ONE|NB

Guest post by Madelyn Lazorchak, Communications Writer, NeighborWorks America   In November, just before Thanksgiving, ONE Neighborhood Builders paraded through the streets of their community with an announcement, posted on signs and shouted from the back of a truck. “Free WiFi,” they said. And then in Spanish, “Gratis WiFi.” The announcement was for the community’s new WiFi network, providing about 3,000 households in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, with free high-speed internet. Almost immediately, Mirza Portillo’s sons, Diego, 8, and Dylan, 11, were using that WiFi to connect to school, where officials instituted distance learning starting last March….

Funding is part of join community investment by Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation ONE Neighborhood Builders (ONE|NB) has announced that, in their first joint community investment, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation are giving $1 million to 42 organizations across the region to expand vaccine education, awareness, and outreach in communities of color. ONE|NB has received a grant of $20,000 to promote vaccination efforts in underserved populations in the 02908 and 02909 areas. Nine Rhode Island organizations will receive a total of $175,000 in funding. Just one month after Harvard Pilgrim…

“In 2021 I intend to not stay in my lane and to push boundaries,” proclaims Jennifer Hawkins. She’s got a head start on that New Year’s resolution. Last year, ONE Neighborhood Builders (ONB) – formerly known as Olneyville Housing Corporation for you “Take a left where the Almacs used to be” types – made a play into the 195 land. Their proposal for a 58-unit apartment building with a ground-floor childcare center won widespread acclaim, but was unfortunately not pushed forward by the 195 Commission. Hawkins, the executive director, remains undaunted. “Our proposal generated a lot of attention and I…

Jennifer Hawkins, the executive director of ONE Neighborhood Builders, a community-development organization in Providence, spoke to Providence Business News recently about the Central Providence Opportunities initiative. Announced in December, the initiative will focus on investments in two ZIP codes of Providence and is funded by an $8 million grant provided by Blue Meridian Partners, a philanthropic organization. A 17-member resident advisory council will help shape the direction of the grant investments. PBN: What is the Central Providence Opportunities initiative? HAWKINS: Central Providence Opportunities is a partnership that pulls together ONE Neighborhood Builders to serve as the community backbone and project [manager], the...

Governor Gina M. Raimondo today announced that Rhode Island has been awarded an $8 million, 24-month grant to implement Central Providence Opportunities – a place-based initiative to increase social and economic mobility for residents of the 02908 and 02909 zip codes, and then scale these strategies statewide. The pilot initiative, set to commence next month, brings together the Governor’s office, state agencies, the Rhode Island Foundation, and ONE Neighborhood Builders. Governor Raimondo was joined by community partners at a Facebook Live event to launch this initiative. The video can be viewed here: facebook.com/GinaMRaimondo. “This initiative is a critical step in building a stronger,…

Blue Meridian invests $8 million in a new initiative being led by ONE Neighborhood Builders in Central Providence Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of ONE Neighborhood Builders, who will be shepherding a new $8 million pilot program focused on Central Providence WHY IS THIS STORY IMPORTANT? ONE Neighborhood Builders has been chosen to lead a new $8 million initiative funded by Blue Meridian Partners, focused on transforming lifetime trajectories for children and families in Central Providence. THE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED What kinds of data coordination can be done with the social determinants of health surveys conducted by ONE…