Clean & Green supports community-based groups in maintaining and re-using vacant land. Through the program, volunteers from block clubs, neighborhood associations, churches, schools and local non-profits, seasonally maintain clusters of vacant properties with each participating group receiving a stipend for its maintenance work. In 2022, 64 community-based groups participated including 61 returning groups and 3 new groups. 3,600 lots were awarded for maintenance every three weeks with over 30,000 mowings completed by groups. The majority of groups use a variety of mow types and stagger mowing rounds to cover more ground. As a result of their innovations, groups now can maintain over 5,000 individual parcels. Additional program stats from the 2022 season are provided below:
ENGAGEMENT & PARTICIPATION:
801 individual participants completed 3,419 acts of engagement for an average of 488 participants each round (an average increase of nearly 100 participants each round since last season)
- 66% of groups involved youth
- 92% of groups interacted with neighbors while completing maintenance
REPORTING ON THE FLINT PROPERTY PORTAL:
Over 98% of groups are now consistently reporting maintenance using the portal with nearly 32,000 digital surveys submitted collectively.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS:
Groups reported that because of their Clean & Green work….
- Neighbors spend more time outside = 73%
- The neighborhood feels safer = 78%
- The neighborhood looks better = 98%
- Nearby neighbors are taking better care of their properties = 94%
CLEAN-UP ACTIVITIES:
- 27% of all groups conducted a large scale clean up
- 12 dumpsters were filled by groups (roughly 180,000 lbs. of debris)
- Fallen trees/limbs were reported as the biggest challenge with 81% of groups encountering fallen trees/limbs this season
- Illegal dumping was reported as the 2nd biggest challenge facing groups
FOSTERING COLLABORATION AND NETWORKING:
- 54% of groups connected to new/other resources because of Clean & Green
- 19% of groups collaborated with other C&G groups
Click this link to read more - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf
