Mayor Walsh Rolls Out 'Love Your Block': Community Revitalization Efforts Throughout Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan

BOSTON - Monday, October 5, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced a series of community meetings and grant applications for 'Love Your Block,' a neighborhood improvement program that aims to involve residents in local revitalization efforts throughout Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods.

"Programs like 'Love Your Block' provide a tremendous opportunity to involve community members in the future of their neighborhoods in a hands-on manner," Mayor Walsh said. "The future of what our neighborhoods look like should not be decided behind closed doors, but should be decided on the streets with the residents who call these neighborhoods home. This program takes an innovative approach towards making that goal a reality."

In February, Boston was selected as one of seven cities to participate in the program, an honor which was accompanied by a $30,000 "Love Your Block" Award and dedicated AmeriCorps VISTAs to support neighborhood revitalization projects.   Through Love Your Block, the City of Boston will provide mini-grants to local neighborhood groups, block associations, and community-based organizations to carry out revitalization projects in target areas.

"The City of Boston's plan to concentrate its time and funding in neighborhoods most in need, and to include residents in decision making, is exactly what Cities of Service is about - engaging citizens in elevating and addressing priorities to achieve concrete results together with local government. We are excited to have Mayor Walsh's office as a partner in Love Your Block and future impact volunteering initiatives, and look forward to working with them," said Myung J. Lee, executive director of Cities of Service.

Starting this month, Love Your Block will be hosting community meetings in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. Love Your Block will be joined in Roxbury by Union Capital Boston, a nonprofit, mobile-based loyalty program for low-income families that provides social and financial service rewards in exchange for community involvement. The meetings will involve a brief overview of Love Your Block and an in-depth look at the grant application process.

Anyone in the general area of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan can apply for mini-grants so long as they can provide the volunteers to complete the project and ensure its upkeep. In order to provide multiple mini-grants, it is requested that no grant request is so large as to exclude other projects. 
Grant applications can be found at boston.gov/loveyourblock, and submitted in the Office of Neighborhood Services in room 805 at Boston City Hall.

ABOUT LOVE YOUR BLOCK
Love Your Block is a new city initiative sponsored by Cities of Service to empower and engage residents around neighborhood revitalization. Residents and civic groups are encouraged to design their own neighborhood improvement projects and apply for city mini-grant funding. Selected grantees will be provided with mini-grants and any city services necessary to their project. Resident volunteers will complete the projects and care for them long term. Visit Facebook.com/lybboston to learn more and follow @LYB_Boston on Twitter.

ABOUT CITIES OF SERVICE
Cities of Service is a national nonprofit that supports mayors and city executives to design and implement high-impact volunteering initiatives that can apply to multiple issues from supporting youth and education to sustainability. It provides technical assistance, programmatic support, planning resources, and funding opportunities. Founded by Michael R. Bloomberg in 2009, Cities of Service is a nonpartisan coalition which currently supports a coalition of 205 cities in the U.S. and UK whose mayors are committed to engaging citizen volunteers to solve local pressing challenges. Cities of Service helps coalition cities share solutions, best practices, and lessons learned, as well as spreads awareness about meaningful work happening in cities. Visit citiesofservice.org to get involved, and follow @citiesofservice on Twitter.