For years, two vacant duplexes on Grayson Street were nothing but problems.  The attracted loiterers and criminal activity.  In 2007, there were 28 police calls to these addresses – and no one was even living there!  These properties were owned by St. Matthew Baptist Church who is a key partner with Metanoia in our work of community development.  We worked out a scenario with the church where we would utilize volunteers to renovate the properties in exchange for allowing us to sublet them to local students and interns that could serve in our community to strengthen the neighborhood.   We rehabilitated the first duplex in 2008 and the second in 2010 using mostly volunteer labor to keep our own expenses low.

Now these duplexes are home to students who invest their own lives to make the community better.   They gain a true understanding of our neighborhood by living alongside local residents and see a significant savings on their housing expenses.  Police report that illegal activity on the street has dropped significantly.   By viewing a neighborhood eyesore as a community asset and luring a small amount of investment to that asset – everyone wins.