Thirteen neighborhoods in 10 Strong Neighborhoods areas will receive the most attention from staff and the largest share of available SN resources in the next two years as the program implements its updated business plan.
The 13 were determined to have the greatest needs after program managers looked at such indicators as incidents of violent crime, code enforcement violations, unemployment rates, foreclosure activity and residents’ input.
Three of the neighborhoods are in the East Valley/680 SN Area, two are in Washington, and the other eight areas each have one “neighborhood in crisis”. SN staff will be re-assigned to six field offices to support these neighborhoods and maintain contact with residents in their current areas for the rest of the year.
“It’s a triage approach used in hospitals,” said Steve Navarro, KONA NAC president. “I don’t think it’s a bad strategy. But I hope we don’t get unbalanced as we’re putting out fires and neglect other areas in the city.”
The neighborhoods determined to have the most need are identified as:
- East Valley/680: Capitol/Goss, Dorsa and Kollmar/Ryan
- Washington: Guadalupe/Washington and Alma
- Hoffman Via/Monte: Hoffman Via/Monte neighborhood
- West Evergreen: Meadowfair
- 13th Street: North 10th and 11th Streets Corridor
- Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace: Roosevelt
- Edenvale/Great Oaks: Roundtable Drive/Davis
- Gateway East: San Antonio/Virginia
- Tully/Senter: Santee/Yerba Buena
- KONA: Tully/Ocala/Capitol/King (TOCKNA)
The list is not intended to be permanent, according to the plan. As conditions improve in one area, staff and resources could be shifted to others.
“It’s a moving target,’’ Navarro said, agreeing with the concept. “As things progress and we get a little more traction on what we’re working on, the list should change. We should be able to shift resources to other areas.”
Staff will be working in six field offices: Alma Center, Capitol Park Neighborhood Center, Hoffman/Via Monte Neighborhood Center, Most Holy Trinity Weed & Seed Office, Edenvale Community Center and the Santee Neighborhood Action Center. Strong Neighborhoods staff will also continue to operate the Spartan Keyes Neighborhood Center and the McKinley Neighborhood Center.
In focusing resources on neighborhoods with the highest needs, staff will collaborate with other city departments , including Code Enforcement; Anti-Graffiti; Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services;Housing; Police; and Transportation. Other stakeholders will include Santa Clara County non-profit service providers and schools.
Inside City Hall, the City Manager’s Office will reconvene the Neighborhood Services City Service Area team composed of City and Redevelopment Agency department heads and staff to help guide the SN plan.
The plan update was forced by shortfalls in City and Redevelopment Agency budgets caused by the economic downturn in recent years. To balance the roposed Redevelopment Agency Budget , the Agency had to lay off 14 employees, including two Strong Neighborhoods staff members. The first budget hearing will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 5, in the City Hall Council Chambers.