ONE|NB Celebrates 35th Anniversary, Looks Ahead at Next Decades of Impact

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Lt. Governor Sabina Matos

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Ana Novais, Assistant Secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services

Video in honor of Community Catalyst Neil D. Steinberg, CEO and President of the Rhode Island Foundation

Para publicación inmediata
May 25, 2023
Download PDF of this release

ONE Neighborhood Builders Celebrates 35th Anniversary, Looks Ahead at Next Decades of Impact

Celebrating thirty-five years of success, ONE|NB honors three notable community members who have a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of all Rhode Islanders

PROVIDENCE, RI - ONE Neighborhood Builders (ONE|NB), the state’s leading community development corporation, celebrated its 35th anniversary last night and honored three impactful leaders for their contributions to the region. Since its founding in 1988 as the Olneyville Housing Corporation, ONE|NB has worked tirelessly with neighbors, community leaders, and policy makers to cultivate healthy, vibrant, and safe communities. Over the last three and a half decades, the organization has expanded its mission to serve a broader population of Rhode Islanders and has developed replicable best practices that have earned the organization the respect of community development and housing leaders from across the country.

“Strong and healthy communities are built, they aren’t born. They’re built by neighbors who come together with a common purpose. For 35 years, ONE|NB has provided an opportunity and resources to bring neighbors together,” said Jennifer Hawkins, Presidenta y Directora Ejecutiva de ONE|NB. “For over three and a half decades, this organization has sparked a revitalization and a reimagination of community. With support from our partners and with the trust of our neighbors, we have created a foundation for job growth, home ownership,  youth development, and better health outcomes. We are now building on that foundation to ensure that the next generation of community leaders can continue to come together with common purpose.”

During the 35th anniversary celebration, ONE|NB honored three Catalizadores comunitarios: Lt. Governor Sabina Matos, retiring Rhode Island Foundation President Neil D. Steinberg, and Rhode Island Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Ana P. Novais. Each honoree has personally championed ONE|NB initiatives that have helped Rhode Islanders achieve housing security and financial independence.

• Sabina Matos, Vicegobernadora de Rhode Islandla primera afro-latina elegida para un cargo estatal en Rhode Island, ha sido una de las principales defensoras de la vivienda segura, asequible y accesible durante más de una década y media. Su experiencia como madre soltera que se enfrentó a la inseguridad de la vivienda ha influido en su trabajo público como miembro del Ayuntamiento de Providence y como Vicegobernadora. Desempeñó un papel clave en 2022 para garantizar que el presupuesto estatal de Rhode Island incluyera una inversión récord de $250 millones para vivienda.
• Neil D. Steinberg se jubilará como Presidente y Director General de la Fundación Rhode Island a finales de mes. En los últimos 15 años, ha transformado la organización filantrópica y ha creado una cultura de impacto. Su labor en el ámbito de la vivienda y el desarrollo comunitario ha dado lugar recientemente al Oferta de vivienda y personas sin hogar en Rhode Island que ofrece al Departamento de Vivienda del Estado observaciones y opciones para poner en marcha medidas para resolver la crisis de la vivienda en Rhode Island.
• Ana P. Novais, Assistant Secretary of the RI Executive Office of Health and Human Servicesincansable defensora de la equidad sanitaria desde hace más de 25 años, ha contribuido a apoyar el papel de ONE|NB como columna vertebral de Oportunidades en Central Providence: Una Zona de Equidad Sanitaria (CPO-HEZ). Con raíces en Portugal y Angola, Novais entiende los retos, oportunidades, perspectivas y experiencias únicas a las que se enfrentan los inmigrantes que viven en Providence y sus alrededores. El liderazgo de Novais fue clave para la creación del Marco de Equidad Sanitaria de RI, que puso en marcha la iniciativa HEZ, reconocida y aplicada en ciudades y estados de todo el país.

Highlights of remarks from Jennifer Hawkins, ONE|NB’s Executive Director:

“Through the years we’ve stumbled and we’ve risen. Our name has changed. Where we work has expanded. And what we do has evolved. But at our core – we are still the same organization. We are fiercely committed to social justice and our sense of urgency and ambition stems from this commitment.”

“We can accomplish hard things. We can do the right thing. It’s too easy to become numb to challenges.

“From the soaring gap between housing supply and demand, and the persistent life expectancy difference between residents of Central Falls and Rhode Island’s coastal communities…. I worry that these facts have lost their impact. We can’t become desensitized.

But because you are here, I know you care deeply about housing justice. About health equity. And about building and shifting power to communities that have been left behind for far too long. I know you are partners with us in this work.”