What Community Development Really Looks Like: A Week Inside Smalltimore Homes Leading into Black August
- LaQuida Chancey
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
When people hear "community development," they often picture a ribbon cutting, a new building, or a large grant announcement.
But community development begins long before the first shovel enters the ground.
It starts with listening.
It grows through relationships.
It succeeds because neighbors, organizations, institutions, and residents decide to work together toward something bigger than themselves.
That is exactly what this past week looked like at Smalltimore Homes.
As we welcome Black August, we're reflecting on the many conversations that are shaping our work—not only around affordable housing, but around health, economic opportunity, neighborhood leadership, and community ownership throughout Baltimore.
Monday: Learning from Partners Across Maryland
We started the week reconnecting with Eddie Blackstone from the Community Development Network of Maryland (CDN), learning more about the organization's statewide work and the Inclusionary Housing Coalition.
Housing challenges rarely stop at neighborhood boundaries.
Neither should the solutions.
Conversations like these help connect local experiences with statewide policy efforts that can improve housing access, strengthen neighborhoods, and expand opportunities for Maryland residents.
Later that afternoon, we met with one of the founders of Love Melts, a Baltimore food truck that supports returning citizens and people experiencing homelessness.
While our organizations serve communities in different ways, we share a common belief:
People deserve dignity.
Whether that begins with housing, employment, food security, or community connection, meaningful change happens when organizations work together instead of in isolation.
Tuesday: Housing Is Public Health
On Tuesday, Smalltimore Homes joined fellow Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Program Fellow Perri Carroll at the University of Maryland to facilitate a conversation with public health students.
Rather than beginning with statistics alone, students explored Baltimore's history through Dr. Lawrence Brown's Urban Cipher educational game while building neighborhoods with LEGO bricks.
Together we discussed questions such as:
How has redlining shaped our communities?
What role have hospitals and other institutions played in neighborhood development?
How do policy decisions continue to influence health outcomes today?
What does equitable investment actually look like?
Housing is much more than shelter.
It influences education, transportation, food access, environmental quality, safety, employment, and life expectancy.
That's why Smalltimore Homes views housing as one of the most important public health interventions we can make.
Wednesday: Connecting Policy to People
Midweek brought another opportunity to strengthen partnerships.
Together with Krystin Hargrove, founder of Cotripper, and CDN leaders Claudia Wilson Randall and Eddie Blackstone, we discussed ways the Community Reinvestment Act can continue improving housing opportunities throughout Maryland.
Policies matter.
But policies create the greatest impact when residents understand them, organizations collaborate around them, and communities help shape how they are implemented.
That evening looked very different—but equally important.
Alongside fellow Bunting Leader Kadija Hart, we spent time walking the neighborhood, introducing ourselves to residents, and inviting them to our upcoming Summer Social.
Community engagement doesn't always happen inside conference rooms.
Sometimes it happens on sidewalks.
On front porches.
In neighborhood parks.
One conversation at a time.
Later that evening, we joined our eighth Neighborhood Village Project convening, continuing discussions about how stronger neighborhoods begin with stronger relationships.
Thursday: Preparing for Black August
Black August reminds us that community leadership requires reflection, education, and collective action.
During Thursday's gathering with fellows from previous leadership cohorts, one message became especially clear:
Communities deserve opportunities to shape the programs designed for them.
That's one reason Smalltimore Homes is launching our new Community Hub.
Rather than assuming what residents need, we're inviting neighbors, volunteers, partners, researchers, businesses, students, and supporters to help design it with us.
We're calling this approach community feedforward—creating together before decisions are finalized.
Friday: Listening Before Building
On Friday, our Do Good Institute Summer Intern and I reviewed feedback from people who know Smalltimore Homes well and from people discovering our work for the very first time.
Some comments confirmed what we're doing well.
Others challenged us to improve.
Every suggestion helps us build a Community Hub that is more useful, more welcoming, and more reflective of Baltimore's strengths.
Listening is one of the most valuable forms of community development.
When residents become co-designers rather than simply participants, stronger ideas emerge.
Looking Ahead
This week reminded us that community development isn't measured only by buildings completed or dollars raised.
It is measured by trust.
By partnerships.
By conversations.
By residents who feel seen.
By students who leave asking better questions.
By organizations willing to collaborate instead of compete.
As Black August continues, Smalltimore Homes remains committed to building housing solutions that are community-informed, resident-led, and rooted in dignity.
Because before we build homes, we build relationships.
And before we change neighborhoods, we listen to the people who already call them home.
Help Us Build the Community Hub
We're designing a Community Hub that reflects the ideas, needs, skills, and dreams of Baltimore residents.
Whether you'd like to volunteer, partner, donate, share resources, conduct research, or simply stay informed, we'd love your input.
Complete our two-minute Community Hub Interest Form:
Together, we're building more than housing.
We're building community.
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