Olde Holyoke Development Corp. Is Now OneHolyoke CDC
HOLYOKE — Olde Holyoke Development Corporation will now be called OneHolyoke CDC (Community Development Corporation) to better reflect its service to the most challenged neighborhoods in Holyoke and its commitment to best practices in the field of community development.
“It’s ‘Out with the Olde’ at Olde Holyoke Development Corporation,” according to OneHolyoke CDC Executive Director Michael Moriarty. “Our new name reflects the changes we have made to be a Community Development Corporation that represents a 21st century catalyst for change in Holyoke.”
Founded in 1971, the newly-named OneHolyoke CDC has created more than 160 new homes in the Flats, Churchill, and South Holyoke neighborhoods, rehabilitated hundreds of apartments, and provided thousands of home-improvement grants to homeowners through the Neighborhood Improvement Program.
Olde Holyoke Development Corporation was formed originally as a Model Cities Community Development Corporation serving only the Flats neighborhood and continuing the work of a discontinued federal Great Society program. In 2014, Olde Holyoke Development Corporation became the only certified Community Development Corporation based in the City of Holyoke. “OneHolyoke is a name that reflects the unifying, flexible and responsive CDC we strive to be,” Moriarty noted. “We’re doing what it takes to build communities, make improvements and transform lives.”
In recent years the housing development agency has diversified its board of directors, expanded its community service outreach, and launched efforts to collaborate with many city agencies and nonprofits that go beyond brick and mortar projects. Moriarty said the new name reflects the company’s evolution.
“The ‘Olde’ has served its purpose and outlived its time; we have a legacy of service and success we are proud of as ‘Olde Holyoke,’ but it is not our original name,” he said. “In the early ‘80s we adopted Olde Holyoke because the Flats is the oldest densely-populated section of Holyoke, which was the only area of focus. Now in 2016, we have been working throughout the city for years, not only in the Flats. OneHolyoke speaks to our service to the whole City, and our hope is to be a unifying and positive voice for Holyoke.”
