We are open to working with all neighborhoods in the Kansas City, Missouri area.
The staff at the Center for Neighborhoods are here to work with the individuals and organizations that are motivated to make their block, their neighborhood and the city a better place. Our mission is to build the capacity of neighborhood organizations to address the challenges and opportunities that they face.
See what neighborhoods we’ve worked with
Capacity is the ability to get things accomplished. It requires:
Knowledge – necessary information, awareness, access to information not just data.
People – social capital, networks and the people who make a place special.
Resources – different forms of capital – not just financial resources.
Organizational strength – coordination and collaboration to implement a shared vision.
We seek to create empowered neighborhoods with the ability to govern themselves. We are implementing a model of neighborhood capacity building that is based on empowerment, not charity. Self-governance – neighborhoods must be governed by the people who reside within them. The Center exists to promote self-organizing and governance at the neighborhood level.
Neighborhoods and neighborhood organizations matter. Many public programs and policies require active neighborhood organizations to make the programs function. Effective neighborhood organizations are often a great place for neighbors to work together to solve local issues.
We approach our work with an Equity Lens – neighborhoods are places where equitable development must be implemented in order to build an equitable region. Neighborhoods are places where the inequities as well as the opportunities of our society are concentrated.