Transitioning into community stewardship.

In 2019, the Kensington Corridor Trust (KCT) approached Purpose to support in developing a community-focused ownership model. With the goal of fostering equitable economic activity on the commercial corridor and surrounding neighborhood in Kensington, Philadelphia, the KCT seeks to place power back into the hands of residents and small business owners. Its goal is to build a new model of economic development for communities that have been historically disinvested from. Purpose has supported the KCT in designing and implementing an innovative Neighborhood Trust model to galvanize neighborhood power and support self-determination by transitioning real estate assets (off the speculative market) directly into the commons through long-term community stewardship. 

The report illustrates key outcomes from a community engagement process with community organizations, residents, KCT board members, and other stakeholders organized by Purpose at the end of 2019. This process provided insights on how to best achieve the KCT’s mission and helped identify the community’s core concerns. Through the combination of community dialogue and Purpose’s expertise, the KCT established their own definition of community and community ownership and was able to define governance terms and values to be integrated into a Neighborhood Trust model that ensures that the community’s voice is truly in charge and its role legally protected. Despite still being in development, the KCT already illustrates enormous impact on the field of community ownership and wealth building. The Neighborhood model demonstrates direct benefits to the Kensington neighborhood and sets an example for other organizations and neighborhoods across the country. 

Click here for full report.