Evansville, Indiana
Target Neighborhood: Jacobsville
Connecting Crime Reduction to Neighborhood Revitalization
The resident-led quality-of-life planning process in the Jacobsville community in Evansville, Indiana was recently covered in Bridges, a publication of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Since being awarded a BCJI grant in 2013, Jacobsville has used the planning process as a primary vehicle to address local public safety concerns, empower the community and encourage resident bonds. “Safety/Cleanliness” is one of the plan’s six key themes, and small early-action grants to local individuals, residents and businesses have supported projects from litter cleanups and block parties to leadership development.
“To further community engagement and build on the momentum of the Quality-of-Life process, [the community initiative Jacobsville Join In] organizes neighborhood gatherings, offering opportunities for resident involvement at every level,” writes Jennifer Mason Evans, community mobilizer and the BCJI program project director for Jacobsville’s ECHO Housing Corp. Community events include crockpot dinners at the initiative office, neighborhood walks, Christmas caroling and a new 128-foot community mural.
To read the full Federal Reserve article, which explores how the quality-of-life plan came together and is having an impact on Jacobsville, click here.
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