Blight Fighters: Meet Hamilton’s two new AmeriCorps VISTAs

The City of Hamilton has recently kicked off the second and final year of a program called Love Your Block. The program is the result of Hamilton being awarded a highly competitive grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Cities of Service, which provides two AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) and awards $25,000 to each of the ten grantee cities for two years.

In Hamilton, this funding has been used for mini-grants and resources to support the efforts of citizen groups and local nonprofits to fight property blight through home repairs, lot transformations, and community cleanups. In addition, our two AmeriCorps VISTA members serve in city hall to build capacity in our neighborhoods and raise awareness for the program.

In the first year of the program, which began in August of 2018, AmeriCorps VISTA members Brooke Wells and Tyler Cook collaborated with community members and partners to identify homes that needed small-scale repairs, and helped owners make these improvements. In May and June of 2019, nearly one hundred volunteers worked on a dozen homes in the East End and Armondale neighborhoods. Residents painted houses and made minor exterior repairs, removed more than 10,000 pounds of garbage and brush, and assisted owners with yard work and landscaping around the homes.

“At the heart of this initiative is the power of engagement within our communities,” said Brandon Saurber, Hamilton’s Director of Neighborhoods. “The City cannot solve blight alone, and Love Your Block is working to build more connected neighborhoods. In my mind, this community-centric approach is the best way to create sustainable success.”

Now that the first year of Love Your Block has come to a close, two new AmeriCorps VISTA members joined the Department of Neighborhoods to continue this work into its second year.

One of the AmeriCorps VISTA Members is Ellen Rakowski, a recent graduate of Xavier University. Rakowski studied in the same Philosophy, Politics, and the Public program that has brought many alums through Hamilton City Hall, including Director of Planning Liz Hayden. Rakowski’s undergraduate education and work in Cincinnati has compelled her to work in local government and instilled the belief that, as civil servants, we can greatly impact the lives of our neighbors when we invest in them locally. A Chicago native, Rakowski has found a new home in Southwest Ohio over the last four years, and the Love Your Block Program was a perfect fit as she looked for opportunities to enrich the region. 

Joshua Clair, the second AmeriCorps VISTA Member, joins the City from Philadelphia and is currently pursuing a degree in Human Resources and Political Science at Temple University. Clair’s experience working on political campaigns piqued his interest in making a positive impact on people at the local level. Clair is excited to begin working with residents and City leadership to solve public problems in the community.

Both Rakowski and Clair look forward to improving on the first year successes of the Love Your Block Program. In its second year, the program will focus on expanding efforts to include the Jefferson and North End neighborhoods. As Love Your Block starts planning for the upcoming months, the VISTAs and City staff are excited to see what new opportunities the program holds. 

“The first year brought great new energy to Hamilton’s neighborhoods,” said Rakowski. “It’s only week three, but I’m already excited about the ideas that both Josh and I, and our neighborhood champions, are planning for.”