Renaissance West Community Initiative

With the commitment of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty by improving economic mobility, Renaissance West Community Initiative (rwci) leads the revitalization of a Community in West charlotte (nc). As a member of the purpose built communities network, our comprehensive, place-based approach is centered on Community investment strategies that empower the neighborhood by focusing on educational advancement, housing stability, income stability and health equity. Rwci's revitalization framework encompasses mixed-income housing, a cradle-to-career education continuum and supportive services for individuals and families. The Community is comprised of 1,300 residents (the Renaissance and little rock apartments) and includes 334 units of family and senior housing. The campus also includes a high-quality child development center, a pre-k thru 8 public school with a steam focus and a Community center. Life navigation and wraparound supports include case management/care coordination, early childhood interventions, academic support adult/secondary education, financial and digital literacy, job training, homebuyer education and Community wellness .in 2022, we were able to see neighbors reconnect, our campus rebound, and our partners and friends show up in force. Together, we have seen the benefits of a Community quarterback like rwci in building a resilient, healthy, and forward-thinking Community for all of our neighbors. Like many organizations, 2022 was the first full year where the pandemic became less disruptive, and while our partners remained with us throughout, we were able to establish other onsite connections to build our impact back to pre-pandemic levels. Thanks to this expanded support and an amazing staff who works tirelessly in our Community, we experienced significant progress and numerous accomplishments for our Community. Among these are increased participation by our neighbors, additional supports and services, a successful homebuyer program, financial independence for heads of household, a growing howard levine child development center, and the first year of exceeding growth expectations for the Renaissance West steam academy.despite our success reemerging from the pandemic, our work and our neighbors continue to face challenges each day. These challenges include increased mental health needs, evolving work dynamics and a volatile economic environment. These new challenges only reinforce the critical need of rwci as the Community quarterback. Our holistic place-based approach and our desire to not only extend our services to more neighbors, children and students but also sustain access to quality programs and best practices provided by our agency partners.rwci's fiscal strength and growth remains an important piece to drive our work. And with continued support from majors funders as well as the support of countless foundations, individuals, and companies we feel secure in our ability to continue this work into the future.