Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Friday, August 28, 2020

A case in Gloucester, Massachusetts as an illustration of the need for systematic neighborhood monitoring and stabilization initiatives: Part 4 (the Curcuru Family)

-- "The need for a "national" neighborhood stabilization program comparable to the Main Street program for commercial districts: Part I (Overall)"
-- "To be successful, local neighborhood stabilization programs need a packaged set of robust remedies: Part 2"
-- "Creating 'community safety partnership neighborhood management programs as a management and mitigation strategy for public nuisance programs: Part 3 (like homeless shelters)"
-- "A case in Gloucester, Massachusetts as an illustration of the need for systematic neighborhood monitoring and stabilization initiatives: Part 4 (the Curcuru Family)"
-- "Local neighborhood stabilization programs: Part 5 | Adding energy conservation programs, with the PUSH Buffalo Green Development Zone as a model," 2021 

Part 1 of this series discusses the need for focused neighborhood stabilization and improvement programs, particularly in weak market neighborhoods. With a proposed model being a reworking of the Main Street commercial district revitalization approach, but for neighborhoods, which the State of Pennsylvania has already done, calling it "Elm Street."

-- Elm Street program, Pennsylvania Downtown Center
-- Elm Street Managers Handbook
-- Chambersburg Elm Street Neighborhood Plan

Part 2 discusses packaging a set of remedies, so the programs can act expeditiously. 

To do that programs need to collect data and information and create maps showing the condition and state of properties, and identify potential solutions, including organizing community volunteer and self help/DIY initiatives such as the "Paint Ypsilanti" initiative that helped residents in the Depot Town neighborhood, when their houses were in need of a new paint job.

Rebuilding Together.  The piece mentioned the Rebuilding Together organization, which has local chapters that assist people without the means to do so to make necessary repairs on their houses.

 I attended their national conference in 2013 ("One element typically ignored in housing policy: helping low income families stay in their homes via repair assistance").

The organization terms April as "National Rebuilding Month" (the organization used to be called "Christmas in April"), and encourages affiliates to focus their service efforts then, culminating in "National Rebuilding Day," held on the last Saturday in April.

A project underway by Rebuilding Together Manchester in Connecticut.  Photo: Bob Kiefer.

Local affiliates may or may not have full time staff, but the bulk of the work is done by volunteers, both amateur and professional.

Funds tend to be a mix of government grants and locally raised donations, depending on the group.
Affiliates with paid staff tend to undertake more projects and do projects throughout the year, rather than just in April.

One focus is the installation of ramps for the disabled, which chapters tend to do all year, not just in April.

Manchester, Connecticut.  

More recently, rather than focusing on one-off projects, some RT chapters have started focusing each year's activity on particular neighborhoods, repairing dozens of houses at the same time, having a multiplicative impact on neighborhoods, going beyond that of a focus on individual houses.

Each year, collectively the chapters repair over 10,000 houses with the involvement of as many as 100,000 volunteers, with an equivalent value of around $100 million.

Neighborhood Housing Services.  In some respects you can argue that RT is a "self-help/DIY" version of the public program Neighborhood Housing Services, a program created by Congress in the 1960s, that many cities adopted to do similar kinds of work.

Through hundreds of programs across the nation, public and/or nonprofit agencies provide grants and other repair and housing rehabilitation services to people in need, mostly using public funds from HUD community block grants.

-- Maryland NHS webpage
-- "Neighborhood Housing Services: A Program with Promise," Vanderbilt Law Review, 1976
-- "Redlining Practices, Racial Resegregation, and Urban Decay: Neighborhood Housing Services as A Viable Alternative," The Urban Lawyer, 1975
-- "Building a Better Neighborhood Housing Partnership," Housing and Society, 2007

The programs may target households in terms of income eligibility as well as specific neighborhoods.  Some programs have energy-related initiatives and/or offer technical assistance workshops on topics such as foreclosure or home buying.

Also, many cities and counties, often in conjunction with senior aging programs, have created focused programs to provide such services to older-aged households.

The note that the Curcuru family received July 20 telling them their house is an “eyesore.” (Photo here and below: Michelle Baran)

The difference between Neighborhood Housing Services and initiatives like Elm Street and Rebuilding Together.  To make clear, while NHS type programs are important, what this series recommends is the support of initiatives that are more directly intertwined with civil society supportive elements.

The difference between the Main Street model and the community development corporation model is that non-professional citizens/residents are incorporated into the organization as members, volunteers, and leaders.

