Ghebre Selassie Mehreteab, from West Chester, co-founder and former chief executive officer of the National Housing Partnership, died on Aug. 7 at 76, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mehreteab also served as urban poverty program officer for the Ford Foundation and as a senior executive for the New World Foundation.
He was a national community redevelopment expert, social justice activist, and volunteer.
Mehreteab came to the United States from Eritrea in 1968 to attend college. Over the following five decades, he focused on expanding social justice and affordable housing nationwide.
He led the NHP from 1989 to 2009 and helped develop more than 10,000 affordable housing units in 47 states.
Recognized as an expert on housing issues, he testified before Congress and led New Orleans housing recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He also served as a senior consultant on major housing and cultural building projects across the country.
“His legacy lives on in the families who now have a place to call home because of his work,” said his family in a tribute.
Read more about the life and legacy of West Chester’s Ghebre Selassie Mehreteab in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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