Outside of her work as Area Director of Rural Housing for Communities Unlimited, a nonprofit organization supporting growth and community prosperity across several southern states, Audra Butler is also the newest director of the board for the Arkansas Coalition of Housing and Neighborhood Growth for Empowerment, or ACHANGE.
This coalition was formed in 2004, bringing together individuals and organizations from across the housing space to address the current state of housing in Arkansas. Starting as a group of seven like-minded organizations, ACHANGE quickly grew.
Individuals, like Butler, and organizations across the housing space soon joined in hopes of sharing and receiving educational opportunities, better engaging with key stakeholders across the state, and creating a unified voice for housing advocacy. The organization has continued to evolve alongside a changing housing landscape, continuing to advocate for more sustainable, affordable communities.
“Our main objective is to support affordable and attainable housing in Arkansas, across the spectrum of affordability,” said Butler. “We also promote [the] sustainable community and economic development and growth that helps to bring about that access to affordable, quality homes.”
To achieve these goals, ACHANGE has several community building and educational outreach programs, including specialized trainings for members focusing on community economic development. These educational opportunities not only provide ample information on complex topics but bring in experts from across the state and the country to facilitate in-depth conversations and ultimately, a greater understanding of housing best practices.
This year, many of these sessions have been focused on the financial side of housing, helping trainees to better understand funding sources for community development. Each session breaks down the private, public, or philanthropic funding sources available to support a variety of housing projects.
Members have gotten to hear from experts from Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and banking officials from an array of major banks. The upcoming session will feature speakers from the philanthropic space, discussing additional funding sources for housing development.
In addition to these educational opportunities, ACHANGE is a strong advocate for statewide policies that make it easier to create, expand, and preserve housing in Arkansas. This advocacy work strongly aligns with the original goals of the organization.
Though this educational and advocacy work, alongside community outreach and member support, ACHANGE and its esteemed board of directors are able to uphold the mission of uplifting communities through greater access to quality homes.
This is a mission that deeply resonates with Butler and has since she began attending ACHANGE meetings more than a decade ago.
“I really believe in the mission of ACHANGE,” she said. “I’ve got to see it grow and change over the years and [seen] the impact that they were having both at the community level with our partners, but also just the people who were benefiting from the work of the membership.”
This work, along with some encouraging words from former president Martie North, inspired Butler to step up to a position of leadership within the organization. After serving on the board for several years, Butler was named director earlier this year. Her experience and personal dedication to the mission of ACHANGE has only spurred further growth for the organization.
When asked what to credit for this success, Butler’s answer was simple: the work of the organization’s members.
“We have an amazing membership of people who have been advocates for their entire lives,” she said. “They’re pushing housing and community development forward in the state of Arkansas.”
“We’re not successful if they’re not successful,” she added.
It is the inspiring work of the organization’s membership, made up primarily of builders, community development corporations, non-profit organizations, municipal leaders, and developers, that pushes Butler to look towards the future of the organization with two main objectives: expanding membership and enhancing offerings.
“I am excited about the opportunity to engage different types of organizations and people who are working in the housing space,” she said.
Butler knows that by expanding the organization’s membership not just in size but in background and expertise, ACHANGE can better address the housing needs of the state. This will also allow the organization to provide enhanced services for their membership, improving educational opportunities and organizational outcomes not solely for ACHANGE but for each individual membership organization.
Though coalition building and a shared educational ecosystem, ACHANGE is an organization shaping the future of housing in the state, led by the inspirational advocacy and stellar leadership of Audra Butler.