Gloucester, Massachusetts and the Curcuru family.  The Washington Post has an article, "A couple was shamed for their aging house. Hundreds of people stepped in to help spruce it up," about the Curcuru Family in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and how the health and income challenged family hasn't been able to keep up their house in good condition.

The house, long in need of painting, was called out as an eyesore in an anonymous missive.  Once this was disclosed in a Facebook post, the family received many offers of help and the house will be repainted.

Obviously, the house needs to be painted. Anyone can see that's the case.

But the state of disrepair should have been seen as an indicator of the need for help, rather than as an opportunity for anonymous shaming.

A long time ago, a colleague made the comment that the reason that there are so many lawyers is because people are unwilling or not very good at engaging with other people to deal with problems and differences, so they need third party intermediaries.

Another way to think of organized stabilization initiatives is as a friendly third party intermediary.

By collecting data, making assessments, and organizing a system of help, it's possible to deal with this kind of issue as a conversation rather than as through anonymous accusations and shaming.

Note that Gloucester has a housing rehab support program, but it's got a long waiting list.  And judging by the Post article, it's probably not particularly proactive in identifying houses of particular need.

The advantage of creating initiatives like an Elm Street neighborhood stabilization program or Rebuilding Together is that they draw on a wider variety of resources, including volunteers, than is typically possible through a staff-driven city agency.

Columbus Ohio and the Old Towne East neighborhood.  In Part 1, I mentioned the 2003 documentary "Flag Wars," about the demographic change--"gentrification"--of a neighborhood close to the Downtown of Columbus, Ohio.

The footage was mostly shot in the late 1990s.

-- Discussion Guide

The neighborhood is marked by huge houses, and had a preponderance of older black families, mostly low income.

Like the state of the Curcuru house in Gloucester, many of the houses were in disrepair, which of course is why some people were motivated to buy there--houses were cheap, big, and well located, and sweat equity could generate a great financial return.

Vacant houses in Olde Town East.  Wikipedia photo by Zhao 737.

So many of the houses are so large, that keeping them up would be a challenge for all but higher income households (e.g., in the last year, repairs and appliance replacement at our small bungalow in DC have already totaled over $4,000, and I wish we'd put some more money into landscaping).

Instead of looking to creating "mutual assistance programs" to help economically challenged households, many new residents profiled in "Flag Wars" called on the city's Code Enforcement inspectors to ticket and fine the homeowners.

Needless to say, this created animus ("‘Flag Wars’ Helped Me See Systems Of Racism In Housing And Its Effects On My Own Family," Columbus Navigator).

While it's taken a couple decades, apparently, these days, the neighborhood has "arrived," at least pre-pandemic, judging by last summer's historic house tour ("Olde Towne East home tour to feature the old, new, grand and sleek," Columbus Dispatch).

The Olde Towne East historic home tour features condominiums currently under construction at 1369 Fair Avenue. Pictured are owner Misty Linn (L) and her partner Katie Kikta (R). Tour organizers say the event illustrates the variety and health of the area's housing. Photographed on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. [Barbara J. Perenic/Dispatch]

Manor Park DC and the Albright Memorial Methodist Church.  An ongoing theme in writing about cities is the decline of churches as older church-going residents move to the suburbs.

As church congregations shrink, the ability to maintain buildings diminishes, especially as buildings age, and that is the case with the Albright Methodist Church on Rittenhouse Street NW in the Manor Park neighborhood (between Takoma and Brightwood).

Comparable to the letter received by the Curcurus, a resident living across the street from the church complained about their family to maintain the roof, that tarps continued to cover part of the roof for many years, that it is an eyesore etc.

It's not that the church didn't know about the problem, but they spent many years raising the necessary funds to fix it.

He could have talked to them, and he could have even volunteered some of his time and energy to helping them facilitate and speed up the repair.  I guess the saving grace was that he didn't do it anonymously.  But in any case, most of the discussion on the list was more about defending the church.

That was a few years ago, and I seem to recall that the roof has finally been fixed.

While churches typically aren't eligible for government funds for repair (see the First Amendment), some historic preservation organizations do provide assistance to churches in these situations, sometimes with the support of the national organization Partners for Sacred Places.



