Home City Development Inc. (HCDI) began as Better Homes Inc. in 1968, and for over 50 years we have brought resources and jobs to the Western Mass economy through the development of numerous mixed-income properties. And at the heart of it all, we are a team of people, and we are only as good as our team. We wanted to celebrate our team of HCDI staff, and our property management partner Housing Management Resources (HMR) – veteran employees, new hires, mentors, colleagues, teachers, partners — some here for decades and some for a few months.
Lillie Gonzalez, Compliance Specialist for HMR, has been working with HCDI for 23 years. She loves her co-workers and the friendly environment. Working with both her colleagues and the resident clients is energizing for her and keeps her motivated. Esteban Nieves, veteran employee of HCDI, has been working with the company for 40 years. To this day he still enjoys his work and the people that he works with.
Over the last few months, Home City has been lucky to have a new group of people join our team. Waleska Estrada, HMR Springfield portfolio manager, likes the collaboration between HCDI and HMR. Coming from a programming background serving homeless populations in Springfield and Holyoke, she appreciates that she is still able to serve the same population through affordable housing.
Dedra Lewis joined as a property manager with HMR in early June. She appreciates the style of communication between upper management and staff. “Usually, the upper hand runs the show, and the lower just run behind. [Here] we sit at the table [together]. We try to find that common level for any situation that is going on, together.”
Home City is attracting talent from Eastern Mass as well. Jasper McCoy, a new project manager at HCDI, says he is “enjoying this job because I’m having an impact on the community that I live in and my native hometown of Springfield, Mass. Before this I was working architecture in Boston. It was a lot of hustle and bustle about the city. It’s good to be back and to see the people I’m actually affecting change with.”
Sinead Alexander, assistant property manager at Chestnut Crossing says, “The best thing about working with the company is that we get to help the community every day. We’re giving people homes, which is a huge part of their lives.”