Home Sweet Home

We made a commitment for this year.  We are working to invest in our neighborhoods and build positive spaces.

What makes a community?
The main thing that we are finding is that everything about a community is a larger part that is made up of a smaller part. The world is made up of countries which are often made of states or territories, and then cities and towns.  Towns are made of neighborhoods, then streets then homes then families and people.  Smaller and smaller and each relying on the next to keep the whole going.

One of our members noticed a home in an area that we are working in.  The home was in a neighborhood that was dominated by condos and newly fabricated homes.  This home was in a row of three homes and each had seen better days.  Each was in boarded up with "no trespassing" signs on them.  The three homes were on the cusp of a disused area.  They were the weak links in the chain begin to show.  These unused homes are the weak parts of a neighborhood.

So we ask what we can do to strengthen the neighborhood.  The goal is to give a sense of ownership and permanence to the people who live in the neighborhood. These are their homes.  The best way to create a strong neighborhood is to have these homes filled with strong families and for those families to feel some connection to their community. Putting in more condos do not help.  A bright coat of paint does not help.  Protests will not help.

We need to pry off the boards covering the windows and repair them.  We need to fill those homes with people who love and care for the community.  This is our next goal.  These are the investments that we are making.

We want to get people into those homes; into these places because they are close to our gardens. We need to invest in our communities.

Home sweet home.