Columbus, Ohio community identity billboard





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26 Comments:

At 1:57 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Gloria's Gladiators story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/10/07/an-electrician-saw-his-clients-house-was-disrepair-so-he-called-friends-they-fixed-her-house-free/

https://people.com/human-interest/electrician-rallies-massachusetts-town-rebuild-72-year-old-womans-home/

(nice picture of the four square frame house)

 
At 2:34 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Texans used mutual aid to help their communities through a devastating winter storm

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/23/mutual-aid-texas-storm/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/02/when-the-gop-left-texans-to-freeze-locals-stepped-up-with-mutual-aid/

https://houston.eater.com/22293485/mutual-aid-groups-disaster-relief-texas-winter-storm-uri

 
At 2:35 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

SF Bay Area Chinatown mutual aid efforts

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/multiracial-mutual-aid-efforts-help-chinatown-senior-citizens-asian-american-n1258356

 
At 2:37 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a35553577/what-is-mutual-aid/

Link to an essay collection by Peter Kropotkin.

Maine

https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/a35553577/what-is-mutual-aid/

 
At 2:38 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Boston

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/12/25/nation/an-underground-food-pantry-draws-needy-families-citys-disapprova

 
At 2:40 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/18/what-mutual-aid-can-do-during-a-pandemic

 
At 10:54 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Another Gloria's Gladiators story:

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2020/1028/An-electrician-s-good-deed-launches-a-movement-of-helpers

 
At 11:03 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

In 2008, Shaun Donovan helped launch the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, to help people avoid foreclosure and to promote home ownership.

https://cnycn.org/

Many communities have these kinds of service programs.

 
At 11:36 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

My Hometown organization created in West Valley City, Utah.

"West Valley City initiative ‘My Hometown’ emphasizes neighbors helping neighbors"

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2021/10/22/west-valley-city/

It's a kind of "Savannah Blocks" program,

https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/publications/Documents/City-Sponsored.pdf

but way more grassroots. It was initiated by residents, and draws on the Mormon religion tradition of self-help, and is helping oriented, but the community is not distressed.

With assistance from the city, people undertake projects in their neighborhoods, there are block captains, etc.

There's also a Youth Council "division" to better engage adolescents in the program.

The projects aren't just fixing properties, but include piano and language instruction, events, etc.

Not unlike the Difference Makers project at Takoma Park Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland, although that's for middle schoolers.

https://difference-makers.org/

 
At 9:33 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Restore, Repair, Renew program in Philadelphia. Loans from $2500 to $25000, 10 years, 3%

https://phdcphila.org/residents/home-repair/restore-repair-renew/

 
At 10:11 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

I didn't discuss rental housing in a more specific way. Plus, the fifth piece in this series references a Washington Post story on low income households in Peoria, which is quite searing.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a bunch of articles on rental property issues.

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/unlicensed-rental-properties-philadelphia-20211222.html

"As homeownership declines, Philly must address unlicensed rental properties"

2. "Philadelphia inspects only 7% of its rental units each year, Pew says"

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/philadelphia-rental-inspections-licenses-department-landlords-20211118.html

Rental Code Enforcement in Philadelphia
Pew Charitable Trusts

3. "City Council wants Philly to pay for urgent property repairs and bill the owners"

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/property-repair-landlord-philadelphia-licenses-inspections-li-20211028.html


https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/2021/11/rental-code-enforcement-in-philadelphia

4. "Philadelphia’s affordable housing strategy depends on repairing existing homes"

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/home-repair-grant-loan-philadelphia-affordable-housing-20201107.html

Philadelphia has created the "Restore, Repair, Renew" loan program, 3%, 10 year term, $2500 to $25000.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/philadelphia-home-improvement-loan-program-restore-repair-renew-credit-score-lenders-20190313.html

"Philadelphia to launch low-interest loan program that will help residents fix aging homes"

 
At 10:15 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

There is a "Healthy Rowhouse Project" initiative in Philadelphia, focused on reducing displacement.

But the website doesn't seem to be working at the moment,

https://www.may8consulting.com/healthy-rowhouse-project/

https://www.may8consulting.com/healthy-rowhouse-project/

11 key foc1 of the project:

1. Improve health
2. Create neighborhood jobs
3. Prevent displacement
4. Revitalize neighborhoods
5. Preserve the city's iconic housing stock.
6. Improve school performance.
7. Lower healthcare costs.
8. Allow seniors to age in place.
9. Stop abandonment.
10. Stop the decline of home ownership.
11. Become a more sustainable city.

