From vacant lots to a
vehicle for change.
LCW had its beginnings in the early 1980s struggle to build affordable housing in North Lawrence. Since an organizational rebirth in July of 1999, we have become a powerful vehicle for community revitalization, attracting over $160 million dollars in local, regional, and national public and private investment and catalyzing collaborative, community-wide revitalization efforts. Our work is focused on achieving housing justice, economic justice, education justice, and social justice for our community.
$160M+
In local, regional & national investment attracted since our 1999 rebirth
Chapter One
Getting people in the game.
LCW's 5,000+ members are the definition of democracy in action. Resident‑led committees, design teams, and community forums shape the programs, services, and real estate projects that make Lawrence better daily.
Chapter Two
Building networks and leaders.
NeighborCircles, Education Circles, Marketplaces, campaigns, and the PODER Leadership Institute engage thousands of residents in working together to solve problems or make improvements on their block, in their classroom, or in the wider community.
Chapter Three
Expanding opportunity.
LCW Workforce training reaches over 400 people annually, leveraging a network of partners and sector‑specific local employers to provide internships and curriculum support — with a resulting 75% participant job placement and retention rate in growing sectors like health, education, and banking.
75%
Job placement & retention rate among workforce participants
Chapter Four
Building wealth.
LCW’s Asset Building programs offer matched savings, financial education and coaching, home-ownership education, foreclosure intervention, rental counseling, and credit building to over 750 residents annually. Over the last 20 years, AB graduates have leveraged over $160 million in local asset purchases and investments, and created generational wealth for their families.
Chapter Five
Empowering youth.
Movement City STEAM programs and studios — in web, graphic, and animation design, fashion design, video and music production, dance, creative writing, drama, poetry, college preparation, leadership, and savings and financial literacy — engage 150 youth annually. 90% of program graduates continue to college, and program staff and instructors draw strongly from alumni ranks.
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90%
Of Movement City graduates continue on to college
Chapter Six
A Culture of Collaboration
LCW has spearheaded or co-founded numerous collective impact projects, from the Reviviendo Gateway Initiative (with Groundwork Lawrence) the Lawrence Financial Stability Center (with the United Way), and the We Are Lawrence working group, to the Lawrence Working Families Initiative (winner of the first Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Working Cities Challenge competition) in partnership with Lawrence Public Schools, and the Youth as Healthcare Change agents project in partnership with the Atrius Health Equity Foundation and local nonprofit partners.
Chapter Seven
Building the City
Our real estate work turns blight into beauty, transforming vacant lots and abandoned buildings into apartment homes, ownership opportunities, and space for local businesses and nonprofits to grow and thrive. We don’t develop units, we develop community, working holistically with partners like Groundwork Lawrence and Elevated Thought to bring public art and green space to our neighborhoods. Every year, LCW projects contribute more than half a million dollars to the city tax base.
$500K+
Contributed to the city tax base by LCW projects, every year
Recognition
HUD Secretary’s Gold Award from National Association of Homebuilders for Summer Street
CHAPA Community Service Award
Nonprofit Excellence Award in Community Building by MA Nonprofit Network
CHAPA Community Service Award
Maxwell Award from the Fannie Mae Foundation for Reviviendo Family Housing
Audrey Nelson Community Development Award from the National Community Development Association for Union Crossing
Excellence in Affordable Housing Award for Armand Hyatt Apartments by MHIC
Enterprise Jim and Patty Rouse Award for Excellence in Community Revitalization
National Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Reviviendo Family Housing
National Equity Fund Affordable Housing Award for AMH Phase 1
National Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Reviviendo Family Housing
Vanguard Award for Duck Mill from National Affordable Housing Management Association
The Reviviendo Gateway Initiative.
A smart and equitable growth strategy for revitalizing the city's Mill District, downtown, and adjacent residential areas — driven by a broad coalition of residents, businesses, and public officials. RGI laid the foundation for the ongoing transformation of the North Canal Mill District, from an industrial graveyard into a mixed‑income, youth‑positive, healthy, green, and vibrant neighborhood.