ATHENS, Ohio — Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio is partnering with the Athens-based Westside Community Association to launch a neighborhood revitalization initiative benefiting local residents.
A five- to seven-year process established nationally by Habitat for Humanity but new to the Athens area, the revitalization program is “a holistic strategy” that aims to “improve the quality of life” in a local community, according to the organization.
“Habitat for Humanity offers a local and community-based approach to neighborhood revitalization to ensure that the desires and needs of the current community are heard and met,” reads an explanation of the initiative.
WCA Secretary Grayson Schultz told the Independent that the group first heard from Habitat about the program last December. The WCA then established its own committee to plan the revitalization initiative. He said community members revealed interest in repairing abandoned buildings around Central Avenue, fixing sidewalks to make the area more “walkable,” and testing local soil and water for lead, as some examples.
Molly Blair, the training center coordinator at the Habitat branch in Millfield, explained that the first step in this yearslong process is listening to area residents through a series of public forums.
“We are trying to find out what the community wants,” she told the Independent. “The community gets to dictate what they want to see in their neighborhood.”
She said Habitat was encouraged to start the revitalization process on the West Side due to community activity in the area.
“I think that area is just ripe for a little bit of a boost,” said Blair, a resident of Amesville. “There’s a good core group of people who are engaged.”
That engagement is driven, in large part, by the Westside Community Association hosting public listening sessions on the community’s needs and wants. At Porchfest in May, members of the WCA revitalization committee staffed a tent and collected feedback from nearly 100 people, according to Schultz. But Blair said engagement declined at the second listening session in September.
The next open house is set for Oct. 24 from 1–4 p.m. at the Central Avenue United Methodist Church in Athens.
Both Blair and Schultz noted that the program goals are not yet final.
“We’re still in the collecting information stage,” said Schultz. “Then we will start working on prioritization.”
Habitat divides public feedback into five categories: safety and accessibility; commercial and social spaces; physical structures and environment; community building and togetherness; and housing.
After residents’ feedback is collected and a plan is formulated, which could take up to a year, Habitat and the WCA hope to include community interests in long-range plans for the City of Athens. The city is undertaking a five-year review of its 2040 comprehensive plan.
Funding for proposed initiatives will come from partnering with different organizations for grants and financial support. Habitat, said Blair, helps to “facilitate and steer” the West Side community toward its goals.
“The more input the WCA gets from the community, the more lasting and significant those changes or improvements can be,” Blair said. “If they don’t get much community involvement in this process, opportunities will be missed.”
