Accomplishments

A major part of SCI-West is about movement at the ground level and the deliverance of projects and services that meet identified needs in the target area. Over the past two years, our projects and programs have ranged from small to large and have involved the following:

  • Early Action Projects: These projects were implemented in the very early stages of SCI-West and were used as a tool to both meet community needs and to send a signal to the community about SCI-West's existence, purpose, and intentions.

  • Facade Improvements: West Philadelphia Land and Title Trust- This project led to the restoration of a facade on a beautiful, historic building that sits on a key gateway into the SCI-West community.

  • Beautification and Landscaping: Through SCI-West, United Bank, a local African-American owned bank located on another SCI-West gateway, received landscaping and beatification services. Both the facade improvement project and the Bank beautification were part of a larger SCI-West strategy to spur economic investment through investment in key gateways and nodes within the target area.

  • Banner Project: West Philadelphia High School- Installation of banners and completion of murals at the school, with the intent of creating a sense of pride for students as well as a more seamless connection between the school and the surrounding community.

  • Target Area Health Study: A study that assessed SCI-West's community health needs.

  • Target Area Crime Study: In conjunction with SCI-West, Drexel University identified top crime areas in the target area and developed recommendations for reducing crime in these hot spots. Phase II of this work involves the implementation of projects based on the data and recommendations.

  • Hire West Philadelphia Study: Assessed the feasibility and possible structure for a workforce development initiative designed to connect SCI-West residents to jobs within SCI-West medical and educational institutions.

  • Predevelopment: A predevelopment grant was awarded for the Center for Culinary enterprises. The center will offer local entrepreneurs who may be running catering businesses from home access to a commercial kitchen. This will also contain a youth run restaurant. Another grant was awarded to Fattah Homes, Bernice Elza, and Jannie's Place for predevelopment for Fattah Homes. Through this facility, PEC will help homeless mothers recovering from substance abuse or coping with a disability that impairs self-sufficiency.

  • Community Grant Awards: The SCI-West Grant Program was a community driven process that involved residents, civic groups, business owners and small neighborhood non-profits. Together they worked to identify applicants, evaluate submissions and award mini-grants in the amount of $3,000 to twenty small community groups in the SCI-West target area. This grassroots activity resulted in $60,000 being granted to groups to fund projects that aligned with the SCI-West key priority areas. Grantees were awarded funds to carry out projects such as:

     

    • cleaning, landscaping, fencing, sidewalk repair, block cleanups, and public art
    • installation of porch or alley lighting
    • town watch activities
    • community workshops that promote home preservation and healthy living
    • educational projects with local schools

     


    This was a truly collaborative activity that strengthened relationships between many community associations and organizations that previously had not worked together. In a very real way, this program started wearing down the some of the organizational and geographic silo's that exist in the target area. New and non-traditional partnerships and relationships emerged between neighbors and schools, non-profits and businesses, community artists and educators.

 

  • SCI-West 2014: In 2008, the SCI-West collaboration began implementation of projects from the planning phase. These projects are larger and more substantial than those undertaken in earlier stages. Leadership from each SCI-West Partner agency are now jointly planning project and initiatives for the next phase of this initiative. Stay tuned for SCI-West plans and project through 2014.