Building community.
Together. Block by block.
A few new homes in a neighborhood is a good start, but communities deserve more.
Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization program serves more families by responding to community aspirations with an expanded array of products, services, and partnerships that empower residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life. Neighborhood Revitalization starts at the grassroots level — with members of the community determining the goals for their neighborhood.
For our neighbors to succeed, sometimes the dynamics of their neighborhood have to change. Neighborhood Revitalization is a holistic approach that expands Habitat’s traditional partnership with new homeowners and volunteers to include neighbors and local organizations for a far greater impact.
Habitat’s neighborhood revitalization work assists communities in developing a sense of well-being while preserving the quality of life that all neighborhoods deserve. With this approach, we fulfill our mission of building new homes and also building community and hope.
Just as every neighborhood is unique, Habitat’s work looks different in each community.
Our work is built upon the principle that to be successful, each neighborhood must be treated uniquely according to its needs. We encourage residents to be active participants in the revitalization of their own community so that our neighborhood revitalization efforts can best address real concerns and improve the lives of people who live in the neighborhood.
An array of housing solutions are offered through Neighborhood Revitalization as a way to build stronger communities.
Habitat is just one part of a community-wide solution . Collaboration between residents and local groups is an essential ingredient of Neighborhood Revitalization. We partner with other community-based organizations to help neighborhoods become stronger, more vibrant places to live. Together we are working to improve our community for as many families as we can by:
- Working with residents and other significant stakeholders in the community to develop a common plan of recovery and vision for the future.
- Forging both formal and informal partnerships and alliances at the local level.
- Joining or forming community coalitions.
- Rallying active neighborhood support.
- Advocating public policy for local housing initiatives.
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Neighborhood-based leadership training work
Habitat’s neighborhood-based leadership training work is rooted in an Asset Based Community Development approach, empowering residents with the skills they need to affect change within their community at the neighborhood level. Residents identify revitalization goals, empower resident leadership, write an action plan, and advocate for sustainable, long-term change in communities.
Neighborhood Revitalization started as an initiative by Habitat for Humanity International in 2010 to serve more families holistically through building communities. Habitat’s decades of work have shown us that individuals and families thrive when they have a safe and stable home in a safe and stable community.
In 2021, South Puget Sound Habitat adopted the Neighborhood Revitalization program. In Thurston County, 65% of low-income households spend more than half of their income on housing. The cost burden of housing is compounded by the cost of childcare, food, transportation, health care, and home maintenance.
Through our new Neighborhood Revitalization program, we work more intensively within a neighborhood to meet resident needs and aspirations, ultimately improving the quality of life for not only residents of these neighborhoods, but the county as a whole.
Partners
The work of building communities is about connecting neighbors to one another and nurturing the ties that sustain relationships. We connect residents with partners who share a common vision, goals, and values for the neighborhood and who bring their own area of expertise to the process, with each organization doing its part to help revitalize the neighborhood.
South Puget Sound Habitat is looking to form partnerships with other agencies, businesses, organizations, local government, faith-based and veterans groups, and anyone who represents the community to implement neighborhood projects.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in joining our Neighborhood Revitalization work, contact the Program Manager at 360-956-3456 or [email protected].
South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is an equal opportunity housing provider. We are pledged to the letter and spirit of the law and provide a program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.