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Community Building & Organizing

Building strong communities is a significant part of the NHS mission. We equip residents with the tools and information necessary to shape the image and direction of their neighborhood.  Community building begins when residents feel empowered to be advocates for their own needs and work to meet those needs as a community.

The NHS Community Building and Organizing initiative fosters neighborhood revitalization by helping residents, homeowners, investors and small businesses realize their impact as collective stakeholders.  By providing forums for discussions, education, and involvement within the community, we help to mobilize an active resident base.  

Our Community Building and Organizing activities include connecting owners and residents with available home repair and maintenance workshops; spreading the word about community activities such as local Urban Resources Initiative Community Greenspace projects; organizing sweat equity events such as resident gardening, fence repairs, clean-ups and street beautification days. We also work with city housing officials and district police to cite housing code violations and enforce quality of life standards. We support residents by offering leadership training through our Resident Leadership Program and the NeighborWorks® America Community Leadership Institutes.

One of the best ways to begin to get involved is to attend a Community Management Team meeting for your neighborhood. Links to the schedules for CMT meetings are included below.


Volunteer Spotlight

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Sunflowers on Stevens Street

Neighborhood kids have taken on the task of reviving a garden on Stevens Street. On July 2, 2010 they planted flowers and painted bricks to decorate the walkway.

Community Mural Project

Begun during NeighborWorks Week 2010, this mural in our Winchester Avenue RDP is a true community project, with residents taking the lead in both planning and painting it. Stay tuned for the unveiling date!

Volunteers without State Borders

This March, a group from Flushing, Queens helped fulfill NHS of New Haven's mission by beautifying the old Hill Cooperative Youth Center in our Howard Avenue RDP.

Sigma Chi Demolition, Inc.

A dozen students from the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Yale participated in an NHS "sweat equity" project during their biannual volunteer day on April 3, 2010. They undertook the interior demolition of one of our homes slated for rehab.

FedEx Employees Give Back

On October 10, 2009, a group of local FedEx volunteers cleaned up an empty lot in our Winchester Avenue Revitalization Demonstration Project area. Thirty garbage bags later, the lot looked MUCH better!

Sunflowers on Stevens Street Community Mural Project Volunteers without State Borders Sigma Chi Demolition, Inc. FedEx Employees Give Back

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