In 1965, he and his wife purchased 234 Sunset Avenue in historic Vine City where his family lived for years after his death in 1968.

Atlanta is the birthplace of Dr. King and numerous other Civil Rights Movement luminaries who lived and learned in Atlanta, such as Reverend Joseph Lowery, Hosea Williams, Xernona Clayton, Ralph David Abernathy and Dorothy Bolden, who shared his dream for equality and opportunity for all.

Thank you to our 800+ volunteers who helped us honor Dr. King’s service legacy.

As part of Home on the Westside this year, Westside Future Fund placed several families in affordable rental single-family homes in historic English Avenue.

Ladonna Jackson has been in her home for two years, and having a place to call her own feels even more special during the holiday season.

“When we first were told we have a 4 bedroom/4 bath house, we danced the whole night away. We are truly blessed after being homeless for 10 years. We have been in our home since 2019, and it still feels like we just moved in. Part of the holiday fun is decorating our home together. God is truly amazing and we owe it all to Him. Thanks Westside Future Fund for allowing us to live in this home. From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!”

Monnica Taylor joins Ladonna Jackson in English Avenue and says, “Our home has always been our happy place as long as we have each other. However, this year it is on a different level. I have dreamed about good things happening to people –  and my dreams are really coming true! Christmas is our absolute favorite holiday and we’ve enjoyed putting our decorations up. We will never forget the kindness and support that have been shown to each of us. Everyone involved has my family’s deepest thanks.”