Neighborhood Transformation    Those who live, work and worship in the Greenmount Community must actively determine the fate of their neighborhood. With this idea in mind, PHG serves as the development arm of the Greenmount Community Planning Council. We work together on projects that complement PHG’s housing development and homeownership counseling efforts. The Neighborhood Transformation Program mobilizes residents around small scale projects that address neighborhood issues such as fires in vacant houses, illegal dumping on vacant lots, and drug activity.

Vacant Lot Restoration Residents steward vacant lots to deter illegal dumping and discourage drug activity that these spaces attract.

Through design workshops with landscape architects, gardening workshops, and community planting days, residents create alternative uses, such as gardens and playgrounds. Partnering with men from a local shelter, the community maintains these areas. The project runs April through October and ends with a community harvest celebration. This project greens and beautifies, fosters civic pride. and provides recreation opportunities.

Community Planning Process
In 1999 PHG launched a comprehensive revitalization strategy, Anchors of Hope, in response to the city's neglect of vacant houses and land in the neighborhood. Working with volunteer architects and planners, residents are

Analyzing existing neighborhood conditions
Mapping findings
Monitoring and mapping changes
Engaging in a visioning process
Working to gain support of public officials

Leadership Development
As a community-based organization, PHG helps neighborhood residents learn to carry out programs that address neighborhod concerns. By working on issues such as organizational structure, program planning, and bylaws, residents are able to exercise their knowledge of the neighborhood and to determine the future of their streets. With these skills and tools the residents are the backbone of our Anchors of Hope neighborhood strategy.