Who We Are | Embrace Communities

Our Story

Our Core Belief

Empowered community members build strong communities.

Our Mission

To strengthen communities from the inside out.

Our Strategy

We train and coach organizations in how to identify and support community leaders.

Our Vision

To help grow the Asset-Based Community-Driven Development movement

In this video, Wendy McCaig shares the founding story of Embrace which got its start because a woman who had experienced homelessness wanted to give back. This “asset-based” beginning has been core to our way of strengthening communities since day one. While we started out providing relief, this video explains why we shifted our work to community development in 2008.

We began our community development efforts in Hillside Court in 2009 and focused on identifying and supporting resident leaders. By 2013 there were 9 resident-led initiatives that were mobilizing dozens of Hillside residents through community action teams. These initiatives included a family support team, a cheerleading squad, a football team, a mobile food pantry, a senior support team, a men’s group, an employment initiative, a computer lab, and a hospitality team. All of these teams were started by and led by Hillside residents.

We are now coaching and training organizations across the nation in this same asset-based approach.