Providing the highest quality rental housing to those who need it most is key to promoting a healthy community. For over 20 years, Cornerstone West CDC has worked to revitalize West Side by increasing affordable homeownership opportunities. Our housing program has transformed existing homes to serve special needs populations, including youth aging out of foster care, and individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities.
Small Business Resources
There are an estimated 300 small businesses located on the West Side, with many of them located on Lincoln Street, Union Street, Fourth Street, and Lancaster Ave. We aim to support and expand our existing businesses through grants and other resources, attract new businesses through entrepreneurship training and increase customers through events and programming.
West Side Grows Together has worked to build a powerful movement to take back West Side’s parks and vacant lots, many of which were underutilized and caused public safety concerns due to lack of maintenance. Our work note only aims to create safe, fun and healthy places for residents to visit and play, but also enable residents to see our parks and gardens will have a lasting and positive impact on their community.
Many of us who call the West Side home have strong roots here and care deeply about our community. West Side Grows Together seeks to support people who want to play a role in making positive change in their neighborhood, whether that is their block or beyond. Click here to learn more about the many ways residents are making a difference.
Reducing crime was cited as the most important action item in our community revitalization plan outreach We aim to address the many factors contributing to crime such as vacancy and blight, low educational attainment, lack of youth opportunities. We focus on building stronger community networks, connecting youth to opportunities, promoting healthy living, cleaning and greening the community, and targeting problem properties and the negative activities they attract as crucial components to creating and maintaining a safe environment.
The West Side is experiencing an infusion of creative driven by local artists. We support our artist community through a variety of projects such as small art installations on electrical boxes, murals, and events such as the West Side Art Loop. These projects inject a fresh sense of life and color into a community increasingly on the rise.