Supporting Community-Led Change for London's Estates

As an organization present in 160 cities around the world, we consider it our responsibility to support the cities and communities where we operate, and to support Progress Makers, those individuals and communities striving to make good despite the many challenges of our times.

In recent weeks, London's Evening Standard has run a special feature called "The Estate We're In" highlighting the challenges faced by people living on housing estates across London. The Standard focused on one of London's largest and most challenged estates, Angell Town in Brixton, South London and shared moving stories of the challenges and ambitions shared by the residents.

Having spent time with the residents of the Angell Town Estate, I have been struck by the shared passion and commitment to create change, and the determination to build an alternative future for themselves and particularly their young people. This shared spirit and drive is in stark contrast to the situation the residents find themselves in. While the housing on the Estate is in good condition, the community facilities are almost non-existent, or in need of drastic refurbishment. There is nowhere for young people to meet and play, and very few organized activities to occupy their time, and gang violence, which is prevalent in the area, has claimed far too many young lives. Yet the ideas and energy coming from the community are undiminished and incredibly powerful. The people of Angell Town just need some help, support and resources to achieve their ambitions.

It's clear to me that as an organization we can and should work hard to identify the local change-makers and empower them to transform their own communities. Certainly, feedback from our employees tells me that they want to see Citi make that difference and that they are prepared to volunteer their time and energies to make the change happen. While the Angell Town community and other estates have many challenges, they also have a great asset in their residents who are determined to make things better.

We are excited to announce our partnership with the Evening Standard and the London Community Foundation to invest in the future of the Angell Town estate and estates across London. This is a unique venture, bringing together corporate funding with a major British newspaper and a community foundation to help raise awareness and affect change within a local community.

The £500,000 commitment from the Citi Foundation, as well as funding from the Evening Standard's Dispossessed Fund and other funders, will provide grants to local community organizations in order to begin or expand their work on Angell Town Estate and on estates across the capital.

Members of Dwaynamics, one of the community organization supported through the London estates initiative.

Photography Courtesy of Kiran Mensah