Ivanhoe Assessment

Talking to Dina about the issues in Ivanhoe gave me a good idea of what what really needs to be addressed in the neighborhood. Some things that stood out to me were:

• Only 30% own cars, most must use the bus system
• Beautification can really help raise the morale of the neighborhood
• The lack of grocery stores
• Poor nutrition is leading to obesity among the youth
• Ivanhoe got special permission to sell "lawn veggies" in order to help with the garden movement
• Not many have internet, but most have cell phones
• Many people jobless and sitting on their porch, uninvolved and apathetic
• 87-89% of the women involved in community are single moms
• UMB opening in the neighborhood council building is a great opportunity
• Not a lot of winter activities for children
• Community is very involved in the churches, religion is a source of hope
• They would like to continue to clean to make the public spaces safe for kids
• Some sort of hope and pride in the bakery on the corner? Perhaps more small business like this is needed?

Out of all of these, the things that I find to be the most important are either the importance of the UMB opening, or  perhaps the nutrition of the youth.

For the bank, I would need to contact the Lady in charge of their branch to begin with. To be honest, I don't know what could be best for the bank, so I would only know who else to call after I got soe feedback from her first.

For the issue of nutrition, I would like to get in contact with the leader of the children's activities position at the neighborhood council. Also, attending a meeting where I could talk to some of the parents that are involved would be useful in finding out where the problems might be. Then go from there.