Editor of The Voice , Brittney Nitta-Lee, sat down with Phillippia Goldsmith to talk about her background and work in the NewHolly community. Phillippia has been an SHA Community Builder at NewHolly for seven years. 

BNL: Where did you grow up? 

PG: I was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina and lived there until I was eight years old. I have Southern roots and I think that's what grounded me in how I connect with people. Then I moved to Detroit, Michigan and lived there for a few years, and finally moved to Seattle when I was 11 years old. I lived in the Rainier Beach neighborhood. Coming back here to NewHolly is really special to me because I remember going to the Rainier Beach Community Center and catching the number 7 bus to go to downtown Seattle. 

BNL: How did you become a community builder?

PG: After I graduated high school, I went to Seattle Central College for two years in the Social Human Services program. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I learned about AmeriCorps. Solid Ground had an AmeriCorps program and I elected to do the Washington Reading Corps. During my experience, I got really involved in the PTA at the school. I was able to do different projects and I was really excited to do family engagement work. That's when it started. I had another year left in the AmeriCorps program, and there was an opportunity at the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association. The project that they had was to create a Housing Resource Center. My position was to identify resources in the general Seattle area and connect people to those resources. I worked for DNDA for nine years. They ended up creating a community builder position, and that allowed me to connect with people and identify needs, and I got really into that. 

BNL: After your experience at DNDA, is that when you came to SHA? 

PG: I wanted to learn additional aspects of housing so I decided to take a break from community building and do property management. I ended up working at Capitol Hill Housing as a Resident Manager for five of their buildings. I stayed there for two years but missed working on community engagement projects. 

BNL: Then you came to SHA? 

PG: I saw an opportunity at SHA and I applied. So here I am. 

BNL: What is it that's important to you when it comes to community building?

PG: It's important to me to share resources or connections that I have. It's allowed me to connect with residents on a different level. It's so beautiful to have a mother come to me and say, "Phillippia, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I haven't done a lot of things. Can I do some stuff with you?" I had her help me at an event and she did some activities with the kids. From there, she did CPR and First Aid training which grew to her finding a job as a childcare worker at a preschool. To see someone from start to finish is beautiful. 

BNL: Is there a memorable experience you've had so far that you would like to share? 

PG: We have our annual Family Fun Fest in August. We usually have attractions for kids and one year we got a petting zoo. That was the most popular activity. There was this little boy who went into the library and got a book and started to read the book to the goat. That little boy always runs around and is very active, and it was the calmest I have ever seen him. Having the zoo there meant a lot to him. That was really sweet and it reminds me to continue to remember that it's all about connecting people and engaging the community. 

BNL: Where or how can residents contact you?

PG: All over NewHolly. But you can email me at phillippia.goldsmith@seattlehousing.org or call 206.723.1725.