the Neighborhood Foundation
Local residents can receive training to help revitalize neighborhoods with decorative board-up. Here, a crew in Akron, Ohio has just completed securing a vacant storefront on Arlington Avenue. Members of the crew learn valuable job skills such as carpentry, painting, and even artistic creation. Vacant properties secured by local residents tend to be less prone to break-in, vandalism and grafitti. This may be a result of local pride and a sense of ownership in the community as a result of using local residents to complete the work.