Livable Neighborhoods
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The Livable Neighborhoods program empowers residents to better the health and safety of Kansas City, KS neighborhoods by promoting community connectedness and civic engagement.
Livable Neighborhoods works directly with residents and neighborhood-based organizations, such as organized neighborhood groups, to identify problems and find solutions that will improve quality of life, and continue making Kansas City, KS a great place to live, raise a family, work, play, start a business, and so much more.
What is a neighborhood-based organization?
A neighborhood-based organization is an organization or group that advocates for improvements and organizes activities within a specific neighborhood(s). Livable Neighborhoods works directly with two different types of neighborhood-based organizations: Neighborhood & Business Revitalization (NBRs) organizations and organized Neighborhood Groups (NGs).
What is an NBR?
NBR stands for Neighborhood & Business Revitalization organization. NBRs are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that hold a contract with the Unified Government to carry out community development efforts across Kansas City, KS. Specifically, these efforts relate to neighborhood engagement, local business support, and community revitalization. Currently, there are eight (8) recognized NBRs.
Neighborhood & Business Revitalization Organizations
What is a neighborhood group?
A neighborhood group is a collective of residents who come together with the goal of bettering the neighborhood. These residents volunteer to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, share information and resources, and organize social activities in the neighborhood.
Livable Neighborhoods supports neighborhood groups by providing training, resources, grant opportunities, an open forum for discussion, and acts an a liaison between neighborhood groups and the Unified Government.
Is there a neighborhood group in my area?
Livable Neighborhoods encourages community members and stakeholders who are passionate about bettering Kansas City, KS to get involved with their local neighborhood group!
You can use the neighborhood map to find out if there's an active neighborhood group in your area. This map only contains neighborhood groups registered with the Livable Neighborhoods Office.
Neighborhood Group Map
What if there's no neighborhood group in my area?
Not all areas of Kansas City, KS have a neighborhood group. However, Livable Neighborhoods can guide you through the process of starting a neighborhood group in your area!
Why organize?
There are many great reasons to organize in your community, above all is that great things happen when we work together. Here are some other benefits of organizing by forming a neighborhood group:
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Residents work together for the preservation and improvement of their neighborhood.
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Residents gain collective power to influence what happens in and around their neighborhood.
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Residents build consensus and work together towards common goals.
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Residents are more connected, and a more connected neighborhood is a safer one.
You can read more about the history of Livable Neighborhoods and the impact of neighborhood organizing on Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS below.
Livable Neighborhoods' Story(PDF, 1MB)