Also, the ten year Philadelphia Housing Plan focuses on maintaining existing housing stock.

https://www.phila.gov/media/20190115161305/Housing-Action-Plan-Final-for-Web.pdf

 
At 8:40 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Often, people can make it very difficult to help them.

https://people.com/tv/alicia-witt-opens-up-about-her-parents-1-month-after-they-were-found-dead/

 
At 5:03 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

The University City District, a BID in Philadelphia, has an initiative called Project Rehab, which works with commercial and residential properties to save distressed properties from demolition, when properties are particularly distressed.

https://www.universitycity.org/projectrehab

The Philadelphia Inquirer: A ‘Mr. Fixit’ helps West Philly residents and businesses cut through red tape.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/tangled-titles-west-philly-rehab-vacant-properties-20220315.html

 
At 4:21 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Tampa Bay Times: St. Petersburg is transforming vacant lots into affordable housing.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/04/07/st-petersburg-is-transforming-vacant-lots-into-affordable-housing

In 2014, as the city emerged from the Great Recession, he began combining that passion with an approach to improving neighborhoods by dealing aggressively with owners of derelict houses and vacant properties. “I was not a tenured government employee, and I probably still don’t think like the average government employee,” he says. “I think like a businessperson.”

Corbett started compiling an inventory of the boarded- up and vacant properties that dotted the city. He counted 830 homes that either needed major repairs or had deteriorated so much that they needed to be demolished. ...

But as dilapidated houses were torn down or refurbished, many lots remained vacant and neglected, eroding surrounding property values and the local tax base. Basic maintenance often fell to city workers, draining time and resources. “In the summertime, we’d have to mow the grass twice a month religiously,” Corbett says. “We called them dead or zombie properties because no one wanted to touch them.”

Many cities deal with the zombie-lot problem with an approach that some call “file and forget” — they slap code-enforcement liens on neglected lots and hope that real estate values eventually rise enough to make the owners want to get out of arrears and either sell, develop or refinance the property.

Instead, Corbett went after the owners of the zombie lots more aggressively, using a tactic that cities typically shy away from — foreclosure. In 2016, he identified the owners of dozens of empty lots, mostly in historically black neighborhoods south of downtown. Often, the property owners owed more in taxes or fines than the properties were worth. “You might have $40,000 in liens on a lot that was worth $20,000,” he says. ...

Corbett reckoned that the firm never had any real interest in owning land in St. Petersburg. And as the company continued to pile up code violations, he proposed that the city foreclose on its properties.

“That’s how this whole thing started,” he says. “My thought was, let’s foreclose. It’s not like we’re kicking some family out of their house. This is literally a large company that doesn’t care anything about this city, and one of two things will happen: They’ll either pay their liens, or their properties will be sold and someone else will get them.” ...

The city responded by trying to turn some foreclosures into first homes for local residents instead of selling the lots to developers. Under the program, the city acquires an abandoned lot at auction, clears the title and gives it to a non-profit developer. The developer, in turn, builds a home and sells it to a lower-income family. So far, the city has acquired 50 lots this way, and nine houses have been built and sold to first time home buyers.

 
At 5:46 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Pennsylvania’s new home-repair program is one step closer to helping homeowners and landlords

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/home-repair-grant-loan-energy-efficiency-pennsylvania-20221122.html

Preserving aging houses is one of the pillars of the “Homes for All” plan the county adopted last year to build and maintain homes for low- and middle-income residents. As housing costs continue to rise and counties across the region deal with the loss of affordable housing from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, “it’s been a very tough three to five years,” said Kayleigh Silver, administrator of Montgomery County’s Office of Housing and Community Development.

That’s one reason county officials are excited about new funding coming through the Whole-Home Repairs Program, a state initiative to make homes safer, accessible to people with disabilities, and more energy efficient. It also trains workers for construction-related jobs. The $125 million allocation, funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act and a budget surplus, represents the largest investment state legislators have made to improve the quality of homes in recent memory, according to legislators. ...

Grants of up to $50,000 will be available for homeowners making up to 80% of the area median income, which is about $76,000 for a household of three in the Philadelphia region.

Small landlords are eligible for loans of up to $50,000 per rental unit if they rent homes at prices that are affordable to tenants making at or below 60% of area median income. That’s a maximum income of about $57,000 for a household of three in the Philadelphia area.

Funds also will go toward workforce development programs that connect trainees with jobs related to improving living conditions in homes. Investments can include cash stipends for trainees and paying for apprenticeships and on-the-job training.

