On September 16, Cities of Service announced that the City of Erie has been selected as one of eight U.S. cities that will participate in Love Your Block, a grant program that brings city leaders and residents together to build stronger neighborhoods, one block at a time.
The City of Erie will receive a $100,000 grant over two years to support resident-led efforts to reduce blight, alleviate poverty, and spur neighborhood-driven change. The funding will pay for the City to hire a ‘Love Your Block Fellow’ drawn from the community. In addition, two AmeriCorps VISTAs will be funded by Cities of Service, and the City will receive technical assistance from expert Cities of Service staff. The AmeriCorps VISTAs and the Fellow will serve in city hall and work with residents and community partners to build the capacity for resident engagement and help strengthen communities. For those who interested in applying to be the Fellow or one of the two VISTAs, they can visit the City of Erie’s website or social media in the coming days.
The eight winners of the Cities of Service award are:
- Albany, New York
- El Paso, Texas
- Erie, Pennsylvania
- Jackson, Tennessee
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Shawnee, Oklahoma
- White Plains, New York
Since 2009, Cities of Service has helped nearly 50 cities implement Love Your Block. More than 26,000 community members have revitalized over 3,500 community spaces, creating nearly 750 art displays, cleaning 98,000 square feet of graffiti, removing 6 million pounds of trash, and much more.
