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Feb.
1, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) --
The University of Kentucky announced today a new $400,000
initiative, supported by funding from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development/Office of Policy
Development and Research, aimed at bettering the lives
of people in an east Lexington community.
The East
End Community Outreach Partnership Center, based at
the YWCA Phillis Wheatley Center, 647 Chestnut St.,
will help residents address the family, educational,
housing and neighborhood revitalization issues. UK
President Lee T. Todd Jr., UK Dean of the College
of Human Environmental Sciences Retia Walker, Lexington
Mayor Pam Miller and Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Councilman George Brown were on hand to officially
open the center.
The uniqueness
of this initiative is the partnership between the
university, residents and more than 22 community-based
organizations and local government agencies.
This project
uses a multidisciplinary focus to address problems
in the East End Community and involves faculty and
graduate students from four UK colleges - Architecture,
Education, Human Environmental Sciences and Social
Work.
"This is
an opportunity for the university to become more engaged
in the community and better carry out its land-grant
mission of helping all people of the Commonwealth,"
said Walker, principal investigator of the grant program.
"UK is an 'engaged university' that values the contributions
of faculty outreach scholarship, student service learning
and residents to make a difference in the community."
The Community
Outreach Partnership Center will focus on awareness,
options and opportunities for residents and will help
mobilize them to become advocates for change.
Four programs
will be offered:
-- The
Community-Family Resource Program will create six
Village Exchange Groups in which residents will share
knowledge and skills as they work toward becoming
self-sufficient, participate in community leadership
training and benefit from improved coordination of
community-based services. Celia Hayhoe of the College
of Human Environmental Sciences and Robin Ersing of
the College of Social Work will provide leadership
for this program. Ersing is the project's co-principal
investigator.
-- The
Family Educational Resource Program will help families
bridge gaps between home and school and assist them
in understanding the effect of administrative and
programmatic decisions on their children. The goal
is to increase student performance in school, decrease
dropout rates and increase employment opportunities
through enhanced educational options. Leah Nellis
of the College of Education is the leading this program.
-- The
Housing Revitalization Program will help residents
improve housing conditions, address fair housing and
landlord-tenant issues and increase opportunities
for repairs and home ownership. Michaele Pride-Wells
of the College of Architecture is this program's faculty
leader.
-- The
Neighborhood Revitalization Program will promote business
development in the area, provide small business training
and promote "Adopt A Block" clean-up projects. David
Mohney, dean of the College of Architecture and co-principal
investigator, will provide leadership for this program.
The center's activities will be coordinated by Robin
Taylor, a professional social worker on loan from
the Youth Services Division of the Lexington-Fayette
Urban County Government.
Space for
the project is being provided by the Phillis Wheatley
YWCA. Other agencies and community-based organizations
are providing a variety of in-kind services in support
of this project. Volunteers are being recruited from
the community to assist and become involved, Walker
said.
"The answers
are out there," she said. "We just need to come together,
iron out the issues and start working on the solutions."
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