2003 Award Winners Neighborhood Revitalization
In 1995, violent crime in Minneapolis' Phillips community drew national attention and earned the city the dubious nickname, Murderapolis. In response, the American Indian Neighborhood Development Corporation (AINDC) adopted crime reduction as a principal component of its revitalization strategy, capitalizing on unwavering local support. An initial partnership with the Minneapolis Police Department introduced the concept of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) into AINDC properties. The creation of the East Franklin Avenue Community Safety Center, the focal point of a growing partnership of diverse interests serves as a tangible reminder of the power of collaboration. The Center is the home base for numerous public safety programs, community-police forums, and neighborhood activities. As a result, serious crime reports in Phillips have fallen at a rate of nearly six times that of the City overall, serving as an asset for business attraction.
The Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC) and its cadre of local partners developed and implemented a holistic strategy to address gang activity, drug dealing, crime attracting businesses and violent crime in one of Boston’s neighborhoods. DBEDC's efforts have led to a strong network of organizations and coalitions, working in an integrated manner to comprehensively attack the crime and violence that impeded the neighborhood's growth. By combining basic organizing principles, traditional law enforcement, and real estate development to remediate winnable and high impact hot spots, the partnership has uprooted some of the area's most entrenched problems. The spillover effect has also transformed nearby neighborhoods.
HomeSight has leveraged its capacity as a community development corporation to gain the trust of merchants, residents, and city agencies and focus their efforts on large-scale development projects for Southeast Seattle, a gateway and former bedroom community for Boeing Company. HomeSight's previous experience with community safety came from revitalizing entire neighborhoods through home ownership development projects. The unwavering commitment of its leadership has organized and strengthened a diverse, fragmented, and underserved population while forging ties with important municipal agencies. The result is tangible gains in safety and quality of life in the face of significant challenges including severe city budget cuts and diminishing resources.
Out of the 25 neighborhoods in Providence, Rhode Island, Olneyville had the highest level of social and economic problems. A 1999 survey by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office revealed fear of perceived and real crime as the greatest concern, coupled with lack of police presence. An official Weed & Seed site designation from the Department of Justice helped Olneyville to bring together residents, police, and other partners in a coordinated effort to stabilize the neighborhood and reduce crime. Through innovative efforts such as its anti-prostitution initiative and the long-term dedication of involved police officers, Olneyville Weed & Seed has dramatically reduced crime and increased community assets.
In response to the rising gang and drug activity in downtown North Little Rock during the late 1980s and early 1990s, residents and property owners organized the Argenta Community Development Corporation to take back their neighborhood. This case study illustrates the growing sophistication of Argenta CDC in its development capacity and the subsequent maturation of its partnership with the police. As an affiliate of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation’s national NeighborWorks network and the Campaign for Home Ownership, Argenta CDC employs historic preservation, home ownership support services and community safety initiatives as neighborhood revitalization tools. Since 1992, Argenta CDC has collaborated with the North Little Rock Police Department and other municipal and community partners, including a local church, business owners, and invested residents to improve 71 residential and commercial buildings through its Downtown Housing Initiative.
Dunbar EDC’s efforts improved public safety in the Vernon-Central neighborhood of South Los Angeles (historically known as “South Central LA”) by creating bridges of trust between police, other criminal justice agencies, and community members. Working as the Vernon-Central Community Safety Initiative (VCCSI), the groups are improving public safety through economic development projects and innovative crime prevention strategies. The cornerstone of the project is the Graffiti Free Zone Crime Prevention Program which was initiated by the Newton Area Community Police Station to reduce gang crime and improve quality of life in the Newton Area. The success of the VCCSI and the Graffiti Free Zone Crime Prevention Program has paved the way for other collaborative ventures and reflects this young program’s capacity for success.
Lagrange Weed & Seed/CSI in Toledo, Ohio is the first hybrid Weed & Seed/CSI project. The program illustrates the collaboration between a community development corporation, the Lagrange Development Corporation, with an extensive real estate development potential and an anchor institution, St. Vincent's Mercy Medical Center, concerned with neighborhood safety for residents, employees, and patients, and LISC to nurture a growing relationship between residents and police. By including the commercial corridor, housing developments, and the power of good neighbors in its strategies, Lagrange Weed & Seed/CSI has addressed the heart of community concerns and found measurable success. |
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