Cleanup Efforts Continue in Challenged Neighborhood

Nearly 100 community volunteers and residents from the IPS Byrne Project neighborhood joined forces Saturday morning to cleanup four large vacant lots in a 20-block area of the city known for high crime. In the coming months, some of those lots should be blooming with native flowers. “This isn’t just about cleaning up the neighborhood,” said Jose Duenas, member of the Coalition for Community Change (C3) and chairperson of the event. “This is about creating a space the residents can be proud of and take ownership in.” “We too recognize the importance of our neighbors taking pride in our community,” said Cathy Paredes, vice president of Bank of America. “We also know we’re only as strong as the communities we serve, so we focus our support on areas where we know there’s significant need and where we can make a difference.” “That’s why I’m proud to announce that Bank of America is awarding a $5,000 grant to Institute for Public Strategies to help in its efforts to reduce crime in this neighborhood.” Volunteers from Bank of America, Habitat for Humanity of San Bernardino, Target and Nabahood Community Development group joined residents in Saturday’s cleanup efforts. “When I look at these vacant lots, I imagine a community garden… or a new house,” said Dennis Baxter, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity. “We’d love to have someone qualify for a Habitat for Humanity house in this neighborhood. There are a number of lots where a Habitat for Humanity home could be planted.” According to a door-to-door survey conducted last year, only 10 percent of people in the neighborhood own their homes, the rest are renting. “We know there is strong evidence to support the common wisdom that more home ownership contributes to greater neighborhood stability,” Baxter said. “And that’s why we are all here. To help stabilize this community.” Problems related to abandoned properties are just one of many costs that drain city coffers. One in 10 homes in the city of San Bernardino is vacant, compared to one in 14 for California, according to the 2010 US Census. Local governments spend $5,000 to $34,000 to maintain and secure each abandoned property, according to a Harvard University study. “Getting these properties occupied again -- or at least maintained -- not only means they are no longer a blight on the neighborhood, but they also begin contributing to the overall safety and appearance of the city which could ultimately affect home ownership and lead to the improved financial health of the city itself,” Baxter said. A neighborhood cookout and resource fair followed the three-hour cleanup effort. The cleanup was the second in a series planned for the IPS Byrne Project area, a federally-funded crime prevention project that covers a half-mile-square neighborhood located south of Highland Avenue and west of Waterman Avenue bordered by Baseline to the south and Arrowhead/Sierra Way to the east.