Woodlawn United

In 2010, Mike and Gillian Goodrich started Woodlawn Foundation, the lead organization or “community quarterback” of Woodlawn United – a comprehensive collaboration of partners committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in Woodlawn. By wor king with residents and local stakeholders in the community, Woodlawn Foundation identifies needs within the neighborhood and leverages resources to fill those gaps with high quality services and programs. The Purpose Built Commun ities model for holistic community revitalization was crafted from the successful transformation of the East Lake community in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-1990’s. Led by local real estate developer and philanthropist Tom Cousin s, Atlanta Housing Authority President and CEO Renee Glover, local resident Eva Davis and key business leaders, the partnership took the community from a poverty-stricken, crime-ridden public housing development into a thriving commun ity with quality mixed-income housing, a top-rated school, 95% reduction in crime rates and substantial investments in commercial and residential real estate. By utilizing their three-pronged approach to community change with h igh quality mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education pipeline and community wellness programs, Purpose Built Communities is helping to make a positive impact in some the country’s most challenging neighborhoods through organi z ations such as Woodlawn Foundation. To date, their Network Members lead comprehensive redevelopment initiatives in more than a dozen communities across the country.