BUILDING NEIGHBORHOOD CAPACITY

Successfully implementing a Vacant Property Strategy requires a level of capacity within a neighborhood or organization. To be successful, neighbors must make a commitment to their neighborhood and to their neighbors. Neighborhood organizational structures often help keep this type of commitment strong.

Possible Actions or Responses:

Neighborhoods can organize to deal with the issue of vacant housing and to implement a Vacant Property Strategy. The type of organizational structure that a neighborhood should adopt will vary based on the level of organization historically in a neighborhood, the availability of resources, and specific goals.

Neighbors might want to begin by forming block clubs. The existence of a block club structure will strengthen neighborhoods associations that are already in place and make it possible to form neighborhood associations where they do not yet exist. Block clubs and neighborhood associations provide the workers for many of the strategies presented in this publication such as security and code enforcement patrols. Therefore, a security or foreclosure prevention task force may grow out of a well-organized neighborhood association.

Neighborhoods that already have a strong neighborhood association in place could examine the option of forming a non-profit organization. Forming a non-profit will increase the ability of the neighborhood or community group to receive various types of donations and may provide certain tax benefits.

A non-profit organization must conform to specific laws. Before establishing a non-profit, a group should carefully examine its intended mission and consult with an attorney or other professional with knowledge in this area. Once the non-profit is established the group may be able to access free services like the free legal services offered to non-profits through Community Legal Resources.