This is why I love working with the National Development Council. This fifty-year-old nonprofit does the hard work that other economic development organizations just don’t know how to do. In this case, NDC worked for five years to help Scotland, a community in Potomac, MD — founded in the late 1800s by formerly enslaved people — to upgrade its housing while maintaining affordability in one of the most expensive counties in the US. Three previous attempts to upgrade the outmoded housing ended in frustration until NDC got involved. Providing both technical financial assistance and hands-on community building expertise, NDC’s field director brought together the residents, the volunteer board and Enterprise Community Partners to finance and manage the rehabilitation of the housing without displacing the residents or sacrificing affordability. This unique community is a mix of new and long-time residents, including descendants of the original families who settled this land.
