East
End works with area residents in Twin Towers in
order to bring about their vision of a community
where families and individuals achieve their
dreams.
Named after the
beautiful St. Mary's Church who twin spires
overlook the streetscape, the Twin Towers
neighborhood has long been home to immigrants,
first German settlers, later persons moving from
Appalachia and now Latinos, Iraqis, Russians,
and many others. The diversity of
the neighborhood is one of its strengths with
Appalachian, African American, Latino, and
Middle Eastern cultures each bringing something
new to the community.
Community Organizing:
East End works with Twin Towers neighbors to
improve their community by fostering safety.
The residents are the eyes and the ears of the
neighborhood, protecting citizens and helping
law enforcement identify troubled areas. These
joint efforts have lowered crime 35% in 2008.
Community Building efforts have brought
neighbors together to learn about topics like
safety, predatory lending, money management and
other topics. More than $7,000 in errors
were found on credit reports and neighbors were
assisted in learning how to correct and improve
their credit.
Our neighbors are committed to community
transformation. Each year, our
neighbors dedicate more than 2,500 hours to
volunteering in the neighborhood.
Twin Towers Block Leaders prepare meals for
families, organize events such as the
Appalachian Festival, respond to crises of
individuals, paint
houses and other efforts. The Twin
Towers Neighborhood Association has been very
involved in neighborhood beautification, crime
prevention and
disseminating information about community
improvement.
Housing
and Streetscape:
The neighborhood and East End worked together to
create a comprehensive plan that calls for
development of new housing which meets the needs
of persons in different income levels in Twin
Towers. Our housing effort includes assistance
to homeowners in repairing their houses.
Elderly persons are assisted in making their
homes safe and healthy, including home
modification for wheelchairs or other physical
challenges. Working with the City of Dayton and
other partners, the neighborhood is creating a
new market for home buyers and persons
interested in renting to own housing in our
neighborhoods. We are also improving
the streetscape of Xenia Avenue. The
following sketch is from EnvisionWorks, Inc.
To see more of ideas for streetscape
improvements, click on the sketch below.
 Culture
Builds Community:
Festivals, community meetings, dances, dinners
and thousands of hours of volunteering--connect
neighbors and cultures together. Cultural
bridging has demonstrated significant success in
improving the quality of life within
neighborhoods and creating a climate that
promotes new opportunities for economic growth
as well as improve tolerance between
residents. The event in the photo shows a
multi-cultural performance that include a
performer from Rwanda, Latino band and Rhythm
and Shoes, who does Appalachian dancing.
The Appalachian Festival is an event that draws
people from all over Dayton. In addition,
neighbors of Appalachian, Latino, African
American and Middle Eastern heritages celebrate
their cultures through various neighborhood
events throughout the year with music, food and
dance in collaboration with our friends at City
Folk.
Building Businesses:
As part of our community transformation efforts,
East End is working with partners to create
business growth in Twin Towers and East Dayton.
Our goal is to increase the number of companies
in our area and the number of employees hired as
the result of economic development activities.
We see Twin Towers as a destination point for
culture and arts that celebrate our unique
ethnic diversity. We also see green building
and technology as the logical extension of our
housing efforts. Come join us in the efforts to
create a thriving economy within this Dayton
neighborhood.
|
