🏢 Who We Are

Vaughn Tenant Association Community Development Corporation (VTACDC) is a resident-led, community-focused nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering families, revitalizing neighborhoods, and creating opportunities for those who call the Vaughn community home. Rooted in advocacy and driven by action, we work side-by-side with residents, partners, and local leaders to build a stronger, safer, and more self-sustaining community.

💼 What We Do

🏘️ Affordable Housing Advocacy & Resident Empowerment

We represent the voices of residents living in the Vaughn Housing Development, advocating for safe, clean, and affordable housing. Through tenant leadership, education, and community meetings, we ensure residents have a say in decisions affecting their homes and neighborhood.

👶🏽 Early Childhood & Youth Development

Through the Elmer Hammond Child Development Center, we provide high-quality early childhood education and extended services for youth up to age 12. Our programs are designed to support the whole child—academically, emotionally, and socially—while also supporting working families.

🌱 Community Farming & Food Access

We operate the Baden Farm and participate in the Baden Farmers Market, promoting food security and healthy eating. We grow and distribute fresh, local produce and accept EBT and WIC, making nutritious food accessible to all.

🧰 Workforce Development & Training

We connect residents to job training, employment resources, and entrepreneurship opportunities. By investing in people, we aim to break cycles of poverty and support long-term economic mobility.

🧡 Family & Social Services

We offer wraparound support through community referrals, health and wellness programs, family engagement workshops, and emergency assistance when needed. We believe stable families build strong communities.

🏗️ Neighborhood Beautification & Safety

From community clean-up days to lighting and infrastructure improvement advocacy, we take pride in making the Vaughn neighborhood a welcoming and secure place to live.

🤝 Our Commitment

At Vaughn Tenant Association CDC, we believe that those who live in a community should have the power to shape its future. We are committed to:

Uplifting resident voices
Investing in youth and families
Strengthening economic and food security
Building partnerships for sustainable change

Bertha Gilkey & Her Impact on VTACDC

Bertha Gilkey was a pioneering community leader and activist whose work in tenant management and public housing reform has had a lasting impact on organizations like the Vaughn Tenant Association Community Development Corporation (VTACDC).

Gilkey rose to prominence in the 1970s as a tenant organizer in St. Louis, Missouri, where she championed the idea of resident-controlled public housing. Frustrated by the poor living conditions and lack of agency in traditional public housing projects, she led efforts to transfer management and operational control from government agencies to the tenants themselves. Her groundbreaking success in transforming the Cochran Gardens public housing complex into a tenant-managed community became a national model, inspiring tenant empowerment across the country.

The Vaughn Tenant Association Community Development Corporation, which works to improve housing, community services, and resident empowerment, draws inspiration from Gilkey’s legacy. Her belief in tenant self-determination and community-led development aligns deeply with VTACDC’s mission to give residents a strong voice and active role in shaping their neighborhoods. Gilkey’s impact is evident in VTACDC’s commitment to tenant management principles, collaborative governance, and sustainable community development that prioritizes the dignity and rights of residents.

Through Bertha Gilkey’s example, the Vaughn Tenant Association Community Development Corporation continues to foster resilient, resident-driven communities that challenge traditional top-down housing models and advocate for equitable urban renewal and social justice. Her pioneering spirit remains a guiding force behind VTACDC’s work in transforming lives and neighborhoods.