Chris Receives Key to the City

Beyond Housing’s President and CEO was quite surprised when he arrived at the Pagedale City Hall on May 14th to participate in an annual town hall meeting when he noticed a significant portion of the staff sitting among the residents.  Upon being called up to present, he then noticed his mother and sons in the crowd.  “I said to myself, what is my family doing here?  Why are so many staff members here?”, Chris remarked after being honored.

Mayor Carter shared that since around 2000, when Chris committed to coming to Pagedale to work alongside the community, progress has been ongoing.  She admitted that there were times when she thought his ‘dreams’ for the city were long shots at best, but together they made things happen.  She talked about how during the long sometimes difficult processes his commitment never wavered, and she wondered if he ever slept.

She concluded that the City of Pagedale has benefited greatly from the millions of dollars of reinvestment facilitated by Beyond Housing for new homes, home repair, after school programs and economic development initiatives such as the Save-A-Lot grocery store and new bank, and she looks forward to more great things moving forward.  She told Chris, “Pagedale is your home, and even as you expand your efforts to all of the 24:1 communities, don’t forget where it began, this will always be home!”

Pagedale has in fact been ‘home’ for Beyond Housing’s place-based model and has demonstrated the power of municipal and organizational partnerships when both parties are truly committed to progress.  We excitedly look forward to many years of progress in the 24:1 communities.