 
At 2:31 PM, Anonymous Richard Layman said...

Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity has "Critical Home Repair Program" (CHIRP)

"Leading the country in demonstrating the positive impact of safe and healthy housing on the Social Determinants of Health."

https://habitatsaltlake.com/what-we-do/critical-repairs

- safer homes
- relief from chronic health conditions
- less missed work
- better school attendance and graduation
- ending inter-generational poverty

 
At 3:17 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Philadelphia program for rental properties.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/home-repair-landlord-loan-philadelphia-rental-improvement-fund-phdc-20230823.html

Philly is offering loans for landlords to repair properties and maintain the city’s affordable housing
Philly landlords with 15 or fewer rental units can get forgivable and 0% interest loans to repair their properties if they cap rent increases. The new program is funded with up to $9 million.

https://phdcphila.org/residents-and-landlords/%20landlords/rental-improvement-fund/

 
At 3:24 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

A CDC in Cleveland does home repairs for seniors within its service area. Not much money.

https://thelandcle.org/stories/free-home-repairs-help-union-miles-seniors-manage-quality-of-life-stay-independent/

Free home repairs help Union Miles seniors manage quality of life, stay independent

9/1/2023

Every year since 2019, the Union Miles Development Corporation (UMDC) has assisted approximately 100 senior citizens in Cleveland’s Ward 2 area with free home repairs. For Union Miles senior citizen James Efford, the senior repair program is crucial to maintaining his quality of life while on a limited fixed income.

As Efford showed The Land around his home, it was apparent that he cherishes his independence, while at the same time he welcomes and is grateful for any assistance that saves him money on home repairs.

The program gives seniors help with minor repairs, typically topping out at $500, that are not covered by other city agencies. Some of the items covered free of charge to the area’s elderly include repairs to stairs, windows, gutters, plumbing, ceilings, and flooring, and the addition of hand railings and ramps. While that may not seem like much, it can be a lifeline to many seniors in the area, especially when combined with other services and programs.

 
At 2:40 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Pittsburgh-area residents can apply for home repair program

https://www.wesa.fm/development-transportation/2023-10-17/pittsburgh-whole-home-repairs

The Whole-Home Repairs Program has opened for a second round of applications in Allegheny County.

The program, which is funded by the state but administered by Action Housing in the county, funds up to $50,000 in major home repairs for households earning less than 80% of the area’s median income, which works out to less than $80,000 for a family of four and less than $56,000 for an individual.

... Around 125 home repairs were funded during the first round, during which around 3,400 households applied, according to Dan Sullivan, who runs the program for Action Housing.

Homes that were not selected the first time can reapply; the reapplication should take less than 10 minutes, Sullivan said.

The homes are selected by lottery, so new applicants are weighted no differently than returning applicants.

https://actionhousing.org/our-services/allegheny-county-whole-home-repairs-program/

 
At 5:15 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

NeighborWorks in Salt Lake City has an event "Paint your heart out" that will paint the houses of people in need.

 
At 3:19 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/postman-help-81-year-old-woman-with-her-yardwork-neighbors-help/75-76523683-ed46-4b60-8f00-e65146c4d4bb

3/13/23

 
At 9:53 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

No Charge For This Lady Under Any Circumstances” Plumber Refuses To Charge 91-Yr-Old Woman With Cancer

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/17/uk/kind-plumber-burnley-intl-gbr-scli/index.html

James Anderson, originally from Liverpool, is being lauded for his bill of £0 sent to a 91-year-old woman with leukaemia.

The bill, initially shared on Facebook by the woman’s daughter, Christine Rowlands, was accompanied by the message: ‘No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.’

... But this isn’t a first act of kindness for Anderson. Since turning his plumbing business into a community project for vulnerable people, he says he’s helped and assisted thousands of people.

He says he was inspired to set up his company, DEPHER, after he saw another elderly man being “manipulated” by another engineer in the area.

https://www.depher.com/

Disability and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair

 
At 9:44 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

Broken windows theory in action.

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/home-repairs-philadelphia-violence-reduction-20240129.html

Home repairs decrease gun violence in Philadelphia

The research is incredibly clear: Home repairs decrease gun violence. One study of Philadelphia’s Basic Systems Repair Program found that when even one home on a block received repairs, there was a 21.9% decrease in homicide rates. And the more home repairs a block received, the more homicide rates fell. The data reflect what we already know: When people’s basic need for a safe, stable home is met, it decreases violence in our neighborhoods.

