Hello SoWe,
We are proud to announce the 2018 Annual Report for the SoWe neighborhood initiative. Much has been accomplished over the past year. We would like to take a moment to thank everyone involved in the SoWe initiative, especially the neighbors, board members, and leaders who dedicate their time to build the SoWe community. We would also like to recognize and thank Jim Shultz, who retired from LHOP in May of 2018 after spending years organizing and supporting SoWe residents.
The work of SoWe could not be done without the help from Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership as the lead agency and all the SoWe Collaborative organizations: Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster, Bright Side Opportunities Center, Lancaster City Alliance, Lancaster Equity CDC, Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity, and Lancaster Safety Coalition. Thank you to all.
This was a year of many ‘firsts’ for the SoWe initiative including but not limited to our first neighborhood-wide SoWe Block Party in Culliton Park, first porch light installation, first SoWe Clean Crew, first school in SoWe to be recognized as a Community School and much more! We plan to build on these successes in 2019.
Looking ahead in 2019, SoWe will continue to work to create a cohesive and equitable community in Southwest Lancaster. Physical improvements to the neighborhood will be seen throughout 2019. These include improvements to façades through the Façade Improvement Grant Program, renovation of Culliton Park, installation of street trees and pedestrian lighting on Manor St and W. King St., placement of trash receptacles throughout the neighborhood and much more. In 2019, SoWe hopes to be more accessible to its residents. SoWe will hold a series of forums, panel discussions, and presentations to make sure residents have access to resources they need to succeed as well as promote community dialog.
I invite you to read through the 2018 SoWe Annual Report, attend a SoWe meeting or event, stop by our office, and to get out and meet your neighbors!