Jordan Downs Community Development Corporation

Jordan Downs Community Development Corporation
Name	Jordan Downs Community Development Corporation
Type	Nonprofit corporation
Founded	2015
Headquarters	Watts, Los Angeles, California
Region served	Watts, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Purpose	Community development, affordable housing, economic development, social services
Leader title	Chief Executive Officer
Leader name	N/A
Website	N/A

Jordan Downs Community Development Corporation

Jordan Downs Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit community development entity established to coordinate redevelopment, resident services, and economic revitalization in the Jordan Downs neighborhood of Watts, Los Angeles. The organization operates within the context of public housing redevelopment, urban planning initiatives, and community-based nonprofit networks, working alongside municipal agencies, philanthropic foundations, and private developers to implement large-scale neighborhood transformation. Activities span housing construction, workforce development, cultural programming, and resident-led governance mechanisms, intersecting with regional transportation and environmental justice projects.

History

The corporation emerged during the mid-2010s as part of a redevelopment effort tied to the Los Angeles Housing Authority and the City of Los Angeles's broader strategy to replace mid-20th-century public housing with mixed-income communities. Its founding followed agreements involving the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and national policy frameworks influenced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Choice Neighborhoods initiative. Early milestones included coordination with the Watts Towers Arts Center and consultation with community stakeholders such as the Jordan Downs Tenants Association and neighborhood councils representing Council District 15 (Los Angeles City Council).

The redevelopment context traces to historical events affecting the area, including the aftermath of the Watts Riots and decades of federal housing policy shifts associated with programs like the Housing Act of 1937 and later public housing reform efforts. Partnerships with entities such as the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles reflected lessons from other urban renewal efforts in South Los Angeles and informed approaches used by community development corporations in cities like Chicago and New York City.

Mission and Programs

The corporation's mission emphasizes resident-driven revitalization, affordable housing preservation, and workforce pathways. Program areas include affordable unit sequencing coordinated with the Los Angeles Housing Authority's relocation plans, job training linked to construction projects in collaboration with trade unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and community colleges like Los Angeles Trade–Technical College, and youth programs coordinated with cultural institutions including the Getty Foundation-funded initiatives and the GRAMMY Museum educational outreach.

Social service programs partner with healthcare providers such as Los Angeles County Department of Health Services clinics and non-governmental organizations like the United Way of Greater Los Angeles to deliver behavioral health supports, nutritional programming in collaboration with Los Angeles Unified School District afterschool sites, and financial literacy workshops with foundations like the California Community Foundation. Environmental sustainability initiatives align with California Air Resources Board goals and regional resilience plans from Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning.

Governance and Leadership

Governance combines a resident-majority advisory structure with a board composed of nonprofit and private-sector representatives. Leadership roles interact with city and county elected officials, including representatives from the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles and members of the Los Angeles City Council. Executive leadership liaises with philanthropic partners such as the Annenberg Foundation, corporate stakeholders including Meta Platforms and local developers, and technical partners like the Urban Land Institute.

Key governance practices reflect best practices from national community development literature produced by institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Enterprise Community Partners policy guides. Resident leadership training has been modeled on programs run by organizations like the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, ensuring policy input from tenant advocates during financing and construction phases.

Projects and Impact

Signature projects overseen or coordinated by the corporation center on phased demolition and reconstruction of mixed-income housing, creation of new retail corridors, and public realm improvements tied to transportation projects like the Metro A Line extensions. Built-environment outcomes include thousands of new housing units planned or completed in collaborative efforts with developers such as Phipps Houses-type models and construction firms active across Los Angeles County.

Economic impacts are measured through job placement statistics tied to community hiring agreements negotiated with construction unions and developers, modeled after local hire provisions seen in projects supported by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Cultural and social impacts include the activation of community arts through partnerships with the Watts Towers Arts Center and workforce pipelines feeding into regional employers such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Los Angeles International Airport-area businesses.

The redevelopment also intersects with environmental projects, including stormwater capture programs guided by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District and urban greening funded by initiatives like the California Natural Resources Agency's urban greening grants. Metrics reported to funders and city agencies include affordable unit preservation counts, resident relocation outcomes tracked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and educational attainment improvements coordinated with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams combine public subsidies from federal sources like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and state instruments such as the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (Low Income Housing Tax Credit) allocations, with local financing from the City of Los Angeles Housing Department and bonds structured with assistance from the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank. Philanthropic grants from the Weingart Foundation and corporate social responsibility contributions augment capital stacks, while social impact investors and Community Development Financial Institutions such as the Low Income Investment Fund supply gap financing.

Strategic partnerships span municipal agencies including the Los Angeles Housing Authority and the Community Redevelopment Agency-style entities, philanthropic institutions like the Ford Foundation, and academic partners such as the University of Southern California and California State University, Dominguez Hills for evaluation and program research. Private developer partners and national nonprofit housing organizations coordinate tax credit syndication through intermediaries like National Equity Fund to structure transactions that preserve affordability and support long-term community benefits.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Category:Watts, Los Angeles