August 2008 Finalist
Transform a Neighborhood (TAN)
Transform a Neighborhood assists in solving our nation’s housing (and community) crisis by working hand in hand with neighborhood groups to acquire resources and facilitate collaboration between the community, government, multiple non-profits, and investors to transform neighborhoods.
Idea Description
Many of the neighborhoods that most desperately need revitalization are also perfect candidates for affordable housing. These are neighborhoods often fraught with poverty and crime. There are many worthy organizations focusing on community renewal; however, most are set up to only address one aspect of the many issues in a community. TAN will bring together multiple resources to create transformation from the inside out. We will connect residents and the community with a network of organizations to meet their needs, working with them and governments to enhance the community. We'll screen and bring investors to create socially conscious and sustainable transformation.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
The funds will be used for start up costs for the non- profit. Our initial expenditures will include developing marketing materials and strategies to obtain the support of other non-profits, corporate sponsors and investors. We will also hire a grant writer to obtain funds for neighborhood revitalization and affordable housing. We'll develop and implement a process to choose the first TAN neighborhood.
A community renewal kick-off event will be held to engage all the residents of the first TAN community in the transformation of the neighborhood. The gathering will foster connection and gets residents actively involved in and contributing to the transformation of their neighborhood.
A wonderful idea! I also see how you're reaching out to other people in the ideablob community who have complementary ideas that would facilitate neighborhood transformation such as "adelmoney" who proposed the "Affordable Housing Initiative" idea. Your idea also presents opportunities for replacing inefficient older appliances and HVAC units with newer "Energy Star" qualified products, installing neighborhood solar panels, planting trees and adding additional green space, as well as developing community centers. Your idea presents an opportunity to turn an undesirable area into a real neighborhood where people can enjoy a lifestyle that is desirable, safer, less expensive, enviromentally friendly, and economically beneficial to both the residents and the inve…morestors!
This is a great idea and I wish you ALL the luck with this idea to improve neighborhood's as well as people's lives... Go get em! KAM
I believe there could be a lot of power in grants. There are a couple grant specialists who sell their secrets for a pretty penny. I am suggesting someone like that make that information available on a per/use basis for special interests like TAN. There's a lot of money available via the CFDA.org site for a variety of reasons. It's a resource waiting to be tapped.
This is a fabulous idea! The problem you are embracing is enormous! Start small and think about tabulating sucesses as soon as possible. Start with a neighborhoods that have these needs but not the neediest at first. Start with small projects then grow into the larger "more problematic" neighborhoods. Crime and Graffitit will be difficult to control and you should expect backlash from those criminal elements that could derail your efforts. Go to local colleges and universities and look for students studying journalism and other writing fields and have them write your grant letter requests for college credits for FREE. Enlist Local and County POLICE departments to watchover your projects while in the improvement stages. There are dozens of Mortgage Banks and National Brokers that …moreneed a vehicle to redeem themselves with in light of all of the recent industry catstrophe. DO THIS RIGHT and you'll have professionals lining up with their checkbooks and muscles. I'm very interested in helping with this.
This sounds like a great concept; starting small is the key. You have my vote. You could also target a neighborhood on the east side of Kansas City (my locale) as the first TAN area. :)