Building Community Together
Neighborhoods are a significant part of providing Habitat Kent homeowners with opportunities to feel safe and stable.
At Habitat Kent we do more than build homes. We practice Neighborhood Engagement in the focus neighborhoods where we build new homes by listening to neighbors and collaborating with local government and community-based organizations to help new and existing homeowners become connected and empowered leaders.
Because when neighborhoods are connected and empowered they have a strong foundation for building hope, opportunity, and stability!
Our Work
At Habitat Kent, we follow a whole-neighborhood approach to building hope and opportunity alongside communities where we build safe, stable homes. Through a variety of programs and events, residents are able to build connections and grow skills to advocate for the changes they want to see in their neighborhoods.
Baxter United
Baxter United is a neighborhood initiative bringing residents of the Baxter neighborhood together with a focus on relationship building and community unity.
Mission: Bring Baxter neighbors together to strengthen the neighborhood.
Vision: Make Baxter a safe and connected neighborhood that utilizes the assets that exist to uplift the community.
Baxter United works with residents to help bring these events and services to the community:
- Baxter United Summer Series at Joe Taylor Park
- Neighborhood Planning
- Neighborhood History Project
- Holiday Events: Trunk or Treat, Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, etc.
- Community Nights: Bingo, etc.
Learn more about these events and those to come! See events here.
Building Leaders Building Communities
This 10-week workshop series hosted with several other community organizations is for those interested in growing their community impact. Participants join other change-makers and connect with neighbors to strengthen and grow their community.
Building Leaders Building Communities (BLBC) is:
- A great starting point for people looking to grow their community impact and make change in their neighborhood.
- Hands-on discussions with guest speakers.
- Based on national leadership curriculum designed to engage, energize, and activate communities.
- A chance to connect to elected officials and local community leadership opportunities.
- Offered in both English and Spanish
- Not a boring lecture series led by experts telling you what to do, instead an exciting interactive experience.
- Not direct action – meaning we will not SOLVE community issues during our classes, instead it’s a place to learn the tools to make long-lasting change.
Interested in participating? Learn more here to join the waiting list.
Curb Appeal
The annual Curb Appeal Contests in the Baxter and Roosevelt Park neighborhoods are a great way to celebrate warmer weather! Renters and homeowners alike are invited to participate by making improvements to the exteriors of their residences and yards throughout the spring and summer. Participants have a chance of winning one of several prizes, including $1,000 for first place!
Neighborhoods
Our Neighborhood Engagement team is committed to helping neighbors realize their dreams for their neighborhood. We work with communities to help bring their ideas to make neighborhoods safer, healthier, or better connected come to life.
You are the expert on your neighborhood, we're just here to lend a helping hand.
Baxter
We are currently building homes in the Baxter neighborhood and working with neighbors and various organizations in the community to help provide:
- New Construction
- Homebuyer Education
- Community Events
- Neighborhood Connections
Roosevelt Park
We previously built new homes in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood and continue to work with neighbors and various organizations in the community to help provide:
- Curb Appeal Contest
- Resident Leadership
- Community Events
Quality of Life
The ultimate goal of neighborhood revitalization is improved quality of life in a focused neighborhood. The Quality of Life Framework below is a compilation of this understanding and maps how multiple elements work together to achieve improved quality of life. It is being integrated into neighborhood revitalization as a tool to help Habitat better understand how change happens in a neighborhood and where the neighborhood is in the process.
Reading the Framework
Habitat has learned that the greatest change happens in a neighborhood when people work together – residents, community associations and partners.
It starts first by understanding everyone’s gifts, dreams and concerns about the neighborhood; then building a strong foundation around a sense of community and social cohesion (green section); and finally, utilizing this base to collectively act and implement projects that contribute to sector outcomes (movements from green to blue). The arrows at the bottom of the map represent an interactive process, guiding users to continue to build social capital (green section) in a neighborhood throughout the revitalization process.
Although the ultimate and intermediate outcomes are firm and consistent across neighborhoods, specific activities designed to meet those outcomes are unique to each particular neighborhood and the partners and people working within it.
Have a question?
If you have questions about Habitat and what we do, please reach out to us. We’re happy to help.
