By Leeann Wallett, Program Officer, Ambitio US
As we embark on the seventh year of Ambitio US , there is increased urgency to find and support experimental systems change work. In the midst of great uncertainty, we must continue this necessary, generational work of economic systems change that center people and the planet. This is the exact moment Dan and Ebony Edwards of neighborbuilt were not only made for, but motivated by. “The communities we represent have been fortunate in that there’s always been chaos around us. [Even so], we find out how to get by. We were built for this. We know how to navigate this.” The Edwards envision a bright future for their three young children — to ensure they grow up in a Kansas City full of potential not limited by neighborhood, where all residents can thrive.
neighborbuilt recognizes the commonality of the problem with neighborhoods across the US, and is working towards a solution that could benefit urban areas everywhere. “Many of the urban core communities look the same: there’s a business improvement district and a highway that segregates the city into two halves. The eastside is typically the more distressed area because it is downwind from the environmental toxins that blow from the westside. Many of these eastside communities are also designated Opportunity Zones,” says Dan.
“The Magnitude of Solutions Don’t Match the Magnitude of the Crisis”
neighborbuilt began its work and focus in the South Vine District, a historically Black community and hometown to co-founders, Dan and Ebony located on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri. neighborbuilt’s mission is to equip neighbors with the agency to rebuild, own, and operate their economies using its economy creation platform, which transforms low-production “distressed communities” into high-production, thriving economies. Throughout the years, the Edwards have experienced the challenges of trying to secure, repair, and (re)build housing, especially in historically Black neighborhoods.
In 2024, Ambitio US provided legal support to ensure neighborbuilt has durable legal structures that empower the community to own and govern their assets, and to position it for philanthropic, for-profit, and government investors. This partnership allowed Dan and Ebony the opportunity to launch a revolutionary project called OneMillion.Homes . “The housing crisis is the same in every city. The real issue is every traditional economic development model favors single-site, one-off projects,” says Dan. “The magnitude of solutions aren’t matching the magnitude of the crisis.”
Earlier this year, Dan flew to Las Vegas to announce a fund to build 500 homes in five cities — Kansas City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Chattanooga. The mayors of these five cities are part of the National Housing Crisis Task Force which will propose innovative federal, state, and local policies and practices around how to build and deliver “faster, cost-efficient housing solutions.” In other words, these cities are eager and willing to work with entities to come up with innovative solutions to the housing crisis like neighborbuilt’s plan to raise at least $50 million through a revolving construction fund in order to build at least 5,000 homes in the next 10 years.
Funding the future “Neighbor-conomy”
There is also a community ownership aspect to this work and the role it plays in building long-term, generational wealth, self-determination, and racial equity in historically neglected and distressed neighborhoods. In order to create a sustainable economy and create shared wealth, the Edwards, as the developer of record, will offer a Neighbor Stock Ownership Program (N.S.O.P.) in which neighbors, residents and businesses, owners and renters alike, are shareholders/stockholders, not in just their property, but the entire neighborhood redevelopment. Described as the “neighbor-conomy,” the new investment asset class includes all the elements needed to sustain an entire neighborhood: housing, commercial and businesses, amenities, public spaces, human capital, community wellness, and economic resiliency.
“By investing in this new asset class, individuals can generate wealth beyond the returns of a one-off home or single investment property and experience the wealth generated by the value creation of the entire stabilized neighborhood,” says Dan. An additional component of the neighbor stock ownership program is it enables neighbors to earn shares based on their many contributions outside of a direct purchase that are essential to an economy’s success.
All of this hard-earned knowledge got the Edwards thinking about how to pay it forward. They are working on a new education program called “How to Rebuild a Neighborhood.” “We want to create something that doesn’t exist yet; a dictionary or playbook that communicates and guides those who want to [re]build their neighborhood or help others get the opportunity of stability,” says Dan. The Edwards want to share their hard-earned knowledge and experience to imagine ‘This Old House’ 2.0 “…but for rebuilding and creating diverse neighborhoods for generations to come.”
For more information about neighborbuilt and its programs, please visit: OneMillion.Homes
This article was originally published on Medium. Read it on Medium →