A Neighborhood’s Inner Strength: David Bornstein Shares the Success Story of The Highlands

Posted on September 1, 2016
By Devon Kerslake

This is an excerpt of an article Tapping a Troubled Neighborhood's Inner Strength originally published in the New York Times, republished here with generous permission of David Bornstein.

cowlitz county highlands neighbor neighbour helping handTen years ago, Patsy Hite, 70, rarely left her home at night. “I heard a lot of sirens so I always kept to myself,” she said.

Hite lives in the Highlands, a 40-block section in Longview, a city in Cowlitz County in southwestern Washington. The Highlands is home to about 5,000 residents. The neighborhood is adjacent to an industrial district, and was hit hard by the loss of jobs in the timber and manufacturing industries. Long-term unemployment has brought blight, family breakdown, drug use, chronic disease, and crime.

Today, the Highlands still has high unemployment and poverty, but residents say the neighborhood has improved substantially. From 2009 to 2012, calls to the police about burglary, stolen and abandoned vehicles, domestic violence and public disturbances dropped significantly.

“People are involved with each other, not just sitting at home with their curtains closed,” said Hite. “I’m out on the street meeting my neighbors.”

“It’s still an economically depressed area,” said Thompson. “There’s not many jobs here. But it’s safer and more hopeful. Young people are realizing they can go to college. The main difference is that we don’t leave people by themselves anymore.”

At a time when poverty and economic insecurity remain widespread in the United States, how does a very poor community like the Highlands strengthen its capacity to improve itself? What does the possibility of change look like from the vantage point of ordinary citizens who care about their community, but struggle to see a path to a better future?

In 2006, Longview authorized a revitalization plan for the neighborhood. To shape it, city officials invoked the community network ethos of “engaging the locals to identify and prioritize their own needs” and went door-to-door to speak with residents, according to John Brickey, Longview’s community development director.

What did residents want changed? At the top of the list was the neighborhood’s appearance. They wanted porch lights turned on at night, yards maintained, garbage and debris hauled away, and feral dogs rounded up. They asked the city to build a walking and biking trail along the neighborhood’s south side, an area alongside a flood control ditch and industrial road that was dark and poorly maintained.

The city cobbled together funding to build the walking and biking trail. Then Highland residents purchased and renovated a community center, set up a community library, created a community garden, and organized a graffiti-removal team, block watches, and scores of neighborhood cleanups.

Initially, residents were reluctant to interact with the police. But soon enough, they and police officers were gathering for monthly “cop chats.” “We set up a Facebook page and we asked the community to help us solve problems — and we’ve been overwhelmed by the tips we’ve received,” Debbie Johnson, captain of Longview’s Police Department, recalled. “And there’s just less opportunity for crime when neighbors watch out for each other.”

The association also planned many events, including summer movie nights, free laundry days, a free bike program, school supply giveaways, Thanksgiving food drives and a Christmas support program. It created a monthly newsletter and a photo book about the neighborhood. And members of the county network’s staff continued to provide workshops in “adverse childhood experiences” and how to strengthen families.

The lessonWhen neighbors know one another, and have a conveniently located center where they learn about health and social services, problems are more likely to be noticed by neighbors, teachers, professionals, or the police before they become crises.

“I was not a true believer, to be honest,” said Brickey. “But I’ve been amazed time and again at how the neighborhood has responded. I’ve begun to see a neighborhood association as another kind of infrastructure, like the streets, water or sewer system. The health of a neighborhood is just as dependent on it.”

The funding arranged to hire Haeck ran out in 2012, and since then, the neighborhood association has lost some momentum, residents say. “I’m concerned because some of those successes could go by the wayside unless the community finds a way to reignite the passion,” said Brickey. “They’re not quite ready to stand by themselves.”

“So many people who are living in poverty don’t believe they are capable of anything,” said Haeck. “This work is all about helping people to recognize that they are capable of great things, and helping them accomplish them.”

Since 2013, calls to the police are up again. But the higher reports may also reflect more comfort with the police and less willingness to turn a blind eye to problems, Haeck said, whether it’s teenage drug use in the park or an unattended baby crying in the house across the street.

“I was frightened of meeting new people, because of my past,” said Patricia Thompson, who is a member of the neighborhood association’s board. “I’ve had a lot of people hurt me, but I’m done living in a cave. People like Liz gave me the heart to help other people, and helped me learn how to help. It’s a process. You can’t change your neighborhood overnight.”

“People can make a difference,” Hite added. “I got hope not only for myself but for all the neighbors. The way is to bring people together and make them stronger.

That’s what moves mountains.”

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Access the full article here

Image above originally published in an article Highlands Does Better with a Community Coach

Topics:
Articles, Community Building, Neighbourhood Strategy, Cities Deepening Community


Devon Kerslake

By Devon Kerslake

Devon believes in the positive, transformative power of art for all communities great and small. She holds an MA in Cultural Studies with a special emphasis on Curatorial Practices. Following this degree, Devon worked for the Winnipeg Film Group supporting Canadian Independent film and for the University of Winnipeg Cultural Studies Research Group as a Project Coordinator specializing in academic learning events.

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