Neighborhood revitalization and the development of Knoxville Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.

America's cities are facing a serious problem. The neighborhoods, one of the building blocks of our cities, are in various stages of decline. Throughout the years a variety of methods, at both the Federal and local levels, have been attempted to stem the decline of these older, urban neighborhoods. Urban renewal, Model Cities, and the current Community Development Block Grant Program have all tried to deal with the problem of neighborhood revitalization. In recent years local governments, with Federal funding, have been developing neighborhood revitalization efforts. These programs often involve a partnership of the public and private sector.

The partnership approach is the cornerstone of one such neighborhood revitalization program, Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. Begun in Pittsburgh in l968 the program is now operated by the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, a public, nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation with direct funding from Congressional appropriations. There are currently more than seventy programs in operation with 10-15 more in the developmental stage.

It is the developmental stage which is very important in the long run of an NHS program. A great deal of time is spent forming and developing a partnership of local residents, local government, and representatives of lending institutions. Through a series of meetings and workshops often lasting twelve months or more, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation assembles a local nonprofit corporation armed to combat neighborhood decline.

The developmental process stresses communication, cooperation, and commitment. Its function is to build a base upon which a neighborhood rehabilitation program can stand and operate. The program is predicated upon the involvement of the three partners in stemming neighborhood decline.