Woodlawn United welcomed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator for the Southeast (Region 4) Jose A. Alvarez on Thursday, June 2, 2022.  

During his visit, Alvarez toured Woodlawn with Woodlawn United Executive Director Mashonda Taylor and Woodlawn United Real Estate Director Joe Ayers to see first-hand the revitalization work in the neighborhood. He also launched the Our Way Home campaign in the Southeast with a press conference and roundtable discussion at SocialVenture in Woodlawn. Dr. Meghan Venable-Thomas, Director of Community Development representing Mayor Woodfin, and Melinda Williams, District Director representing Congresswoman Sewell, as well as local elected officials and leaders from the nonprofit community, including Mashonda Taylor and Joe Ayers, joined the roundtable. 

Regional Administrator Alvarez held his Our Way Home launch event in Woodlawn to spotlight Woodlawn United’s affordable and mixed-income housing developments. He highlighted The Park at Wood Station, a townhouse-style development comprised of 64 homes designed to fill the need for high-quality, affordable housing in the Woodlawn community, and The Cottages at Wood Station, twelve single-family market-rate homes designed after bungalows that are original to the area and developed in partnership with ARC Realty, Design Initiative, and Drake Homes. 

Our Way Home is a new initiative created by U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. The campaign uplifts the unique housing supply successes in local communities and connects cities, counties, Tribal communities, states, and U.S. Territories to the tools and resources needed to help preserve and produce affordable housing in their area. 

Read more about Our Way Home: https://www.hud.gov/ourwayhome.