Housing Was Only the First Step
How Dr. Merritt's personal journey shaped a mission to build economic mobility — not just buildings — in the communities that need it most.
"There are so many people in Black and Brown communities who just need access to economic opportunity, and if they had the access, they would kill it."
From the Bronx to Building an Empire
Dr. Gina Merritt grew up in affordable housing in the Bronx — a community she loved, but one where access to opportunity was scarce. She didn't even realize she grew up in affordable housing until her 20s; to her, it was simply a beautiful community, and she loved growing up there.
She lost her mother at 13. Her father struggled with substance abuse. These experiences didn't define her limits — they forged an extraordinary drive. She made her way to Howard University, then Wall Street at Morgan Stanley, then UVA Darden for her MBA.
For the first 20 years, she built other people's projects — managing $2 billion worth of development for firms that wouldn't fund her own ventures. That changed after 2020. Since 2021, NREUV has raised over $310 million for projects. Today, she has 17 buildings and 1,200 affordable housing units in the pipeline across Ohio, Maryland, and D.C.
Affordable Housing Isn't the Solution. It's the First Step.
As a developer, Dr. Merritt would meet people in the community all the time that she knew were capable of working. The subcontractors who built her projects always had trouble finding people who could hold a job for 10 or 12 months — not because the people didn't exist, but because no one was connecting them.
She realized that residents couldn't escape affordable housing to achieve homeownership, stable employment, and prosperity without support. The two beneficiaries — employers who needed workers and communities who needed jobs — kept missing each other.
That realization became the seed for everything that followed: Project Community Capital, the WFL Collective, and a philosophy that development without economic empowerment is only half the job.
I, too, have been deprived of opportunity because of my skin or my gender or both. But after 20+ years in this industry, I have more resources and connections than these individuals, and I believe it is my job to uplift them.
Bridging the Gap with Social Capital
Project Community Capital is an economic empowerment platform that connects people in underserved communities with jobs and contracts by leveraging social capital. PCC bridges the social capital of employment decision-makers with individuals in low-income communities.
PCC finds, vets, and connects candidates to employers, and entrepreneurs to firms and contractors. The Workforce Leverage database provides structured employment services through a collective impact model that leverages social capital, social services, and technology.
Why This Work Matters
Dr. Merritt believes that there are people living in every underserved community with the reliability, trustworthiness, and ambition to succeed — they simply don't have access to opportunities or the resources to overcome barriers to employment.
In your everyday life, there are so many underserved and underestimated individuals that you will come across who are reliable, trustworthy, and ambitious — give these individuals a second look when it comes to any economic opportunity you have.
Groundbreakings, Ribbon Cuttings & Community Events
Moments from across Dr. Merritt's career — building projects, empowering communities, and celebrating milestones.
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The Story Behind the Mission
A video introduction to Dr. Merritt's journey and the impact of PCC & WFL Collective.
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