Bringing neighbors together with paint brushes and power washers

Michael Tubbs, CEO
Holly T. Hicks, Communications and Marketing Specialist
Community Action Partnership of North Alabama

Challenge: Creating sustainable change in a neighborhood requires an understanding of residents' needs beginning with housing and running the gamut of services that may be taken for granted by those outside the realm of poverty. Addressing these needs can make change a reality for individual residents and an entire community.



For the Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, a block makeover during NeighborWorks Week was the perfect challenge for its Community Impact Measurement area. By involving residents in the restoration of both the aesthetic appeal and the pride of the neighborhood, long-term measurable change would be possible.

The residents of East Decatur are more often than not weary and wary of outsiders parachuting in with unsolicited aid as a temporary fix to a permanent problem, so the notion of inspiring this neighborhood of strangers to join a local nonprofit in a week-long project gave many pause, including those who held the reins from the idea's initial spark. But over the course of five days of intense focus and hard labor by hundreds of volunteers and local partners, an East Decatur block was transformed in appearance and in spirit. More than 35 corporate partners provided materials and labor alongside some 200 volunteers to restore multiple homes. Neighbors became re-acquainted with one another, teamed up and helped the enthusiasm spread beyond the defined limits of the block makeover.

Palpable excitement marked the first day of the East Decatur block makeover as a silver utility trailer bearing the red and blue brand of the Partnership arrived at the staging area and a week of hands-on sweat and toil got underway. Every home improvement tool imaginable emerged from the trailer, was methodically categorized by Partnership staff and assigned to volunteers. Each of the 18 houses due for transformation on Seventh Street, SE was tagged with a black and white branded yard sign, the collection of them peppering the edges of the weedy lawns of those who elected to participate in the makeover. Volunteers signed in, grabbed a pair of work gloves and began to bring some order to the organized chaos that unfolded.

Partnership CEO Michael Tubbs assumed temporary ownership of a power washer and began removing years of dirt, grime and a substandard paint job from the first house of many to undergo a facelift. Through the roar of the washer's engine others could be heard dictating specific needs: "These limbs need to come down. I need help pulling this fence up. Does someone have some clippers I can borrow?" Through the chatter could be heard the thud of the delivery of the large City of Decatur dumpster that would become the final resting place of worn-out vines and overgrown brush from years of neglect. Hundreds of volunteers from middle schoolers to retirees and groups from around the city showed up to make a difference. Pockets of motivated workers evolved into a dynamic force of evolutionary change that quickly had the neighborhood in its grasp.

Each day the block makeover made strides toward the ultimate goal: to build a true community through resident involvement and improve the aesthetic appeal of the area. Connections with residents were made through door-to-door greetings by Partnership employees, engagement with volunteers and neighborhood participation. The spirit of the community evolved before our eyes as neighbors emerged from their porches to help. Some painted others' porches while others spread mulch or trimmed branches. Residents became actively engaged in their own property makeovers by pruning shrubs and mowing lawns.

Through the block makeover we learned how important it is to engage neighbors in a communal improvement effort. As a result of the collective efforts of neighbors helping neighbors, the East Decatur Community Association was formed to create opportunities for residents to improve their neighborhood and build a strong community. What started as a suggestion in a team planning meeting quickly grew to be the single greatest community service project in the Partnership's 50-year history as a Community Action Agency.