ABOUT
SOMOS CDC
Somos CDC is an asset-based Community Development Corporation in Allentown, Pennsylvania, dedicated to overcoming the poverty paradox—the trap created when vulnerable members of society risk losing the limited supports they rely on the moment they begin to make progress.
We believe in a different story: one where every person’s time, passion, and skills are recognized as valuable assets that can strengthen economic mobility, housing stability, financial resilience, and collective voice.
Somos CDC transforms the
time, passion, and intrinsic motivation of our neighbors into engines of economic mobility and social wellness.
mission
What we’re building tOGETHER
Somos CDC was born from the belief that every neighbor has something vital to offer — that the true strength of a community lies not in what’s missing, but in the skills, creativity, and capacity already present within it.
Our roots trace back to years of grassroots work through Holy District, a network of faith communities embedded in neighborhoods across Pennsylvania. In Allentown’s 18102 zip code — an area often defined by statistics of material poverty — we witnessed extraordinary resilience, resourcefulness, and deep relational strength. Neighbors were already supporting one another, building community, and solving problems together long before we arrived.
Somos CDC emerged from those relationships, not to replace or replicate what existed, but to recognize, strengthen, and connect it. We began building systems that sustain and expand local efforts, creating pathways for meaningful participation, shared leadership, and neighborhood stability from within.
Today, Somos CDC continues that work by co-creating a future where everyone’s contributions are valued and where care itself becomes a kind of currency — helping meet essential needs and stabilize families and neighborhoods. Our history is one of partnership and possibility, rooted in the conviction that dignity grows from within and that communities flourish when neighbors build together, block by block and story by story.
Why “Somos” ?
Somos means “we are” in Spanish. It reflects our conviction that the path to stability and transformation is collective—not “I” or “you,” but we.
In Somos CDC, neighbors are not passive recipients of aid. They are contributors, leaders, and co-architects of a system where dignity, trust, and opportunity grow from the inside out.
OUR MODEL
Somos CDC operates through four interconnected initiatives
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A time-banking system that converts volunteer hours into credits for goods, services, and personal development.
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A communal savings and investment platform where contributions are matched by patrons and distributed through a peer council.
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Emergency shelter and stabilization through faith-community partnerships.
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Storytelling platforms that amplify the voices of underestimated neighbors and mobilize civic engagement.
Somos Leadership
At Somos CDC, leadership starts with listening. It doesn’t happen behind closed doors — it’s something we build with our community. Our structure is designed to make sure decision-making stays rooted in the neighborhoods we serve and guided by the people most impacted by our work.
The Community Benefits Committee (CBC) brings together residents, local partners, and supporters who are invested in the wellbeing of our neighborhoods. Members of this committee help shape the values and priorities that guide everything we do — ensuring that our programs and partnerships truly reflect the needs, strengths, and hopes of the community.
The CBC develops and maintains the Somos Community Agreement, a shared framework for how we operate and collaborate with one another. Committee members meet regularly to listen, reflect, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on key decisions that affect community life, from project development to partnership alignment. Their insight keeps Somos CDC accountable to the people and places we serve.
Participation on the CBC is open to individuals and organizations who actively participate in Somos CDC — whether through volunteering, in-kind contributions, or financial partnership — and who share our commitment to building a community where care, dignity, and shared responsibility thrive.
Community Benefits Committee
Board of Directors and Strategic Advisors
Our Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of community and nonprofit leaders, corporate professionals, and vested neighborhood partners. Together, they bring experience across sectors while staying grounded in the realities of community life. Many of our Board members live and work in the very neighborhoods Somos serves, providing a vital connection between governance and everyday experience.
In addition to the Board, strategic advisors offer specialized expertise in areas like housing, economic development, public health, and organizational growth — helping ensure our work is sustainable, responsible, and forward-thinking.
What makes this structure unique is not hierarchy, but partnership. Our Board and committees work collaboratively with legacy residents, local leaders, and partner organizations to ensure that the direction of Somos CDC is shaped by the voices of the community itself — not for the community, and never above it.
Somos staff
Ericka Henry
Ericka is an experienced organizational leader and practitioner with more than a decade of work at the intersection of large-scale systems leadership and grassroots nonprofit development. Over the past 10+ years, she has led teams, guided organizational change, and built collaborative initiatives across diverse contexts — from supporting leadership transitions and strategic planning in established institutions to co-founding and advising emerging community-based organizations.
Her work is deeply rooted in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) — a long-researched framework focused on identifying and mobilizing the existing strengths, skills, and relationships within a community to drive sustainable change (learn more about ABCD). Through this approach, Ericka has helped leaders and organizations grow in ways that are both impactful and grounded in the lived realities of the people they serve.
Ericka holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Arts in Theology. She is also the founder of Holy District, a grassroots network of faith communities focused on neighborhood-based transformation, and Ekklesia Coaching, LLC, where she supports leaders and teams in creating structures that sustain meaningful, long-term impact. At Somos CDC, Ericka brings this depth of experience to strengthen systems of care, nurture local leadership, and cultivate the conditions for community flourishing.
Co-Founder, Executive Director
SIerra valentino
Sierra is an operational leader with more than five years of experience supporting the early-stage development of organizations and over a decade in administrative leadership. With a professional background shaped by legal and organizational operations, she brings a unique capacity for designing structures that are efficient, equitable, and built to last. Sierra leverages both her education and her deep passion for justice to confront and address the inequities revealed by the poverty paradox, working to build pathways where communities can thrive beyond systemic barriers.
She is passionate about building relationships, supporting emerging leaders, and designing resident-led initiatives that reflect the assets and priorities of the communities they serve. With experience across nonprofit, corporate, and entrepreneurial sectors, Sierra’s leadership is guided by a commitment to long-term, sustainable change.
Sierra holds a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies with a Minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice and a Certificate in Socio-Legal Studies. She has served as Director of Operations for a MarTech startup and continues to advise its leadership in its ongoing work, applying her expertise in organizational development and systems design. At Somos CDC, she uses that same experience to build structures that honor community voice, strengthen neighborhood stability, and expand opportunity from the ground up.
Co-Founder, Director of Operations
GET IN TOUCH
Change starts with conversation. If you’re curious about what we do, want to explore collaboration, or have ideas to share, we’d love to connect. Reach out and let’s build something meaningful together.