Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI)
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : m*****o@d**i.o*g
Mission Statement
Our mission is to empower Dudley residents to organize, plan for, create and control a vibrant, diverse and high quality neighborhood in collaboration with community partners.
About This Cause
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is a non-profit community-based planning and organizing entity based in the Roxbury/North Dorchester area of Boston. DSNI was formed in 1984, when residents came together out of frustration and hope to revive their neighborhood that was nearly devastated by arson, disinvestment, neglect and redlining practices and protect it from outside speculators, as Dudley is only two miles from downtown Boston. Today, DSNI is the only nonprofit in the country that has eminent domain authority over abandoned land, which we have used to develop over 225 units of affordable housing, built on a community land trust still owned and operated by the Dudley residents. The land trust offers permanent affordability for both homeowners and renters as well as parks and a greenhouse. DSNI also has a track record in supporting early childhood development, youth leadership, and substantive school partnerships; using the same successful strategies (community engagement, resident and youth leadership development, public-private partnership formation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration) to leverage change in the sectors that matter most to residents. DSNI’s approach to community revitalization is comprehensive (physical, environmental, economic and human). DSNI’s major accomplishment has been and continues to be organizing and empowering the residents of the Dudley Street neighborhood to create a shared vision of the neighborhood and bring it to life by creating strategic partnerships with individuals and organizations in the private, government and nonprofit sectors. That shared vision emerged from a community-wide process conducted in 1987 and resulted in a resident-developed comprehensive revitalization plan. We remain committed to working with residents to update our vision and oversee all planning and development in the community to ensure that resident voices are leading change efforts.