SITE OVERVIEW ♦ WEST ALBANY | GEORGIA
Target Area: Census Tract 8 | Zip codes 31701, 31707 & 31721 • Population: 1,607
Fiscal Agent: Georgia Department of Health, Injury Prevention Program
Research Partner: Albany State University
Crime Concerns: Violent crime, drug sales, public drinking
BCJI Funding Year: 2013 Planning & Implementation
Neighborhood Profile
The Census Tract 8 area of West Albany is a community that has struggled with high concentrations of poverty, unemployment, low performing schools, and limited housing, health, and social services resources. In 2010, it had one of the highest rates of violence in Georgia, with crime increasing to levels nearly double the rate of the city of Albany in the years leading up to the BCJI award in 2014. Despite these challenges, the area benefited from a 2010 HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant which spurred engagement for housing transformation and other community improvements.
Planning Process
The West Albany BCJI effort – named Project Integrate– fosters capacity building within the target community in order to reduce crime and provide opportunities, resources, and an environment conducive to positive life outcomes. It is an outgrowth of activities started by a Public Safety Working Group and Resident Planning Group established as part of a 2010 Choice Neighborhood Initiative spearheaded by the Albany Housing Authority. Over the course of 2014, BCJI leaders from the Georgia Department of Health, Albany Police Department and the established Choice team worked with researchers at Albany State University to analyze crime patterns and community perceptions of safety and police. Their efforts identified several specific hot spots and highlighted the importance of addressing larceny/theft and burglary, disorderly conduct, public disruption, vandalism, and simple battery. The findings also prompted examination of the impact of vacant and foreclosed properties, as well as the interdependency of housing, people and collective efficacy within the target area.
Implementation Strategies
As it began BCJI implementation in early 2016, the West Albany site has prioritized a hot spot policing strategy, specifically adapting elements of the Lowell, MA model, and instituting bike patrols around hot spots. The site is also pursuing use of Crime Prevention by Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to address risks in the physical environment that might create opportunities for crime. Aspects of the strategy related to mental and public health approaches continue to evolve as site leaders work with community leaders and cross sector partners.
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