Community building and organizing are central to the NeighborWorks network. In fact, the roots of the NeighborWorks system go back to a 1968 resident-led campaign for better housing in Pittsburgh. Dorothy Richardson and her block club persuaded 16 financial institutions to make loans to help their community win the battle against slumlords and disinvestment. More about NeighborWorks history.

Now, more than 25 years after Congress in 1978 formally created the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (now doing business as NeighborWorks America), which founded the NeighborWorks network, the resident-led, Pittsburgh partnership model is still the heart of the network.

The members of the CB&O initiative all deliver the following programs and activities:

• Resident leadership development;
• Creation or support of resident groups that develop and implement plans and capacity to create positive community change (such as crime watches, block clubs, neighborhood associations, tenant councils, etc.); and
• A defined agenda and strategies for community-building events and activities.

In addition, CB&O programs and activities may include any of the following if they are designed and delivered in a way that actively engages residents, builds resident leadership, and/or strengthens organizational capacity within the community:

• Campaign and issue organizing
• Youth programs
• Physical community improvement projects
• Neighborhood planning
• Merchant or economic sector organizing

Community building and organizing are critical to the success of NeighborWorks organizations. Buildings can be rehabbed and services provided, but it is the people who live in community who will make sure that changes last over the long run. When residents work together to improve their community, bonds are built that foster cultural and social understanding. Community leaders also help ensure that strong local partnerships are formed to increase resources and that time and money will not be spent on mismatched programs.

Related:

• NeighborWorks Awards – An annual awards program that recognizes the contributions of resident leaders, as well as government and business volunteers who help strengthen and revitalize America's communities.
• National NeighborWorks Week—An annual event in which tens of thousands of businesspeople, neighbors and political leaders are mobilized as volunteers for a series of special events and activities that promote neighborhood change and awareness.

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