Thanks to the joint efforts of several community organizations and over 300 volunteers, residents of the 3800 block of Aspen Street in Mantua are getting their homes improved and their block beautified.
The volunteers and vendors, who are providing repairs to 20 homeowners on the block and working on greening and beautifying the block, will get together this Saturday, March 31, at the Green Block Party Open House. The open house will be held from 10:00 a.m.- noon and will include the house tours to see improvements in progress. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about healthy homes, meet the program partners, and hear local leaders and residents speak. Update: If it’s raining the open house will be held at the Mantua Community Improvement Committee building, 619 N. 35th Street – between Mt. Vernon and Haverford.
The project is carried out by the Green Block Build Collaborative, a coalition of community organizations including Philadelphia LISC, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, The Partnership CDC, and a wide variety of other community partners. It is also supported by Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.
The Green Block Build strategy is to improve low-income households, block-by-block, house-by-house by building on the strengths of each partner organization. Each home on the block will receive multiple critical repairs or energy efficiency upgrades, energy assessments, education around home health issues, and financial education. Other home improvements include the installation of green and cool roofs, rain barrel installation, the removal of allergy and asthma triggers such as mold and dampness, weatherization improvements, and overall greening.
The projects are designed to specifically meet the needs of each homeowner. For example, one homeowner with physical handicaps will receive repairs to his home that make the bathroom, backyard, and other rooms more handicap-accessible.
Once the renovations are complete, Drexel University will conduct an analysis of the program’s impact.
“Lord have mercy, we’ll enjoy living in our neighborhood again!” said Barbara Hall, the block captain, when she learned about the Green Block Build Program, “This has given me so much hope.”
See more, including photos, on Plan Philly.
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