Nii Sowah, vice president of Community Impact at Enterprise Community Development, recently got some good news from Fairfax County, Virginia, about an after-school enrichment program at two multifamily properties. The news, which was about rising student exam scores, is just one reflection of Enterprise Community Development’s efforts to provide a wide range of services to 23,000 residents in 13,000 homes across the Mid-Atlantic region.
In 2017, construction began on a 16.1-mile rail line – known as the Purple Line – with the goal of conveniently connecting riders in two adjacent Maryland counties. The rail line linking Prince George’s and Montgomery counties is scheduled to complete in 2027. In 2019, JPMorgan Chase made a $5 million philanthropic investment in the Purple Line Collaborative, a subset of organizations actively participating in the Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC). This funding wasn’t to support light rail construction, but to support the small businesses close to the construction and stabilize residents living nearby.
Maryland’s new Purple Line light rail presents us with a choice about our future. If we are intentional and thoughtful, this $9.3 billion public infrastructure project can be a transformative force that lifts up communities. The Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) has been working for nearly a decade to make sure this public investment works for everybody.
Today, Affordable Housing Finance named Enterprise Community Development’s Lake Anne House as the 2023 “Best Overall Project” and “Best Senior Development” in its annual Readers’ Choice Awards program. Lake Anne House was selected for its preservation of affordable housing that has enabled 300+ culturally diverse, low-income residents to age in place in Fairfax County, one of Virginia’s most expensive counties.