Organization: RIVERWORKS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Mission: Riverworks Development Corporation (RDC) promotes economic prosperity by providing coordinated resources for residents and businesses with emphasis on the Riverworks neighborhoods.
Activities: Workforce and Career Development: RDC's Workforce and Career Development pillar is targeted towards preparing community members to obtain and retain long-term, life sustaining waged jobs, while connecting high integrity organizations with high level candidates.The Neighborhood Ambassador Program (NAP) provided temporary employment for young adults to get work experience, complete workforce and financial literacy trainings, and remove litter from Business Improvement Districts across Milwaukee. Riverworks Cleans is a social enterprise of RDC that employs six full-time employees; in 2019, Riverworks Cleans collected 2,325 bags of litter, emptied 685 trash cans, returned 229 shopping carts, and removed 13 graffiti tags in six Milwaukee Business Improvement Districts. Riverworks Cleans also completed 1,750 illegal dump work orders issued by the City of Milwaukee, resulting in 7,154 cubic yards of debris, removed from city owned properties.
Neighborhood Development & Creative Placemaking: RDC's Neighborhood Development pillar works with residents to create a vibrant community that reflects the values of Harambee & Riverwest. This is done in part by activating public spaces with art and culture, as well as facilitating community improvement projects and safety meetings, and connecting residents / homeowners to resources, including those available through the Harambee Neighborhood Improvement District (NID). In 2019, approximately 124 residents engaged in community meetings and clean ups, 250 residents participated in creative placemaking events, 105 homeowners were referred to resources for home improvement, and $549,631 was leveraged in home rehab projects in the 53212 zip code.
Financial Clinic: RDC's Financial Clinic pillar provides innovative solutions to help families revitalize their full financial potential by increasing credit scores and learning new ways to cultivate a healthy and happy financial life. The Financial Clinic combines both one-on-one financial coaching and group-based education to help participants improve financial behaviors. In 2019, the Financial Clinic served 110 clients. With the help of those services, 77 clients increased their credit scores, and 7 became preapproved for purchasing homes. Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, the Financial Clinic assisted over 600 individuals in preparing and submitting their tax returns.
NTEE category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building
Secondary category: Housing & Shelter