Monique Johnson, a 31-year-old lifelong Woodlawn resident, said that when she drives her kids around the neighborhood, she points out all the things that have changed since she was a child.
“Woodlawn grew with me. As I grew up, it just got better and better and better,” Johnson said. “I can see the change for the better. I see more businesses opening up in spots that were vacant for years. I see that they’re actually working on road maintenance, potholes that have been here for years. I see the crime going down. I also see how they’re cleaning up the neighborhood. It’s a 360 change compared to when I was growing up,” Johnson said.
Johnson and others attribute Woodlawn’s ongoing improvements largely to the work of a nonprofit: Woodlawn United.
More recently, though, Woodlawn is becoming largely known for its growth and vibrancy – with Woodlawn United leading the neighborhood’s resurgence.
Transforming a neighborhood the right way: ‘Healthy community revitalization and growth’
In the period since Woodlawn United has been operating, the group has repaired dozens of homes, seen more than 20 new businesses open, including Slutty Vegan, and seen incidents of crime in the area drop. The nonprofit also has a track record of leadership training and injecting new educational opportunities into Woodlawn.
Mashonda Taylor, president and CEO of Woodlawn United, has worked with the nonprofit for 13 years.
She said she is excited to see how the organization will continue to transform the lives of Woodlawn residents in the years to come.
“People want high-quality schools for their children. They want to feel safe. They want to be in a place where they have a sense of belonging. They want to have high-quality houses…I think that’s why Woodlawn has become a very intentional community of bringing people together,” Taylor told AL.com.
“The goal is to see a thriving Woodlawn, and so by any means necessary, we’re waking up every day trying to make sure that Woodlawn is its best self.”
In 2010, the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation, a Birmingham nonprofit that invests in local programs creating vibrant communities, granted $2 million to Woodlawn United, formerly known as the Woodlawn Foundation, which largely funded property acquisition throughout the neighborhood.
Taylor said the nonprofit’s rebrand as Woodlawn United was about bringing people together to create a neighborhood that all residents could be proud of.
Over the years, Woodlawn United became an example of how to transform a neighborhood the right way.
More than 20 new businesses have opened in Woodlawn since 2020. Homeownership has increased 10% and crime has dropped 36% since 2022, according to Taylor.
“I think that Woodlawn represents what healthy community revitalization and growth looks like,” Jason Meadows, Birmingham Board of Education member and former director of community engagement at Woodlawn United, told AL.com.
“Woodlawn United has made sure that things were done with the community, not to the community.”
Equitable housing: ‘Protecting the people that live here’
“There are still a lot of the older people still living in their homes. There is no displacement, and it’s still affordable to live here,” Johnson said.
The Homeowner Rehabilitation Program provides repairs to homes in the Woodlawn community. Existing Woodlawn homeowners are able to apply for up to $10,000 in grants for renovations that address health and safety issues and enhance the quality of life for residents who otherwise could not afford the repairs.In 2024, Woodlawn United repaired 27 homes, with the community wellness and public safety project totaling $602,292, according to a recent report.
Since its inception, Woodlawn United has prioritized the creation of mixed-use housing throughout the community while ensuring that none of the neighborhood’s residents were displaced throughout the process.
“People that live here are not being displaced…There’s an intentionality in protecting the people that live here,” Taylor said. “Regardless of where we build, they will never be displaced. The rent will never increase to the point where they can’t be there.”
Woodlawn United has also secured $1.6 million from the city of Birmingham to help residents become homeowners at the new Cottages on Georgia Road. The units will be for moderate-income and extremely low-income individuals and families.Residents will be able to use their vouchers for home ownership.
“It’s really thinking about what is an intentional mix of housing, so not concentrating poverty, not concentrating wealth, but really thinking about affordable, median and market rate housing existing in the same neighborhood, intermingled within the same streets,” Taylor said.
WE Lead, a Woodlawn United civic engagement fellowship program, recently graduated 17 adults to become local leaders that will help Birmingham thrive.
“I believe that for communities to thrive, companies to thrive, organizations to thrive, you have to have strong leaders, and in order to do that, you have to give them the tools to be successful,” Taylor said.
The program was developed to address the Woodlawn community’s gap in access to leadership development opportunities.
Makyiah Barrow, 19, a WE Lead graduate and the office manager for Woodlawn United, said the nonprofit helped her transform into the leader she is today.
“I’m from the Collegeville community, so I grew up in public housing and literally just moved into my own apartment … It’s harder to know what resources are around you when you never grew up around it,” Barrow said.
“Woodlawn United really took me in and helped me blossom, because I’m seeing a lot of stuff I didn’t see growing up … I learned what community really is, which is trust and support. And since I’ve been with Woodlawn United, I’ve learned that community is a big part of who you are and producing who you can be.”
The program participants complete service projects while learning from local political, business, and community leaders about how to make real changes in their own communities.
Participants also take part in initiatives that address current issues impacting Woodlawn.
Taylor said WE Lead graduates have gone on to run for office, lead organizations, earn promotions, and work alongside her at Woodlawn United.
“They took somebody who didn’t know anything, I didn’t have a college degree, I didn’t have any certificates … Everything I know now, I learned while I’ve been with Woodlawn United,” Barrow said.
