Lots of Hope is turning blight into beauty. We've all seen them around the city: boarded up, abandoned houses. We see them until the day they magically disappear and all that is left is a square of bare dirt where there once was a house. We sigh to ourselves, feeling good that one more non-restorable vacant house has been demolished. But weeks, months and often years go by and that neat square of
dirt transforms itself into a forest of weeds (um, excuse me, native plants). These native plants act like magnets for debris of all sorts, and if you live in my neighborhood, that debris includes liquor bottles and broken glass. So, just when it seemed a problem was solved, another problem has arisen. This is where Lots of Hope comes in. Our non profit is the only area organization devoted to returning vacant lots to reusable space for the local community. We serve you, our neighbors, to help make your neighborhood (and ours) a better place to live, work and play. Lots of Hope land revitalization is accomplished in three ways:
By working alongside organizations that manage housing rehabilitation, such as the NNN, inc. and the South Bend Heritage Foundation, we encourage and help these organizations incorporate adjacent vacant lots into rehabilitation projects. Similarly, we cooperate with homeowners who wish to add an adjacent lot onto their own property. We sell them the property and walk them through the paperwork to legally incorporate the lot into their current property so they can make it their own (and the property gets returned to the tax roll). Lots of Hope is best known for property development. When there are several vacant lots in a row, or simply land that no one wants, Lots of Hope is there to clean it up and make it into something useful for the community: a peaceful park, playground, green space, or community garden. Did you realize that for many children in the inner city, it is a half mile walk to get to the nearest public park? By creating gardens, green spaces, and playgrounds, Lots of Hope is giving these kids a place to go; a safe place without speeding cars or broken glass. We are providing neighborhood security while increasing home values and bringing hope to our community. Come share in our success. Donate flowers, plants, or landscaping materials. Join us for a work day and tell your friends! Even a small contribution can go a long way to transform a vacant lot, and together we will bring hope to South Bend's inner city... one lot at a time.
