Grier Heights Community Improvement Org

Grier Heights Neighborhood Action Plan Pilot Study

Grier Heights Neighborhood Action Plan Pilot Study

The Neighborhood Cabinet appointed two full-time, self-directed teams to implement work outlined in the neighborhood action plan adopted for Grier Heights in 1996. The Responding to City Council’s concern about the City’s efficiency in solving the problems plaguing many of our communities, the Neighborhood Cabinet initiated a process that put multi-disciplinary teams, including community residents, police officers, Community Improvement inspectors, housing code inspectors and neighborhood service specialists to work in target neighborhoods for a year. Each team member was released from other duties within their departments and instructed to commit their attention, exclusively, to the neighborhood. They report to and work out of a location within the community on a daily basis.

Preliminary success would be claimed if the objectives of the adopted neighborhood action plan were met within the project year and (2) the neighborhood’s ability to access the public and private resources necessary to sustain a stable quality of life was strengthened. Ultimate and long-term success would be claimed when the neighborhood’s status within the Quality of Life Index moved from threatened or fragile to stable.

Five months into the experiment, the Grier Heights team is well on its way to success on all levels:

Neighborhood training efforts have been expanded to include the Latino community with specific outreach initiatives planned to address their unique needs.
Non-traditional partnerships are being developed between the neighborhood, the faith community, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and the City. One such partnership has resulted in a program to assist 7 to 13 year olds meet the school system’s computer competency test requirements.
New relationships are being developed with landlords in the community to make housing that is affordable, safe as well. A Landlord Association has been formed to improve communication and increase accountability among housing investors in the community. Team members assisted one apartment complex to apply for a $125,000 Drug Elimination Grant.
In light of City Council’s high priority for affordable housing, the team continues concentrated code enforcement in the area, lead testing and abatement and has applied for a $115,000 Fannie Mae grant for home renovations.
Community clean-ups are on going and have been successful through partnerships with the Sheriff’s Department as well as neighborhood training and volunteerism.
A Crime stoppers Program has been implemented in the neighborhood and a fourth officer has been added to the Grier Heights street crime unit.
The team has begun to use the Geographic Information System to identify and track correlations between problem areas related to housing, code violations and crime hotspots.
Finally, community engagement in the process continues to increase and the recognized team leader is a resident volunteer; not a paid staff person.