Friendship

Neighborhoods are constantly changing, and we need to keep looking ahead. Our community plan is a way to help anticipate changes in the neighborhood and provide a road map for insuring the neighborhood flourishes.

A community plan is a process through which community residents and stakeholders articulate their vision of a common future. In community meetings, planning team discussions, and work sessions with the community based organizations, members of the Friendship community have said that they want to live in a neighborhood where:

• Quality housing exists for all residents
  
• Residents feel safe on their streets and in their homes
• Local schools are strong
• Streets are free of litter and graffiti
  

The Friendship community plan represents both a product and a process. It is a framework to guide development, fund-raising, programming, and other aspects of community planning. The community plan also represents a genuine effort to enfranchise the entire community in the planning process, by having community residents and stakeholders articulate their vision of a common future.

A community plan is a working document that is molded and changed as the needs of the community change over time. The format for this document reflects the fact that, over time, the plan’s sponsors and the Friendship community need the flexibility to change their strategies as programmatic goals are achieved.

Throughout the planning process, the planning team has heard a number of issues. The community plan is a process of taking these issues and turning them into doable strategies with real accountability. It is a framework for small, incremental changes that, over time, add up to noticeable change. We have created this plan because we care about our community.

Those of us who live or work in Friendship know it has a lot to offer: a wonderful diversity of people; beautiful architecture; easy access to downtown and other areas of the City; affordable housing; and neighbors who are concerned and willing to work together to improve the future of Friendship.