Philadelphia - The
Philadelphia Housing Authority and the U.S. Attorney are teaming up
to improve safety and the quality of life at Paschall Homes in
Southwest Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive
Director Carl Greene, U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan, and state Senator
Anthony Williams, announced the Paschall Homes Initiative, a
cooperative effort with community-based organizations aimed at
deterring and preventing criminal activity.
The U.S. Attorney's office is donating
$100,000 for community building activities aimed at cutting down
the drug trade in and around the development. PHA is donating four
bikes and four protective vests to the Eastwick Bike Patrol. Much
of the grant is going to the Eastwick Project Area Committee
(Eastwick PAC), which represents 11 civic associations in the
Eastwick neighborhood of southwest Philadelphia. The PAC will staff
the Resident Council Office at Paschall Homes. The office has been
renovated and reopened.
Greene said that the grant would help the
quality of life at Paschall Homes and is an omen of things to come,
hinting at the possible demolition and rebuilding of the entire
neighborhood.
"What you see is a commitment…to a long
road of transformation of this neighborhood. This is only the
beginning of a sustained commitment from the state, local and
federal government to transform this neighborhood and give people
here the opportunity to live free of crime and free of despair and
free of the neglect that's gone on for a long time."
Meehan said that the grant is another important
step in the revitalization of communities built around public
housing. The grant comes from the Public Housing Safety Initiative
("PHSI"), funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, to improve
safety in public housing throughout the nation.
Greene said the grant and the reinvestment
in social services sends an important signal to residents of
Paschall Homes and the surrounding neighborhood.
"We have the law enforcement community
saying we care about the people, we care what happens to the
people," he said.
The Paschall Homes Initiative will provide
community activities aimed at lowering drug involvement and violent
crime among community residents. It will foster a long-lasting and
positive relationship with local law enforcement.
The program also includes development of a
town watch and expansion of the Eastwick Bike Patrol in the
Paschall Homes area. The initiative also provides after-school
tutoring and cultural opportunities for youth, life skills training
for adults, and nutrition, healthcare, and parenting training for
families.
State Senator Williams, who represents the
area, said he was a little overwhelmed by the announcement of the
grant. He urged residents to take control of their neighborhood
again and remembered when a nearby park was a jewel and it was a
privilege to live at Paschall Homes.
"This place returns to what it is and what
it was if we, not the government, decide that we dictate culture
here," he said.
Paul "Earthquake" Moore, a former resident
of the development, will direct the Youth Development Camps as part
of the initiative. He urged adults in the neighborhood to teach
youngsters about respect, rather than ignoring bad
behavior.
"Be a thinker, not a stinker," Moore
said.
The community-based activities funded by
the grant rely on the participation of several key partners,
including the Southwest CDC, Healthy Family/ Healthy Life Inc.,
African Cultural Alliance of North America, and St. John AME
Church. These organizations will collaborate amongst themselves, as
well as with law enforcement and residents to recruit additional
partners and participants, as well as sustain the programs.
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| PHA Executive Director Carl Greene hands over the keys to the
Resident Council Office at Paschall Homes to a representative of
the Eastwick Project Area Committee. The PAC will staff the office
as part of the Paschall Homes Initiative. Pictured in between
Greene and the PAC representative are U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan, PHA
Commissioner Nellie Reynolds, and state Senator Anthony
Williams. |
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| Eastwick Bike Patrol Captain Vincent Grant thanks PHA Executive
Director Carl Greene for the agency's donation of bikes and
protective vests. |
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| U.S. Attorney Pat Meehan (2nd from left) formally presents a
"check" for $100,000 to fund the Paschall Homes Initiative. Also
shown are PHA Executive Director Carl Greene (left), Elvira Stewart
of the Eastwick Project Area Committee, PHA Commissioner Nellie
Reynolds, State Senator Anthony Williams and Eastwick Bike Patrol
Captain Vincent Grant. |
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