Love Your Block Program Returns for Year Two with New Things for the City

JACKSON, Tenn. - The city of Jackson is one of eight U.S. cities picked to receive a 100,000-dollar two-year grant designed to bring city leaders and people together.

The Love Your Block program is coming back for year two.

It works to build stronger neighborhoods, one block at a time.

“So last year we focused heavily on home repairs, because that’s what the residents of Jackson wanted, but it’s really open to what residents want. So, we can help do things like community gardens, art installations, whatever people see as an improvement project people think could improve their neighborhood.”

Abby Palmer of Love Your Block explains the program provides competitive mini-grants for community groups volunteer-led projects.

Last year, the program focused on east Jackson, but is expanding to downtown and midtown this year.

“Maybe they want to do the repairs, but they don’t know who to go to or they don’t necessarily have the funding, or they don’t know who to go to. They don’t know what contractors they can trust; we’ve heard from residents there’s been a lot of mistrust. People have gotten scammed, or burned from contractors in the past, and they’re a little bit nervous.”

If you have a neighborhood project in mind, you can apply for a mini-grant starting in mid-February.

Approvals are expected to happen in mid-March and projects begin in April.

“And we would like residents to go ahead and fill that out and give us some input on what they see in their neighborhood, maybe ideas that they have or some things they would like to see, how long they’ve lived there… just some general information.”

The outreach/interest survey for the Love Your Block program is available at jacksontn.gov/residents.