For several years, Mark Joseph has worked alongside Washington Housing Conservancy (WHC) as a trusted adviser, thought partner, and, most recently, Board member. His scholarship on mixed-income communities has shaped not only the national field, but our own work — pushing us to ask harder questions about what it truly takes for mixed-income housing to expand opportunity.
That is why WHC’s CEO Kimberly Driggins is especially excited about the strategic evolution of his organization. The National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities is now NP3: Nurturing People. Power. Place. This is more than a name change. It reflects a carefully considered shift from a primary focus on research and consulting to more emphasis on the direct practice of intentional social weaving — the deliberate work of fostering relationships across lines of income, race, and lived experience. It focuses not just on housing as a platform, but on neighboring as a platform. Not just on physical redevelopment, but on relational infrastructure.
“Our intention in changing the name and our focus was to be even more explicit about what we are aiming to do,” Joseph says. “If we call ourselves the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities, that tells you where we work and the nature of the community. But it doesn’t really tell you what we care about. If I tell you we are NP3: Nurturing People. Power. Place. — you have no question about what we’re doing.” Formerly considered an impact research center, NP3 now considers itself a demonstration and learning hub.
This evolution aligns with what research increasingly shows. Harvard economist Raj Chetty’s recent findings on economic mobility show that children who grow up in economically diverse communities experience stronger long-term outcomes — particularly when they have meaningful exposure to higher-income peers. But those gains are not produced by shared geography alone. They are shaped by relationships, expectations, mentorship, and access to networks. Opportunity flows through connection.
While those gains have not translated as clearly for adults, the findings nonetheless suggest that investing in intentional social weaving could yield greater benefits. In the communities Chetty studied, Joseph notes, “They had housing. They had services. They didn’t necessarily do the intentional social bridging work. What it says to me is: imagine if you didn’t just do housing plus services. Imagine if you did housing plus services plus community building and social bridging. What results might we see? That’s what we want to test.”
This is precisely why NP3’s evolution matters. Mixed-income communities do not automatically generate inclusion or mobility. They require intentional strategies to transform proximity into possibility.
One example is NP3’s current demonstration project, the Unify Greater Buckeye Network, which includes the challenging of preserving and activating a 100-year-old town square situated between two Cleveland neighborhoods — one affluent, one not. The challenge is not simply how to revitalize a historic space, but how to turn it into shared civic ground. How do you design programming, governance, and engagement in ways that foster authentic connection and shared ownership? How do you build not just co-location, but common cause? How do you create excitement that generates the desire to connect across lines of stark socioeconomic difference?
We are excited about this new chapter for NP3 because it strengthens our shared commitment to nurturing people, place, and power. At WHC, our social impact strategy is rooted in the belief that residents should be not just housed, but connected — to one another, to opportunity, and to systems of power. Mark and his colleagues have helped WHC think rigorously about how to measure and strengthen those outcomes. NP3’s pivot deepens that learning. Its hands-on work in neighboring and power-building will generate insights that directly inform and strengthen our own approach.
“Economic mobility is WHC’s North Star — and it’s a key part of ours,” Joseph says. “That’s a vital transformation we ultimately want for people. The question is: What does it take to get there?”
Preserving housing affordability and promoting economic mobility in the DC-region
The Washington Housing Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your investment helps us expand our work. Your gift is 100% tax-deductible. EIN 83-1866109
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