SITE OVERVIEW ♦ EVANSVILLE | INDIANA
Target Area: Jacobsville • Population: 6,800
Fiscal Agent: ECHO Housing Corporation
Research Partner: Diehl Consulting
Crime Concerns: Vehicular crimes, burglary, vandalism, and narcotics dealing
BCJI Funding Year: 2013 Planning & Enhancement
Neighborhood Profile
Located in north-central Evansville, the Jacobsville community has faced linked economic and crime challenges for years. In 2012, the top four crimes reported in Jacobsville were vehicular crimes, burglary, vandalism, and drug dealing. While the Jacobsville population represents only five percent of the overall Evansville population, the number of reported crimes in Jacobsville represents 10 percent of the city’s overall reported crime. The primary drivers of crime in the Jacobsville community have been identified as economic deprivation, blight, urban decay, drug activity, and low neighborhood cohesion among Jacobsville residents.
Planning Process
The BCJI work in Jacobsville builds on longstanding efforts led by the ECHO Housing Corporation to mobilize residents and institutional partners to improve area quality of life. For the BCJI effort starting in 2013, ECHO assembled an extensive coalition of cross-sector partners including the Evansville Police, Department of Metropolitan Development, Jacobsville Area Community Corporation, Jacobsville Neighborhood Improvement Association, and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation among others to work with the research partner, Diehl Evaluation and Consulting. Together they examined crime drivers through crime data analysis and input from residents gathered in a series of community discussions and key informant interviews.
The process affirmed the hot spots initially identified by the team, and solidified an understanding of interconnected crime drivers including: high rates of drug use and dealing; concentrated poverty; transiency among some segments of the population, notably renters; high property vacancy and abandonment, often linked to blight conditions; sense of fear among residents; lack of knowledge about services; and low social cohesion.
Implementation Strategies
Starting in spring 2015, the Evansville BCJI team launched into implementation, with strategies including:
- Community awareness campaign and Citizens Academy trainings to complement ongoing community policing efforts
- Lighting and beautification projects targeted to hot spot areas, informed by Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and Crime Free Multi Housing strategies
- Strategic business development investments along the commercial corr to support existing businesses and fill commercial vacancies
- Targeted foot and bike patrol aligned with community policing activities
- Services for young people and families, including a youth development program, a generational poverty strategy and youth substance abuse prevention programming
All of these activities were strategically coordinated with ongoing implementation of the Jacobsville Quality of Life Plan, developed by ECHO with partners in the years leading up to BCJI implementation. In addition, the Evansville team took care to invest in early action projects to build confidence among residents and partners that the long-term process would yield concrete, visible results in areas prioritized by residents. One such project – an annual flower-planting event started by a resident at the outset of BCJI – has already proven to be successful at reclaiming public spaces from drug dealers. The event is the quintessential example of bringing neighbors together to serve and better the community, along with public sector leaders working for change. Jacobsville has become a safer place since BCJI’s inception, with a 42% drop in reported crimes from 2013-2015.
Featuring this Site
- Evansville’s comprehensive community building and safety work was featured in this Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis article
This web site is funded in part, through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).