A HISTORY OF THE WHITE CENTER CDA

 

The White Center CDA began as the brainchild of a resident-led leadership council in 2001. These leaders were concerned about the fact that their community felt increasingly fractured, a declining economic base where businesses left and jobs soon followed, and the loss of affordable, quality housing The leadership council decided to start an organization dedicated to the revitalization of their unique and culturally diverse neighborhood. Following two years of a collaborative planning effort, fifty leaders of the White Center community formed the CDA in February 2002. Fully staffed in the Fall of 2002, CDA was charged with addressing a variety of issues that affect the quality of life for White Center residents.

 

Today in 2008, the CDA recognizes the need to bring together people and place based strategies that affect both how families thrive and how neighborhoods and its infrastructure need to support those families. In a strategic decision, the CDA agreed to be the local management entity for the Making Connections Initiative to continue the momentum and focus on workforce, asset building, early learning and connect it with the neighborhood work of affordable housing, economic development, public safety and open space.

 

What is the common denominator in this transition? The intense commitment to community building and resident engagement is the key to more equitable development, ethnic/economic diversity, and sustainability of a thriving community.

 

All residents should have choice and opportunity to thrive economically, socially & politically in their neighborhood. To bring this vision to life, CDA is a true grassroots organization where residents control the destiny of their own community. CDA serves as a vehicle for the White Center community to plan and advocate for programs and policy/systems change and to be a place where people from the neighborhood address holistic community development issues and act collectively on their own behalf.

 

As a result of this transition, the CDA has grown. We will be enlarging our mission, board of directors, staff, and programs and are even entertaining a name change! In the next year, the CDA will be in touch with the community about our proposed changes and ways that our constituents should shape how that happens. Please visit us at our new office location at 1615 SW Cambridge Street.