Faster recovery, one block at a time

Bringing life back to flood-damaged neighborhoods in our community has been a struggle. Many affected residents are exasperated by the government bureaucracy, which turns deliberately and slowly.

Enter Block by Block. Unveiled this week, this is a promising concept that we believe will produce long-lasting, faster results on targeted areas.

It launches with a non-profit partnership, volunteers and $2 million in private money, including a $1 million donation from trucking firm owner John Smith and his wife, Dyan. The initial goal: restore eight residential blocks by Christmas.

One appeal of this initiative is its flexibility and focus. It's focused on restoring one entire block at a time instead of creating solutions for the entire 10 square miles the 2008 flood affected. Focused on building relationships and buy-in among neighbors. Focused on providing a customized solution for each property, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Dan Baldwin, president of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, which contributed $700,000, says Block by Block is poised to succeed because “this program is more proactive. It identifies and organizes people, and rallies neighborhoods.”

Block by Block is largely the brainchild of Matthew 25 neighborhood ministry. Its partners are the non-profit Affordable Housing Network, which will provide oversight, the United Methodist Church, which donated $200,000, and other faith-based groups.

Block by Block “has been a vision for quite a while,” said The Rev. Clint Twedt-Ball of Matthew 25. “We hope to grow it by setting up a program that's replicable and re-evaluate as we go.”

Block by Block is not encumbered by many of the processes and regulations that slow the federal government's disaster assistance. That's not to say there are no rules.

No one is forced to participate, but at least 60 percent of the property owners on a designated block must agree to take part. The choices are to fix the property and stay, sell it or take an eventual government buyout, if eligible. Block by Block volunteers will rehabilitate homes for those who want to stay or to help a house sell at an affordable price.

The Affordable Housing Network may acquire properties, which will either be rehabilitated or replaced with a home that can be sold or rented - generating some ongoing revenue for the program.

Baldwin says the biggest risk will be dealing with individual agendas along a given block. But he's confident in the capability of the “Matthew 25 guys, who are very experienced in a non-threatening way of getting people together, hearing their concerns and having them come together.”

One block at a time.

For more information about Block by Block program, visit www.blockbyblockcr.org. or call (319) 350-2252.