How HudsonDots Came to Be

As recently announced, The Spark of Hudson has launched HudsonDots, a new housing initiative in Hudson, NY that preserves, generates, and sustains affordable housing. 

Susan Danziger, Founder of The Spark of Hudson, was first approached by former Councilperson Rebecca Wolff with the idea of purchasing and renovating certain occupied rental properties in Hudson: “I really appreciate how Rebecca took it upon herself to explain the opportunity and introduce us to various potential stakeholders, including to the seller himself. I’ll never forget her literally escorting me to the seller’s office where we had our first in-person meeting.” 

After that initial meeting, The Spark of Hudson team began a months long process of assessing, planning, and speaking with community members about whether to pursue this opportunity – and, if so, how best to move forward. Through this process, we came to appreciate the importance of taking a tenant-centered approach, including building trust with each tenant's family, understanding their individual needs, and learning how best to support them.  

It has been eight months since we closed on the initial properties (with others purchased only in the past few months), and the first tenants have already been relocated to newly restored Hudson homes. We realize this is only the beginning. Lots more renovations, lots more relocations, and lots more community conversations to come. In the meantime, we’re proud and excited about the work we do each and every day.