The Northside neighborhood in Kalamazoo is an urban area with about 6,000 residents. Our close proximity to downtown Kalamazoo provides easy access to arts and entertainment, retail shops, financial institutions and transportation hubs. Residents in our neighborhood have access to a broad range of resources and opportunities: we often come together for large local celebrations and special events; there are a number of well utilized parks in the area; we have some successful human service agencies; and there are a range of local schools and faith based communities. Some of the challenges include a lack of quality and affordable housing, high unemployment, interracial conflicts and a lack of coordinated services among existing nonprofits in the area.
The long term vision for Northside is that our community is safe for people of all ages, unified, and offers many opportunities for intergenerational support, learning, connection and fun. We come together as a ‘village’ in which residents of all ages provide the supports and create the conditions necessary for its children to take advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise. Our Communities for all ages team is contributing to that vision through engaging the community and helping residents of all ages bring high quality, intergenerational supports to the Alternative Middle School and the children and families of that school in ways that engage, build leadership, remove barriers to learning, and provide enrichment, encouragement and support so children can succeed in school.