The Vallejo Neighborhood Revitalization (VNR) project is a comprehensive community project, which improves the quality of life for residents in deteriorating high-crime neighborhoods. Through a strategic alliance between community non-profits, city agencies including but not limited to police, fire, and code enforcement, neighborhood groups and the business community, the Core Team of organizations will meet regularly to implement this program. To date fifteen neighborhoods have been choosen as VNR projects.

VNR is based on four complementary premises:

1. Physical signs and illegal activities in a neighborhood such as: abandoned cars, problematic liquor stores, drug dealing, and deteriorating housing invite crime and disorder if left unchanged and has an important influence on its vulnerability to crime;
2. Neighborhoods where residents have some level of commitment and shared interest in improving their environment can influence the level of crime;
3. Individuals and families must personally gain from the revitalization of an area. When people are drowning in problems such as unemployment, addiction, lack of child care and other social service needs, expecting their engagement in cleaning up their neighborhood is unrealistic;
4. Problems with alcohol can and do contribute to the overall level of area deterioration and require appropriate enforcement and policy interventions.

How Are Neighborhoods Selected For Revitalization?
Vallejo has pockets of deterioration spread across the city as opposed to one primary area that could benefit from intervention. A VNR area can range from one to six blocks in size. The Core Team considers the following criteria when selecting neighborhoods for inclusion in the project:

• Is there a high level of crime and violence as measured by the number of police calls for service? Crimes including drug trafficking, public drinking, prostitution, assaults, disorderly conduct are of concern to residents and serve to depress neighborhoods.
• Is there a significant level of physical deterioration present in the area? The team considers problems such as the number of abandoned cars, the presence of broken-down and/or abandoned housing; the level of upkeep of yards and other exterior space, and the presence of waste and debris.
• Does the area have a block watch or other form of neighborhood association or are there concerned individuals in the area wishing to address neighborhood problems?
• Is there an alcohol outlet nearby contributing to neighborhood problems? Bars, liquor stores and convenience stores can dramatically contribute to neighborhood problems.
• What is the ratio of owner occupied vs. rental property in the area? Generally speaking, the higher the level of rentals in an area the more resources required to revitalize the neighborhood.
• Is the size of the troubled area amenable to revitalization with the resources available to the Core Team?
• Will revitalization of an area stimulate similar resident-driven projects in nearby areas?
• Will the area serve as an "epicenter" for other positive efforts?

Once An Area Is Chosen - What Can Be Expected?
The process begins with improvement in safety for each resident of the area, includes a clean-up day with residents and community volunteers and ends with the establishment of a block watch or other neighborhood group or association to keep the neighborhood safe and secure. The entire process takes about one year.

Step One: Neighborhood Criminal Profile and Action
Understanding the criminal history of the area is a first step to its revitalization. Residents will participate in improving their neighborhood only if it is safe to do so. The Vallejo Police Department begins address all illegal activity present as a first step in the process.

Step Two: Getting to Know the Residents
Members of the Core Team begin "knock and talks" at each residence to better understand the issues facing the resident as an individual and the neighborhood as a whole and seek resident ideas about their solutions. A written questionnaire is provided to each neighbor so personal information can be provided to the Core Team and the degree of interest in participating in the revitalization can ne assessed. This also begins the process of introducing residents to our ability to help them access needed social services including job training, child care, counseling services, property improvement loans, etc.

Step Three: Property Assessment
Each property will be assessed to determine how it meets basic code enforcement standards. Owners of those properties out of compliance will City of Vallejo code will be contacted to develop a plan to voluntarily address the violations. Failure to address problem properties will result in fines.

Step Four: Block Meeting
The block meeting is an opportunity for the neighborhood as a whole to identify problems and solutions for their area. It is also a chance to develop a higher standard, than the minimum required by code, of what is acceptable behavior and level property maintenance for the neighborhood.

Step Five: Problem Abatement
Removing abandoned or improperly registered vehicles and initiating property improvements is a central component of the revitalization process.

Step Six: Tenants/Owners Meeting
A meeting with the residents of the neighborhood and property owners takes place at this point in the process in order to determine the response to the project to date and to elicit other issues or problems that may need addressing that have not yet surfaced.

Step Seven: The Clean-up
The clean-up is the culmination of the five to six months of work already started and results in a dramatic visual improvement in the neighborhood. The work portion of the day lasts about five hours and ends with a BBQ for residents and workers.

Step Eight: Creating a Neighborhood Group
The improvement created through hard work and commitment can only be sustained by on-going oversight and enforcement of the standards established by the residents. The Core Team will assist in the development of a block watch or other neighborhood group. Members of the Core Team will stay involved with the residents for approximately six months after the clean-up to help insure neighborhood stability.

How Can I Benefit From This Process? Residents who have participated in this process report safer, cleaner, physically improved neighborhoods. They also report an improved quality of living resulting from a sense of pride in their neighborhood as a result of getting to better know their neighbors and having a common understanding and goals for the area. Evaluations of the neighborhoods already completed demonstrate lower calls for service, increased perception of safety and reduced code violations. This process works to improve your quality of life in your neighborhood. Get involved and make a difference.

What Can I Do If My Neighborhood Is Not Selected? Due to resources, the project cannot take place in all neighborhoods which could benefit from the effort. However, we are able to assist residents that wish to implement a clean-up project on their own. For example, if the residents can demonstrate commitment and some level of neighborhood organization, we can tow abandoned cars, address crime related problems, help them secure dumpsters for a clean-up day and assist in the development of a block watch for the residents of the area. A number of Vallejo neighborhoods have undertaken a self-initiated clean-up with very successful results and are willing to assist other neighborhoods with their work. Contact the project for more information.

What Is My First Step? To learn more about Project Revitalization call any of the following organizations and ask for information about the project.

* Vallejo Fighting Back Partnership (707) 648-5230
* Vallejo Police Department - Beat Health (707) 648-5262
* Vallejo Code Enforcement (707) 648-4469

 

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