As the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) celebrated the “people who build our community” at its annual meeting this past week, we at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program reflect on how fortunate we are to have this vibrant, focused and committed community-based nonprofit organization as our partner. From its early revitalization of the now-thriving Brewery Complex to the many affordable housing projects it has completed over the years, JPNDC plays a vital role in keeping Jamaica Plain viable, inclusive, and ethnically and economically diverse. As we know too well, community development projects often stir passionate points of view and controversy. When confronted with controversy, whether at our 461 Walnut Ave. project or in its work to successfully complete the Blessed Sacrament campus reuse, it has reliably focused on its mission, worked to bridge differences, and honored its commitments. As it begins another year of this important work, we congratulate its leaders and its board on their track record and on the way they go about accomplishing their important work.
Robert Taube
Executive Director, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston
Editor’s Note: The writer’s organization is a partner with the JPNDC on a forthcoming health care and housing facility for homeless people at 461 Walnut Ave.