Our Story

At the start of Freedom Communities we brought in experts; partners and collaborators who were well-versed on the challenges facing our city and possible solutions to drive upward mobility.

The founding board hired David Docusen, a pastor in West Charlotte pursuing his doctoral degree in the cyclical patterns of generational poverty to travel around the US visiting different community development initiatives.

His goal? To better understand the ingredients and best practices in these communities that were making a sustained impact for families over a long period of time.

He suggested we focus in one geography, and on the interconnected areas of housing, education, employment and health and wellness.

Based on previous relationships and disparate outcomes, we decided to focus our work along the Freedom Drive Corridor. The next step was figuring out where we could make the most strategic impact based on the community’s needs.

We met with principals along the Freedom Corridor to find out what else we needed to know, and they helped shape our key focus areas.