Reparative Development Consulting for Community Organizations

Empowering Communities. Restoring Equity. Advancing Collective Impact.

Williams & Russell Community Development Corporation (CDC) partners with community-based organizations, nonprofits, advocacy groups, neighborhood associations, and local coalitions to strengthen their capacity to lead reparative, equitable, and community-driven development efforts.

We help organizations build strategies that address historical harm, uplift community voice, and expand economic and social opportunity—while ensuring that the benefits of development stay rooted in the community.

Who We Serve

We support a broad range of community-based and nonprofit partners, including:

Grassroots organizations & collectives

Resident-led advisory groups

Neighborhood & tenant associations

Community development corporations (CDCs)

Advocacy and civil rights groups

Youth and family service organizations

Faith-based organizations

Housing justice and anti-displacement coalitions

Cultural and heritage organizations

Whether your organization is addressing housing, culture, transportation, economic equity, or community safety, we help strengthen your impact through reparative development strategies.

Our Services for Communities & Organizations

Community-Centered Reparative Development Strategy

We support organizations in designing practical, action-based plans that address past harms and generate community benefit.

This includes:

  • Reparative planning frameworks

  • Anti-displacement and stabilization strategies

  • Community wealth-building approaches

  • Land stewardship and community ownership models

  • Culturally rooted development strategies

Historical Harm Documentation & Community Narrative Work

We conduct community-centered research that captures:

  • Histories of displacement, exclusion, or discriminatory policy

  • The impact of past planning processes

  • Storytelling that centers community experience

  • Data and narrative tools for advocacy and policy change

This strengthens both organizing efforts and policy work.

Organizational Capacity Building

We help community groups strengthen internal capacity to lead and sustain reparative development work.

Support includes:

  • Board and leadership training

  • Equity and governance frameworks

  • Community accountability practices

  • Program and strategic planning

  • Organizational structure and systems development

Community Engagement & Facilitation

We design and facilitate engagement processes that uplift grassroots leadership and ensure inclusive participation.

Services include:

  • Community listening sessions

  • Participatory planning and decision-making

  • Coalition-building and partnership facilitation

  • Multilingual, culturally responsive engagement

  • Youth-centered engagement frameworks

Policy Advocacy & Strategy Support

We help organizations translate community priorities into policy change.

This may include:

  • Developing equity-focused policy recommendations

  • Supporting campaigns related to land use, housing, economic development, or cultural preservation

  • Providing research and impact analysis

  • Creating community benefit or reparative policy proposals

Community Ownership & Wealth-Building Models

We help organizations explore and implement models that keep land, assets, and economic benefits in the community.

Examples include:

  • Community land trusts

  • Cooperative housing models

  • Community investment and capital strategies

  • Social enterprise development

  • Local hiring and procurement plans

Why Reparative Development Matters for Community Organizations

Community organizations are uniquely positioned to lead equitable change—but many face long-standing barriers created by:

  • Displacement

  • Redlining and discriminatory planning

  • Limited access to capital

  • Underinvestment

  • Exclusion from public decision-making

  • Structural racism

Reparative development equips communities with the tools to address these harms and build thriving, self-determined futures.

Our support helps organizations:

  • Strengthen advocacy and influence

  • Build community power and engagement

  • Protect cultural identity and legacy

  • Secure equitable development outcomes

  • Establish long-term community ownership models

Impact Areas

Williams & Russell CDC helps organizations strengthen their efforts in:

  • Anti-displacement & housing justice

  • Community leadership development

  • Local economic empowerment

  • Cultural heritage preservation

  • Civic engagement & policy advocacy

  • Land and asset ownership

  • Community safety and well-being

Why Partner With Williams & Russell CDC?

Community-Originated Leadership

We are rooted in lived experience and decades of community engagement.

Technical & Policy Expertise

Our team includes experts in:

Urban planning, Policy analysis, Community organizing, Economic development, Real estate & land stewardship, Nonprofit administration, Governance & facilitation

Trusted Navigators

We serve as a bridge between community aspirations and actionable development outcomes.

Partner With Us

Let’s build community power, protect local culture, and create equitable pathways to wealth and opportunity.

If your organization is ready to strengthen its impact, develop reparative strategies, or build community-centered development capacity, Williams & Russell CDC is ready to partner with you.

Contact Us

Clients / Consultations

Urban Land Institute Toronto