But that message isn’t getting through to our local government. As we talked to close to 200 Grays Ferry residents, the stories poured in. Many residents have applied for home repair programs — for plumbing, roofing, weatherization, insulation, and other renovations — but haven’t heard back, have been denied, or have had to wait many years.

Philly residents need home repairs, and we know home repairs are a key part of reducing violence, so why isn’t our city making them more accessible?

It is literally lifesaving work to keep longtime Black residents in their homes — particularly community anchors like our friends Wilkins and Frazier, who stopped violence before it popped off through their presence and one-on-one mentorship work with young folks. Our Council member, Kenyatta Johnson, is now also Council president, and he has enormous power to protect affordable housing in his district and beyond. We need him to work with community advocates to pass citywide policies that prioritize low-income housing and opt the 2nd District into the mixed-income neighborhood overlay, which would require housing developers to ensure 20% of their units are affordable.

======
Fighting blight by fixing up homes could bring down Philly gun violence, new study shows

https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-home-repairs-gun-violence-prevention-university-of-pennsylvania-study/

1/9/23

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/Penn-Columbia-research-abandoned-house-repairs-reduced-nearby-gun-violence

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27736217/

Abandoned homes that were repaired as part of a University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University study saw a drop in shootings compared to homes that didn’t.

 
At 10:16 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

UnBlocked Englewood repairs homes to help rewrite decades of housing discriminationhttps://abc7chicago.com/unblocked-englewood-home-improvement-chicago-housing-discrimination/1448370

3/1/24

That's because UnBlocked Englewood, an organization repairing homes in the neighborhood, did it free-of-cost, so money no longer keeps families from homeownership.

"Sometimes, insurance won't cover the gravity of the repairs that they need, because the housing value is low. So they're really in a precarious situation where they can't afford to upkeep their home even though some of these homes are fully paid for," said Johnson, the founder of UnBlocked Englewood.

According to data from the Woodstock Institute, Black homeownership in Englewood is just 24%. Johnson said it stems from discriminatory practices dating back to the 1950s.

How An Englewood Artist And Activist Is Helping Black Families Keep Their Homes

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/01/25/unblocked-englewood-tonika-johnson-chicago-bungalow-association-helping-black-families-keep-their-homes/

Johnson, whose work has highlighted racist practices preventing Black people from owning homes, is taking her work a step further with unBlocked Englewood, helping South Siders keep longtime homes in their families.

Partnering with the Chicago Bungalow Association, the project helps pay for costly repairs to older homes. That gives owners breathing room to keep pace with the expenses and helps them build equity without pulling from their pockets, said Amber Hendley, researcher and Johnson’s frequent collaborator.

The project aims to help every Black homeowner on this stretch of Aberdeen Street, Johnson said.

Neighbors once struggling to keep their homes afloat estimate unBlocked Englewood has collectively saved them hundreds of thousands in expenses. The block has come together in a way many haven’t seen since they first moved to the neighborhood, they said.

But there’s more work to be done, Johnson said.

Johnson hopes to raise more than $1 million to continue repairs on 65th and Aberdeen, she said. She’s partnering with Hendley to estimate the equity gap discriminatory practices have caused Englewood homeowners to quantify how much needs to be reinvested into the block.

... Johnson enlisted the help of the Chicago Bungalow Association to help restore homes. Her nonprofit, the Folded Map Project, and the CBA received a $250,000 grant from the city’s Together We Heal Creative Place Program to make that work happen in 2022.

unBlocked Englewood also received grants from the Chicago Community Trust and Terra Foundation for American Art, a donation of outdoor power equipment from Zoro.com to maintain vacant lots and sidewalks, and services from Home Energy Savings program, in partnership with ComEd and Peoples Gas.

In the past year, they’ve repaired neighbors’ homes with new insulation, plumbing and furnaces. Walls — who now lives across the street from his childhood residence in the home passed down from his late mother — received a new roof, insulation and plumbing in his late mother’s home, he said.

==== https://www.ft.com/content/f44bba97-fd52-4068-a370-3f3561219849

Spending on UK social housing will ‘save taxpayers money’ in long term, study finds
Upfront cost of building 90,000 new homes would be returned within 11 years, say Shelter and NHF

2/26/24

 
At 7:04 PM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

https://etvnews.com/zions-bank-invites-public-to-nominate-homes-across-utah-for-paint-a-thon-service-project/

 

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