Rebuilding Together Alexandria creates healthy neighborhoods for the residents in the City of Alexandria by maintaining affordable housing, revitalizing community spaces, and creating homeownership opportunities. By working with local community partners through our programs, they are able to make a greater collective impact on neighborhoods throughout the city.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria was recently awarded a $500,000 Project Reinvest grant to implement various projects in revitalizing the Hume Springs and Lynhaven neighborhoods. The organization is one of only two grant recipients in the state of Virginia.
Over the next 18 months, in two specific census tracts, Rebuilding Together will rehab up to 20 homes, make physical improvements at Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology, convert open space to a multi-generational park, and build a large scale community growing garden, all serving the areas of Hume Springs and Lynhaven.
Established in 1942, these neighborhoods predominantly consisted of low-income, African-American families.
“Our overall vision for this Project Reinvest initiative is to revitalize the Hume Springs and Lynhaven neighborhoods through efforts that are resident-driven, sustainable, and proven effective in order to improve the health and well-being of community residents,” said Katharine Dixon, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together Alexandria.
Their Community Strong program provides improvements to a variety of common spaces used by thousands of Alexandria residents. From community parks and gardens to senior centers, homeless shelters and low-income daycare facilities, they partner with other organizations to upgrade or renovate these areas.
Activities include building greenhouses and vegetable gardens, installing benches and tables, creating walkways, planting greenery, installing play areas, and much more.
Because of the work they’ve completed, children now have safe areas to play, neighbors have gardens to grow their own food, seniors have safe facilities to attend, and whole neighborhoods have been revitalized.
Photo courtesy of NeighborWorks America.
Project Reinvest is an initiative of NeighborWorks America. In February 2016, NeighborWorks received $122.5 million as a result of the Department of Justice settlement with Bank of America.
Project Reinvest’s mission is to “provide housing counseling, neighborhood stabilization, foreclosure prevention or similar programs.” Funding for these activities is made available through an open and competitive process to nonprofits and qualified organizations, with an intent to maximize benefit for communities and individuals impacted by the foreclosure crisis.
Eligible uses of Project Reinvest grants will include those efforts designed to:
- Provide down payment lending to low- and moderate-income individuals.
- Promote stabilization and revitalization in areas hit hard by foreclosure.
- Assist individuals in stabilizing their finances, rebuilding credit and establishing savings.
All photos courtesy of Rebuilding Together Alexandria unless otherwise credited.
See full article in the Alexandria News.