Co-Producers – Mark Lipman & Leah Mahan

In Production

“Gaining Ground“ is a one-hour sequel to “Holding Ground“ that revisits the extraordinary grassroots efforts of the Boston area Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) as it faces the enormous challenges presented by the current economic crisis.

“Holding Ground,” which was broadcast nationally on public television in 1997, chronicled the remarkable renewal of a Boston neighborhood that lay in ruins due to redlining, arson, and white flight. In 2009, as DSNI celebrates its 25th anniversary, the challenges facing the neighborhood are no less urgent:

• With over 200 first-time, low-income homeowners now on the DSNI land trust, there hasn’t been a single foreclosure due to the mortgage crisis. But foreclosures have ravaged the surrounding area.

• Two residents who appear in “Holding Ground” as teenage volunteers now lead DSNI and are preparing a new generation of leadership from within the community. They’re working to address their most urgent concerns – including neighborhood violence and the need for better employment and educational opportunities.

• A $115 million community center has recently broken ground in the heart of the neighborhood, the only Kroc Center being built in New England. Dozens of community meetings have worked to ensure it meets the needs of the neighborhood.

These three stories will provide the springboard for revisiting characters from “Holding Ground“ to understand how their relationship to the community has evolved, how DSNI has reexamined its mission, and to explore the impact of home ownership on the lives of the early homebuyers.

To date, funding has been provided by the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, LEF Foundation and an anonymous donor.

To view a trailer click here

For information about “Holding Ground,” please click here.