CONNECTING PEOPLE & PLACE
TO BUILD COMMUNITY
ABOUT
AUTHENTIC, OPTIMISTIC, INNOVATIVE, COMMITTED, RESPONSIBLE AND RESULTS ORIENTED.
The White Center CDA is proud to live out these qualities and continually strive to do better as an organization-
for only as a strong and sustainable vehicle for change can the White Center community address holistic
community development issues to act collectively on their own behalf.
VALUES
We value:
Treating everyone with dignity and acting with cultural competency by respecting the values, history and culture of our diverse communities.
Community change that is powered by the community and benefits current and future residents, especially those most vulnerable, now and into the future.
Community strengths that are found by tapping individual, family and community skills and knowledge.
Leadership development at all ages that supports multiple ways for residents to be engaged in community initiatives.
Strategic partnerships between public, private, and non-profit sectors and the community.
A learning agenda that strategically uses good data, listens to diverse perspectives, and reflects on past successes/challenges.
Connecting People and Place to Build Community
This simple yet multi-layered phrase describes the community development work of our organization in
creating a healthy White Center community for people of all incomes and ethnicities to thrive. Our community
is concerned not just about creating a better community today for our residents, but also for future generations
of White Center communities.
Achieving the Community Change We Want to See
our results culture).
Today: A Trusted Neighborhood Intermediary
The White Center CDA has evolved since our formation in 2002 as resident-led, traditional community
development corporation (CDC). Today, the White Center CDA considers itself a unique, neighborhood
intermediary organization, led by the same values and principles as set by our founding board members, but
with a more holistic approach to creating a healthy community and new prosperity for White Center.
People look to the White Center CDA for leadership and vision to attract new investment, promote economic
self-sufficiency and strengthening White Center’s social and civic fabric. Partnership is a core value for the
White Center CDA because we believe that we must all come together to make White Center a great place to
live and do business.
To read more about our approach and definition of a “neighborhood intermediary” please click here.
Integrated Lines of Business
Through authentic Community Building, the White Center CDA is able to produce results in the two areas of
Family Development and Neighborhood Revitalization.
- Family Development (“People” based strategies)
Our Goal: Families are economically stable, connected, and access culturally competent and effective services.
Our Family Development strategies involve attention to “whole family”, 2-generation approaches- from
the necessity of quality early learning care through the school year, to workforce and career advancement
opportunities for adults and asset building strategies for the entire family. We conduct our work in Family
Development primarily through partners like: the Puget Sound Educational Services District, White Center
Promise, Community Schools Collaboration, Port Jobs, YWCA at Greenbridge and many more!
We’ve implemented a groundbreaking school-based Family Connections cohort project that tracks
improvements in civic engagement, student achievement and family asset building outcomes. We believe that
the culturally diverse team of advocates (Iraqi, Somali, Latino, Vietnamese, Samoan, African American, and
Cambodian) has the skills to engage families in social networking, school readiness, early grade and family
support strategies. To learn more about the Family Connections project, please visit our Resources page.
Founded in 2008 with sponsorship from the White Center CDA, Got Green leads community organizing efforts,
public policy advocacy, and job training programs to ensure that the benefits of the new, green economy –green
jobs, access to healthy food, energy efficient homes, and public transit – are widely available to low income
communities of color. To visit Got Green, please see www.gotgreen.org.
To learn more about White Center Promise, please visit www.whitecenterpromise.org.
- Neighborhood Revitalization (“Place” based strategies)
Our Goal: The physical neighborhood supports families through diverse types of affordable housing, safe and walkable
streets, vibrant and active businesses and improved public amenities.
Our Neighborhood Revitalization program prides itself on an equitable development platform- where
community ownership and leadership are as vital to sustainable development as sound engineering and
architecture. We seek to influence the physical environment through the development of permanently affordable
housing, economic development, open spaces and parks, community gathering places, food and fitness access
and good urban design. We also believe in the need for partnerships between law enforcement and community
to enhance public safety and support our thriving small business district by providing access to resources,
technical assistance, marketing and neighborhood planning.
To see our first project, Unity Village, in partnership with Capitol Hill Housing and DNDA, please visit capitolhillhousing.org/ourproperties/index.php
- Community Building
Our community Building program represents a core competency for all of the White Center CDA staff. It is the
central thread that is absolutely necessary to achieve results for families and the neighborhood. Through base
building and development of a strong membership base, resident leadership and community mobilization, we
build year round community capacity to achieve our community vision.
FEEST is the Food Education Empowerment and Sustainability Team housed in 2011 at the White Center
CDA. We are a youth-run program that gathers around food to kick it in the kitchen, prepare a delicious and
healthy meal, and then eat all together family-style while learning more about food in our communities. At the
end of every month, we throw Community Potlucks where people of all ages are invited to share and dialogue
with us. Our blog entries are written by FEEST leaders and feature photography by the wonderful youth and
staff. Please visit FEEST at http://feestseattle.wordpress.com/
To become a Member of the White Center CDA, please visit our Resources page. To read our White Center
Neighborhood Action Plan, please also visit our Resources page.
Our annual Community Summit is our signature community engagement event that brings diverse residents
together to celebrate accomplishment and plan for the future. It is the ultimate accountability mechanism for our
organization. To view the latest Summit report, please visit our Resources page.