In 2017-2018 over 200 residents contributed ideas during the Heartside Quality of Life Listening Sessions. From those sessions, 60+ people participated in workgroups to start solving some of our community’s concerns.
Working Groups included neighbors solving problems together to address the following issues:
- At Home in Heartside: Identify more affordable housing options, address homelessness and shelter care in Heartside.
- Engaged and Employed: Find ways to aid and engage neighbors in securing employment, maintain engagement, and find a healthy work-life balance.
- Areas of Improvement: Determine how to positively activate people in the parks as partners, and engage Lucky’s Liquor Store owners and management in discussions about the impact of their business on the neighborhood.
- Public Restrooms: Provide additional restrooms available to the general public and expand public restroom options within Heartside.
- Neighborhood Building & Activation: Develop the Heartside Neighborhood Association to become a formal structure that promotes civic engagement, builds human capacity and serves as a conduit for the facilitation of some Quality of Life Study final recommendations.
- Fresh Food Access: Address the lack of access to fresh fruits, vegetables and meat at an affordable price.
- Substance Abuse Support, Recovery and Mental Health Advocacy: Address the quality of life for neighbors that have addictions and are directly impacted by substance abuse while reconciling new alternatives to provide holistic support for peers in recovery. Because Substance Abuse and Mental Health are intertwined, also contemplate ways to educate the community on mental health to reduce the negative stigma associated with mental illness that exists in the neighborhood.
The resulting report details the amazing plans for improvement that were, in some cases, not completed due to the pandemic.
Here are just a few of the changes in our community since the 2018 Quality of Life Listening Sessions took place:
- A Public Restroom, known as the Portland Loo, was installed at the corner of South Division and Weston and is open 24/7/365.
- $1.6 Million invested in streetlight and streetscape improvements between Fulton and Wealthy street including 2 new crosswalks.
- Grand Rapids Homeless Outreach Team was created and expanded to meet the needs of our unhoused neighbors with peer support and addiction services, adding to the outreach services provided by Network 180, AYA and Pine Rest.
- The FUSE and Built for Zero initiatives were funded to streamline and strengthen the coordinated entry system to improve the process of moving people who are experiencing homelessness into housing.
- Temporary window installations and large-scale murals have been installed to share positive stories and experiences about and within the Heartside Community.
- The Heartside Downtown Neighborhood Association elected its first board and received nonprofit status.
While we’ve had substantial investment in infrastructure and seen the launch of new programs and services, we’ve also experienced a global pandemic. Many neighbors believe that priorities have shifted, so we are kicking off another round of Listening sessions in Heartside and Downtown.
Sign up to attend a community listening session today.
What’s next: after community listening sessions are hosted this summer and data are compiled, community partners such as Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Dwelling Place, and Heartside Downtown Neighborhood Association will present the results to the City of Grand Rapids to propose the allocation of resources and plans to improve quality of life Downtown.