Friendship Houses build community

By the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

What is a Friendship House? It's a unique strategy for neighborhood redevelopment--something like a community center in a home. It's a place for after-school education programs; character building; service projects; GED courses; tutoring; computer training; art and music lessons; family nights and much more. This is not a 9-to-5 endeavor.

Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal (SBCR) moves community coordinators and their families into Friendship Houses to live in distressed neighborhoods, to be catalysts for change and to support the redevelopment of caring relationships necessary to reclaim struggling communities.

The trained Community Coordinator and family who live in the house not only help the neighborhood - they become a part of it. They spend time with their neighbors and earn the trust of individuals, families, groups and agencies in the area. The relationships they form become the foundation to facilitate a process for residents to set and achieve basic goals in the areas of community, education, leadership, housing, health, safety and meaningful work.

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