Local Columbus news station 10 WBNS recently interviewed CLPHA Board Member and Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority President & CEO Charles Hillman about the ongoing transformation of CMHA’s Poindexter Village Community. Hillman told 10 WBNS that he is excited about the reinvestment of this historic community, noting that CMHA has built and developed more than 450 new units of mixed-income housing and brought in nearly $280 million of investment into the neighborhood as part of what the housing authority calls its Blueprint for Community Reinvestment.
“While a lot has been done, there is still lots to be done,” Hillman said. “Neighborhoods are the foundations of communities and cities, and we need partners who are willing to invest and respect that community to develop housing and services that residents will benefit from to return it to its viable community."
Poindexter Village, named for Columbus abolitionist, activist, and politician Rev. James Preston Poindexter, was originally dedicated in 1940 by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of the nation’s first public housing projects. In honor of Black History Month, 10 WBNS produced an in-depth story about Poindexter Village and its history, featuring photographs from the neighborhood’s early days, oral histories from former residents, and a look at the future Poindexter Village Museum and Cultural Center.
"Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority has been a resident and a member of The Near East Side for over 80 years," Hillman told 10 WBNS. "We've seen it go from an epicenter in the Black community through challenging times - results of racial issues and policies - that turned it into not-so-nice of a community for a period of time to once again, a rebirth."
You can watch Mr. Hillman’s interview here.