Sustainable Washington

3.9 Project Example #3
Action: Community Based Services
Where: Tacoma, WA 
More Info: http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=13,
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=601,
and http://vancouver.ca/NIST/nis_teams.htm 

One of the truckloads from an Edison Neighborhood clean-up in Tacoma. Image from referenced web-link.

The Community Based Services program works in Tacoma neighborhoods that have shown need for additional police, fire, and code enforcement. The program identifies neighborhood priorities by working closely with community members and pulls personnel from multiple departments for comprehensive problem-solving. Entering its third year, the program has already experienced notable success: 21 drug houses were shut down in its first year, a community waste collection resulted in 12 tons of items removed for property clean-up, as well as $2,700 in tickets administered in targeted speeding centers. The program bears resemblance to the Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team program of Vancouver, BC, which draws on a slightly different mix of government personnel.

3.9 Social Equity | Table of Contents