The Sandtown-Winchester project is a success, not a failure ("Rouse's failure in Sandtown-Winchester," March 13). In fact, it should be considered a model work in progress. An assessment of the strides that were made by developing new housing (since the inception of the Nehemiah Housing development) will reveal that Baltimore took on a mammoth social project which included provisions for affordable housing as well as an attempt to eradicate a plethora of social ills common to a blighted, abandoned and neglected community.
Tremendous funding and resources poured into Sandtown in the 1990s. It seemed, however, that the secret question was "where was all the funding going?" You could never really get a good, clear answer. There was much to do and never enough funds to go around.
During my seven years as president and 15 years as a member of the Nehemiah Homeowners Association of Sandtown Winchester (NHASW), the organization and its members benefited from many community-oriented initiatives but only directly received about $700 of funding. The $700 grant came from the Baltimore Community Foundation to host community activities for Sandtown youth. NHASW participated in a Halloween celebration on the parking lot of Lafayette Market and used the opportunity as an outreach effort. Funds were also used to coordinate upcoming community activities. Initially, members would spend personal money or seek donations. Residents paid for NHASW T-shirts. If rat poison was needed, we would go to the city's recommended vendors and buy and distribute it to needy homeowners. If cups were needed for an event, we would contact Sweetheart Cup Company for a donation. As time went on, NHASW would host two annual fundraisers for the organization's needs.
Many of Sandtown's community projects were administered by a city-controlled organization, Community Building in Partnership (CBIP). Although dedicated, there seemed to be a lack of in-depth experience in coordinating services and resolving community and social issues which resulted in poor oversight of key programs, funding and resources. At times, there was an overkill of consultants enlisted on a regular basis that held assessment and planning meetings to figure out what to do about particular issues. Oftentimes, much information was shared but little was accomplished. It seemed that a lot of the funding for Sandtown was being used to train outside people on how to understand the problems of Sandtown rather than on solving the actual problems. The question many residents would ask was, "when was the solution going to happen?" Much was needed. Little was happening and residents were waiting.
When I first came to Sandtown-Winchester in 1991, it reminded me of an abandoned, blighted, rat-infested war zone, but the opportunity existed to purchase my first home and that I did. Potential homebuyers attended educational classes for which many expressed unfamiliarity with the topics of budgeting and home maintenance. Many had never had the opportunity to live in or own a new home. The classes were necessary and afforded prospective buyers with much-needed information on becoming new homeowners and community residents.
Surveys revealed problems homeowners faced such as rat eradication, vacant and abandoned housing, the need for adequate schools and after-school programs, adult and youth employment and training opportunities, drug rehabilitation and treatment programs, parenting classes, health assistance, defective appliances, recreation and open space and the list goes on. At that time, it was amazing to witness such a high, intense volume of organized drug trade activity along Riggs Avenue from Fulton Avenue to Fremont Avenue — right next to Western District Police Station. At the top of the list of priorities for the community was how to stop drug dealing and violence in the neighborhood while protecting our children.
In 1992, after settling into my new home, I turned my attention to the surroundings. I witnessed the distress of the people, infrastructure and businesses. There were organizations and people established in Sandtown involved in addressing the needs of the community. There had yet to evolve a structured organization for the new Nehemiah homeowners. The Rouse Company and Enterprise Foundation (and I applaud James Rouse to this day for taking on the development project) and Businesses United In Leadership Development (BUILD) working along with Mayor Kurt Schmoke, state government and a host of old and newly-formed community groups, provided resources to assist the new homeowners in developing a structured organizations which became known as the Nehemiah Homeowners Association of Sandtown Winchester (NHASW). There were many who availed themselves: Tina Thompson, Elder Clyde W. Harris, Ella Johnson, Margaret Ruffin, Allen Tibbels, Barbara Bostick, Pat Costigan, Chickie Grayson, Inez Robb and Emma Middleton to name a few. Many others assisted in helping to establish the Nehemiah Homeowners Association of Sandtown Winchester which became a 501(c)4 under my leadership.
I remember meeting with representatives from many organizations in the area such as, Fulton Avenue Community Association, Community Building in Partnership, Sandtown Winchester Community Coordinating Council, Healthy Start, Habitat for Humanity, Sandtown Winchester Improvement Association, New Song Community Organization, Saint Peter Claver Church, Lillian Jones Recreation Center, Pennsylvania Avenue Merchants Association and the Gilmore Homes. Some of the organizations were rather unique in that those in leadership roles had been in place for decades. There was not, I repeat, not a strong desire by leaders to forge ahead to formulate one strong, unified organization whose purpose was to service the entire Sandtown Winchester community. Some of the leaders of the old organizations had no desire to alter their leadership roles or risk merging with new organizations. It seemed that one group did not trust the other.
Some of the organizations that existed evolved out of a need to serve the people while others out of greed. Yes, there were also old and new shysters and carpetbaggers in Sandtown who were mostly desperate for money. More of the same behavior presented itself when funding was granted for the area under the Empowerment Zone initiative and village centers formed. As closely as some organizations were tied to the needs of the community, many of those leaders could not see the benefit of pulling together in a unified, concerted effort as one organization to address the problems faced by community residents and businesses. Sometimes, you could get one or two organizations to work together on an issue but the concerted effort and interest was short-lived. I remember leading an effort to have the developers and their associated partners keep a promise of providing an open space, recreational area and center along Sticker Street to no avail. All parties involved in the promise seemed to forget what they had promised and other community organization leaders did not participate in the effort to make the developers remember. The community did not receive many of the amenities that were promised with the original project as there was not a strong, vocal watchdog group. Those attitudes prevailed throughout the 15 years that I lived in Sandtown. As president of an association with 224 new homeowners, I learned quickly to accept any help that was offered in order to achieve the goal at hand. My motto became, "Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Forge ahead."
The affordable housing component of the community's efforts moved forward on the agenda, mainly because there was funding to support it. The promised amenities (open space and recreation center) and solutions for the social ills, however, did not receive the same amount of attention or funding. Many of the social programs that were established to assist the community were forced out of existence. Others went to the wayside. The problems remain. One thing I learned for sure, the city should be super careful about documenting the promises (amenities, jobs, programs, housing stock, etc.) that developers make to communities, especially when taxpayer funding is used for the development projects.
Was much accomplished in Sandtown? Yes. There are many people in Sandtown living worthwhile productive lives. Could much more have been accomplished? Yes. If the community and the city can move to keep its promise of providing those things that are needed to address the social ills in Sandtown-Winchester, it is possible that strides can be made to better the entire city. That is why I contend that Sandtown is a success, a model work in progress and not a failure.
Jennifer L. Coates, Baltimore