Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Bleeker.
Justin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Grove Park Renewal was founded in 2014 in the Grove Park neighborhood in Northwest Atlanta. Grove Park is a historically black community that has faced disenfranchisement and discrimination, which has led to disinvestment, especially in the last 40 years. Now, the City is building the new Westside Park on the Northside of Grove Park, which is leading to massive gentrification and displacement of historic black residents, especially those who are low income. Grove Park Renewal’s mission is to help black families stabilize in our neighborhood so they are able to take advantage of the educational, economic, and social growth of our neighborhood rather than being displaced to other pockets of the Metro where the same resources aren’t available. We believe that housing is the basic building block of community development from which stability in all other areas of life can flow. So, we focus on providing high-quality, affordable housing for neighbors while creating connections with sister non-profits, who provide wrap-around services and community connections.
I was living and working in Los Angeles when my friends approached me asking me to entertain leading the organization. With my love for non-profit community development work and my educational background in urban planning, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity! So, my wife and I moved into Grove Park in 2016 and live in the heart of the neighborhood with our three young children. We love Grove Park and I am learning to love Atlanta!
Has it been a smooth road?
Our community and organization face many challenges, which the current cultural and social unrest points to. The Black community continues to deal with systemic racism in education, employment, and the judicial system, especially policing. In tandem with these challenges, COVID-19 has ravaged our neighborhood. 50% of our residents are out of work and are struggling to make ends meet. The beauty of these challenges is that we see our community rising up to serve and love one another through food pantries, rent relief funds, and neighbors looking out for neighbors.
Our organization recently achieved 501c3 status. However, launching a new non-profit during a time of COVID is challenging as well. It is necessary for us to raise funds to continue our mission in Grove Park.
We’d love to hear more about Grove Park Renewal.
Grove Park Renewal focuses on neighborhood stability by creating high-quality, affordable housing. This place-based approach centered on a hub and spoke model in which housing creates a central stability in a household through affordable rents while creating spokes of connection to holistic human care through sister organizations that provide a resource in education, employment, mental health, community events, mentoring, etc. We are known for our beautiful homes and desire to be a grassroots neighborhood organization where we all live, work, and play together.
Grove Park Renewal is an organization of the neighborhood that is led by the neighborhood. Our board of directors has eight members, six of whom are Black and understand our work through lived experience. Thus, the neighborhood has power in our organization and can make changes or implement new programming that meets street level needs. In contrast, many traditional non-profits focus on a top-down or outsiders approach to the work, which is typically disconnected from grassroots neighbors’ views and desires.
We have renovated 30 properties in the past few years while also tearing down another 12 properties. From 2016 to 2018, we were the only organization doing this kind of work in our community. Renewal must be holistic. The physical assets and their restoration matter. However, the human relationships and holistic human flourishing are just as important in our work.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta is a wonderful city with a beautiful history and deep roots, especially in the Black community. The Civil Rights movement was birthed in our City. The Black community has been empowered here and many of our key private and public sector leaders are people of color. However, significant class divides still exist. Atlanta has the highest economic disparity between the rich and the poor. The gentrification and the effects of real estate and economic development are having huge impacts, especially the displacement of historic Black communities like Grove Park. Therefore, our organization and other grassroots organizations that serve the Black communities are of vital importance. Our City leaders are grappling with how to best stimulate economic development while also caring for ALL of our City’s residents.
Frankly, we are not doing a great job on this front as a City. Affordable housing policies and programs have been lackluster at best, especially for the limited income populations in our City. These present a huge challenge for our organization but also drives the implementation of our mission. To improve, our City leaders must be proximate to our low-income neighbors, hearing from them in this time of great need, but also understanding that COVID didn’t create this housing crisis. Most of our neighbors in Grove Park know what they need in their own lives, but lack the resources necessary to act about their entrepreneurial dreams, their hopes and desires for their children, and their desire to live peaceful lives in our neighborhood.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1566 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW
Suite 101 Atlanta, GA 30318 - Website: www.groveparkrenewal.org
- Phone: 404-396-1140
- Email: info@groveparkrenewal.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groveparkrenewal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroveParkRenewal/
Image Credit:
Patrick Kolts, Justin Bleeker, Marybeth Edgecomb
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