The Southbridge Community Development Corporation (SBCDC) has made its first hire, Hanifa Shabazz, as its Interim Executive Director. Ms. Shabazz will be initially focused on the expansion of current operations as well as further building out of communications and community engagement efforts.

Ms. Shabazz is the former Wilmington City Council President and a 35+ year resident of Southbridge. Elected in 2016 as the first female President of Wilmington’s City Council, Shabazz was first elected in 2004 and was honored to have served three consecutive terms as the representative of more than 9,000 residents of the City’s 4th District – one of the most diverse districts in Wilmington. In dealing with the over 1,700 vacant properties and the high number of residents that rent and as the First vice-chair of the Wilmington Neighborhood Conservatory Land Bank, Shabazz championed the reestablishment of the Homestead Program which affords Wilmington residents a path to homeownership. Qualified residents can purchase a home for as little as $1, similar to the Homestead Program that initiated the revitalization of Trinity Vicinity and other neighborhoods in the 1970s.

“This is such an exciting opportunity to further serve my beloved community of Southbridge, and I am committed to our mission to create and support the local ownership of land, labor and capital in our community. I am especially passionate about helping to realize our vision and goals to increase the availability of affordable housing within the Southbridge community, as well as providing developmental and civic engagement opportunities for residents. We have many exciting projects and announcements forthcoming,” said Ms. Shabazz.

This increase in the infrastructure and capacity of the SBCDC is made possible through an investment by Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD). HCD invests in communities across the state to support localized efforts to create healthy, safe and vibrant communities. “We congratulate the SBCDC Board on their decision to hire Hanifa. Her passion, drive and leadership will be an asset to their work, and further enable resident voice and participation in the ongoing Southbridge revitalization efforts. Hanifa’s role will support the accelerated implementation of the Southbridge Neighborhood Action Plan, an outline of neighborhood priorities from Southbridge residents for a thriving community, in collaboration with the Southbridge Civic Association and the South Wilmington Planning Network,” says Kate Dupont Phillips, Executive Director of HCD.