At this year’s Prosperity Starts With Place™ conference in Jacksonville, we were proud to welcome three new organizations into the Purpose Built Communities Network: East Savannah United in Savannah, Georgia; Northside Neighbors in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and RISE Northwest in Dayton, Ohio.
While each community is unique, all three organizations share something powerful in common: a deep commitment to resident-centered transformation and a belief that neighborhoods are powerful engines of change and opportunity for generations to come. Across the country, these organizations are building partnerships, listening closely to residents, and creating long-term strategies shaped by the people who call these neighborhoods home. Their work reflects the heart of the Purpose Built model: transformation that is holistic, collaborative, and rooted in resident voice.
East Savannah United | Savannah, Georgia
In East Savannah, transformation looks like neighbors gathering for a Backyard Boogie block party, children playing together in shared community spaces, and longtime residents helping shape the future of their neighborhood.
East Savannah United (ESU), led by Executive Director, Derek Mallow, is working alongside residents, nonprofits, public agencies, and community leaders to strengthen Savannah’s eastern neighborhoods through coordinated investments in housing, education, wellness, and community connection.
The organization’s work builds on more than a decade of planning following the demolition of the Robert Hitch Village public housing development, with a clear focus on ensuring that returning investment benefits the families and residents who have deep roots in the community. That commitment to belonging and connection shows up in both large-scale planning and everyday community life.
One example is Backyard Boogie, a family-centered gathering space and event series that temporarily transforms ESU’s backyard into a vibrant hub for music, play, mentorship, and neighborhood connection. Events bring together families, students, community partners, and residents across generations, creating opportunities for joy and relationship-building while reinforcing the idea that public spaces should reflect the people who live there.
More than a quarter of East Savannah’s 7,500 residents are under the age of 18, and ESU sees youth engagement as essential to long-term transformation. Through mentorship and community programming, young people are connected with adults who know the neighborhood, understand its history, and can help connect their potential to real opportunities for the future.
The infrastructure ESU is helping build, including housing, schools, and wellness investments, matters deeply. But the organization recognizes that relationships are what ultimately sustain transformation. As ESU shared in its community messaging: the work matters most “if the young people here have someone walking alongside them while it takes shape.”
Northside Neighbors | Tulsa, Oklahoma
In North Tulsa’s Hawthorne and Walt Whitman neighborhoods, Northside Neighbors (NN), led by Executive Director, Reggie Ivey, is building something foundational: Trust. Launched in 2024, the organization was created in response to a clear community need for a neighborhood-based organization capable of connecting partners, reducing silos, and helping move a shared vision forward alongside residents. What stands out most about Northside Neighbors is how intentionally the organization centers community voice in its work.
“We don’t guess what our community needs are, we ask,” the organization says in its resident outreach efforts. That philosophy shows up in everything from neighborhood engagement meetings and resident surveys to partnerships encouraging civic participation and community-driven planning. Residents are invited not only to attend meetings, but to shape priorities, identify concerns, and help determine the future direction of the neighborhood.
At community gatherings, neighbors share meals, hear updates from local partners, and participate in conversations about housing, education, economic opportunity, and neighborhood wellbeing. The organization has also partnered with the Tulsa City Auditor’s office to encourage broad resident participation in the citywide Evaluate the 918 survey, helping ensure North Tulsa voices are reflected in decisions that shape city priorities and investments.
At the same time, Northside Neighbors is advancing tangible initiatives that support long-term stability and opportunity for residents, including job fairs, GED programs, education assessments, and a Wills Clinic designed to help families protect assets and preserve generational wealth.
Throughout the work, the organization continues to emphasize the strengths already present within the community. “Hawthorne and Walt Whitman neighborhoods are rich with talent, history, and possibility,” Northside Neighbors shared recently. “Every block holds a story worth telling, every neighbor holds a dream worth building.”
RISE Northwest | Dayton, Ohio
In Northwest Dayton, RISE Northwest, led by CEO, Rev. Vanessa Ward, is helping residents turn the dream of homeownership into reality. Focused on expanding access to quality housing while helping longtime residents remain and prosper in their community, RISE Northwest is taking a comprehensive approach to neighborhood stability through development and land, preservation, financial education, and homeownership support.
Launched as a subsidiary of Omega CDC, the organization is working to align housing investments with resident priorities and long-term neighborhood wellbeing. Its goals include supporting the creation of 50 new homes and 100 mixed-income rental units by 2030 while increasing owner-occupied housing across the community. Beyond the numbers, the work is deeply personal.
Recently, RISE Northwest celebrated a local resident as she closed on her new home through the organization’s Pathway to Homeownership Program, marking a major milestone not only for her family, but for the broader vision taking shape across Northwest Dayton. That momentum continues to grow. More than 30 new homes are expected to be built over the next several years, alongside rehabilitation efforts designed to stabilize existing homeowners and preserve neighborhood character.
RISE Northwest also connects residents with financial counseling, credit-building resources, and homebuyer education programs to help families prepare for long-term, sustainable homeownership. A 15-year tax abatement helps reduce housing costs and make homes more affordable for residents committed to investing in the future of the neighborhood.
At the same time, larger investments are beginning to take shape nearby, including the groundbreaking of HoM Flats at Forest, a $70 million residential development focused on quality and affordability in Dayton’s Five Oaks neighborhood. Together, these efforts reflect a broader vision for Northwest Dayton: one where residents are not displaced by investment, but positioned to benefit from it.
Building What’s Next, Together
The addition of East Savannah United, Northside Neighbors, and RISE Northwest reflects the continued growth of a national network committed to strengthening neighborhoods through long-term, resident-centered transformation.
Each organization brings its own history, culture, challenges, and vision for the future. Together, they represent something larger: communities across the country stepping forward with bold ideas, deep local leadership, and a shared belief that neighborhoods are powerful engines of opportunity.
We are honored to welcome these organizations into the Purpose Built Communities Network and look forward to learning working alongside them to deliver sustainable impact in the neighborhoods they serve.
At this year’s Prosperity Starts With Place™ conference in Jacksonville, more than 700 Neighborhoodists™ gathered to explore what it means to strengthen neighborhoods during a moment of both urgency and possibility. Under the theme Lift Every Voice, residents, practitioners, funders, advocates, and national thought leaders shared powerful conversations about economic mobility, neighborhood wellbeing, civic belonging, and the long-term investments required to help communities thrive.
From resident-centered transformation to the growing connection between neighborhoods and health outcomes, one message surfaced again and again: lasting change happens when communities are trusted, connected, and equipped to shape their own future.
We pulled together five key takeaways from this year’s conference that continue to resonate long after the week concluded in Jacksonville.
