“Are They Poor?” Community Revitalization Lived-Out!
When Danielle and I started GUM, we listened to the community. We sat in living rooms and on park benches, we played sports and met folks on the corner. We LISTENED to the community. Over and over again we heard statements that revealed things within our community that were unhealthy. We dug deeper and deeper to understand. We didn’t have just one or two conversations, but hundreds. As we thought about what we heard, it became clear. Our neighborhood was not one that people moved into. Our neighborhood was viewed as a place to escape. To “MAKE IT” was to get a good job and move out. To be clear, I’m not saying there is no good in our neighborhood, or that everything is bad. It does not mean that the people within the community have no hope. Quite the opposite. I’m simply sharing what we heard over and over again…that for many, getting away from this community was the goal.
As an organization committed to Christian Community Development, GUM wants to change that. We desire to restore our neighborhood and are working to make our community one that people want to move in to ~ rather than leave. We want this neighborhood to be a place for people to invest their time and energy…to live life, to raise families, to own homes. With this in mind, one of our working vision statements was formulated: “To create, with our neighbors, a community that people want to move into.”
We recently had a friend share about GUM to their social network. They shared that we lived and worked within an area known as the “North of Broadway Community.” Another friend quickly replied, unfiltered, “ARE THEY POOR?” While it was a seemingly innocent statement not meant to cause harm, it was also an indictment on the systemic brokenness of many communities like ours.
Now, think for a second. If I were to ask you the question, “where do the financially poor live in your city?”would you have an answer? Why is that? Why is it that there are entire communities known for their struggles? For GUM, as an organization committed to strategic and long-term solutions to systemic issues, we choose to be a part of the change. For myself, Danielle and our family, this neighborhood isn’t poor…it’s home.
After several years of investment and thousands of volunteer hours, we have completely rebuilt our property at 38th & Ball and would like to publicly welcome a new family to our community. The Smiths have moved in! Many of you have met and worked with Mason; he’s GUM’s Director of Volunteers, Workgroups & Facilities. In February of this year, Mason & China made the move to invest long-term in our neighborhood by moving in with their family. Mason and China share their thoughts about living in our neighborhood:
“We’re really happy to be here. The whole goal of living here is to be part of the neighborhood. To build relationships and join with the people we work with and pray for every day.”
“Before we moved here, the problems our neighbors face every day were more abstract to us. By living here, we experience those issues personally. When we’ve shared that we live in this neighborhood, some people have asked ‘But, what about your children?’ And we say ‘Well, what about our neighbors’ children?’ Now, we have a much deeper understanding of what our neighbors are experiencing. We are going through it together.”
While the pandemic has changed their plans to spend quality time with their neighbors, Mason and China are excited for a time when life returns to normal. “We’re really looking forward to having kids over to play with (six-year-old son) Judah. We want to grill in the backyard and have neighbors over for dinner. We can’t wait for the Neighborhood Block Parties!”