Oakland’s economic boom has created a demand for dense housing, near transport, that maximizes commercial and community space. Faith based property is centrally located, historically trusted and ideally suited for residential and mixed uses. New urban revitalization presents an opportunity for the African American faith based community to redevelop their sites, in partnership with local businesses, to provide resources for economic stabilization for the City’s lowest-income residents. Much of this potential comes in the form of smaller, irregular sites eligible for 50 units and below. These sites are typically left out because they are scattered, irregular or small.
Historically faith-based development partnerships have often suffered from a lack of trust and little appreciation of community culture. Churches have not had a knowledgeable advocate or access to effective site planning services. The decline in African American population declining keeps membership revenue inconsistent and church administrations have had difficulty obtaining pre-development financing for these small and scattered sites. This lack of liquidity early on leads to loss of control, loss of profit and lost opportunity.
A2E2 has designed an end-to-end asset management program for the accelerated redevelopment of church land. A2E2’s redevelopment program builds community wealth through igniting a supplier ecosystem, creating opportunities for employment and generating supported housing stock for vulnerable communities. Our Platform systematizes finance packages for developing small and scattered sites and guides churches through a series of steps including acquisition, site assessment, planning, and community consultation. Built into our method is also in-depth experience with churches’ inclusive consultation and decision-making process. We provide early business strategy, resources and collective management for churches to help navigate the early requirements of development.
To provide resources for African American assets, businesses owners and individuals so the families can remain in the neighborhoods and spaces we have lived in for decades. A2E2 links capital, partnerships and strategic services to the community to develop strong businesses and protect our faith-based property.