Before the intervention of Blane Stoddart and the Partnership Community Development Corporation 10 years ago, the landscape of West Philadelphia was markedly different.
Residents saw rampant blight, a high crime rate and a poor economic state.
Walnut Hill Association members Queen Hinton and Mary Brown, with a great deal of neighborhood support, approached Stoddart, a 1987 Wharton graduate and trader at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, to request his help in revitalizing the area. Soon after, in 1992, the Partnership CDC was born.
Stoddart, now the executive director of the Partnership CDC, said that he was thrilled by the opportunity. He left his job at the Stock Exchange and helped co-found the Partnership with Hinton, Brown and others hoping to make a difference in the West Philadelphia community.
"I wanted to do something to have an impact," Stoddart said. "It was a definite, drastic change from the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, but it was certainly worth it."
Community Development Corporations encourage urban development and provide low-income housing across the United States. While each CDC is a private non-profit organization funded primarily by donations, they do receive state and federal funding for their work.
Here, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority seizes dilapidated or vacant houses and turns them over to CDCs in the Philadelphia area.
The CDCs then refurbish the houses and price them below retail value for low-income residents. The Partnership CDC, for example, currently has houses available for between $57,000 and $90,000.
Stoddart said the work he does at the Partnership CDC is making a difference.
"I believe [that] CDCs play a large role in the community," Stoddart said. "We are giving people an option of getting a place that's a decent place to live" in the city.
"Suburbs and the suburban sprawl are really contributing to the destruction of open spaces," Stoddart said.
"When the city is no longer seen as a viable option, that's when you have the destruction of open spaces. CDCs are the first line of defense to rehabilitate the city," he added.
Now, 10 years after its founding, the Partnership CDC focuses on four areas.
First, and most important to the CDC itself, is the alleviation of blight, which Stoddart cites as one of the major downfalls of city life.
"Blight scares people. It draws squatters, drugs, it raises crime," he said.
But more importantly, according to Stoddart, is the change in the neighborhoods themselves.
"Blight creates a psyche for the residents that says 'Nothing good will come here, nothing good will happen.'
"Americans are a visual society -- the American media controls our culture. Removing blight and that visual aspect is integral to creating a successful environment," Stoddart said.
Secondly, the Partnership CDC provides information and counseling on buying a home, getting a loan and other aspects of housing and living.
"We give people information," Stoddart said. "We help them with any situation, and we teach them the options that they have available to them -- who they can talk to."
The Partnership CDC has one of the largest homebuyer's clubs in the area, with about 110 members. Their home counseling service aids more than 500 people annually.
Additionally, the Partnership CDC also provides economic counseling.
"Our goal is to get residents into the mainstream economy," Stoddart said. "There are people who work on a simply cash-to-cash basis. When it comes time to get a loan, they have no credit and they're refused.
"We help them get a savings account or a checking account. That way, when it comes time for a loan or anything else, there it is -- savings, or a good credit rating.
"Things like that are really important," Stoddart said.
Finally, the Partnership CDC works to create jobs in the area.
In 1996, after the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was passed by Congress, the Partnership CDC implemented "welfare to work" policies in West Philadelphia.
The Partnership CDC developed the Greater Philadelphia Commercial Residential Services Company, also known as CORS, the goal of which is to give their employees opportunities for economic advancement.
CORS employees are mostly involved in public maintenance such as painting or janitorial work. Currently, CORS has 75 employees.
Stoddart shared the story of Jimmy Solomon, who was not only CORS' first employee, but is still with the company today.
According to Stoddart, with advice from the Partnership CDC, Solomon was able to purchase a house and a truck. He has since started his own business moving furniture.
And while the Partnership CDC may be helping others, the group might need a little help themselves. While Stoddart said business had been going strong, the effects of the Sept. 11 attacks and the troubled economy that followed have hit nonprofit groups like Partnership CDC hard.
"Our fund-raising is down a good 30 to 50 percent since Sept. 11," Stoddart said.
Despite the problems, though, Stoddart has no doubt that the Partnership CDC will continue to thrive.
While Stoddart would not say that the Partnership CDC is "successful," he did agree that there had been significant change in the West Philadelphia area.
"We're making an impact," Stoddart said. "I believe [that] success is still to come -- that is our goal."
