The mission of Habitat for Humanity of Evansville, Inc. is to help fulfill the greater mission of Habitat for Humanity International to eliminate poverty housing in the world.  We seek to witness to and implement the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Evansville, Ind., and throughout the world by building homes with God’s people in need and by working with them to create a better neighborhood and community in which to live and work.

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Community Planners Train Volunteers on How To Engage Residents

Evansville, Indiana (January 4, 2012) – Community planners out of Indianapolis and Chicago trained volunteers involved in the Jacobsville revitalization initiative on how to engage the community. The first step is interviewing residents. For that to be effective, the trainers said, volunteers need to hone their listening skills.  

“There’s only one way to engage someone, and that’s by listening to them,” said Jim Capraro, senior fellow at the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. “The goal of the interview is to create a relationship.”

Capraro and Rose Scovel, with the Indiana Association of Community and Economic Development, conducted the training today at Central United Methodist Church, located in Jacobsville. Nine people from various agencies involved in the revitalization efforts attended the training.

Volunteers will conduct the listening visits with three goals in mind – gather information, build relationships and identify the passions of residents.  They’ll ask residents to consider strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the neighborhood, and then they’ll cluster those comments to uncover themes. These themes and additional data collected by the University of Southern Indiana will then be used to guide the revitalization efforts.  The initial listening phase will take about 14 months, the planners said.
 
“We want as many people on board from Jacobsville who are willing to participate and work to make the neighborhood a better place,” Scovel said.

The engagement piece will include a web site and social media where residents can share stories.  

In June Habitat for Humanity of Evansville received a $100,000 grant from the City of Evansville to lead the development of a comprehensive community development plan for the revitalization of the Jacobsville neighborhood, which is roughly bordered by Division Street, Diamond Avenue, Garvin Street and First Avenue. Habitat has been doing similar work in the Glenwood neighborhood.

During the listening phase in Jacobsville, set to begin within the next few weeks, volunteers will look for leaders in the neighborhood. The leaders, the planners said, will be people who others follow and look up to. They will serve a critical role in driving the process that will lead to a shared vision for Jacobsville.

"Outcomes will be driven by the people in the neighborhood," Scovel said.
 
About Habitat for Humanity of Evansville  
Founded in 1984, Habitat for Humanity of Evansville is a nonprofit Christian ministry whose mission is to build and sell simple, decent houses to hardworking families in Vanderburgh and Posey counties. We partner with individuals, churches, businesses and civic organizations who share our vision to make adequate, affordable housing for all a matter of conscience and action.

To be eligible, families must have incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. They must have a need for housing, be willing to contribute 300 hours in sweat equity and have the ability to pay their mortgage based on a 25-year, no-interest loan.