TC LISC director comments on neighborhood quality of life
31 Aug 2010 - Andriana Abariotes
Improving neighborhood quality of life: The art of the mosaic
Published in MinnPost.com
Excerpt:
If you've driven down Minneapolis' Franklin Avenue or stopped at the corner of University and Dale in St. Paul, you've seen the physical evidence yourself. Attractive homes, apartments and businesses now line lively streets that were formerly crime magnets.For 20 years, local community developers have helped improve Twin Cities neighborhoods. But over time, there've been signs that these physical improvements alone weren't necessarily leading to a better quality of life for residents. The neighborhoods looked better, but residents still weren't able to get ahead.
Nonprofits and funders began to see that helping residents improve their prospects took a whole range of opportunities beyond housing. People needed access to jobs, workforce training, affordable transportation, quality education for themselves and their children, health care and a healthy environment, and the skills and strategies to build wealth for themselves. They also needed to have a stronger voice in development decisions affecting their neighborhood and their futures.
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Article Type: News