The Cooperative Community of New West Jackson (CO-OP NWJ) is a grassroots, resident-led development model that seeks to revitalize West Jackson, Mississippi, starting with an eight-block neighborhood called Hood Hill. Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM) is the fiscal sponsor. VOCM’s mission, which is also located in Jackson, MS, is to build strong individuals, families, churches, and communities that reach their full potential.

CO-OP NWJ works to create sustainable solutions to the chronic economic and social challenges faced by neighborhood residents by purchasing homes that have been auctioned because residents did not keep up with property taxes and by producing goods and services that earn residents incomes that will help them retain and maintain their homes. In 2023, CO-OP NWJ focused on community-driven efforts to build needed infrastructure in their neighborhoods. These efforts include a garden and orchard to provide community access to fresh food through a CSA share program and three cooperative businesses where residents are trained and paid to maintain and build houses and property, among others. CO-OP NWJ fully embodies the June Jordan quote, “We are the ones we have been waiting for” and their efforts reflect a deep interconnected power-building and community cohesion strategy that has been years in the making. AmbitioUS provided $75,000 of renewed general operating support to CO-OP NWJ through its fiscal sponsor, Voice of Calvary Ministries.