People living in neighborhoods with blight are not only losing access to home equity, community history and public sector improvements, they are also being exposed to community based trauma resulting in long term stress from fear of unsafe property implosion, toxic exposure, and crime.
FIGHT BLIGHT BMORE
Fight Blight Bmore is an economic, environmental, and social justice initiative led by the community and informed by data to address the issue of blight. Fight Blight Bmore has three main functions to:
inform individuals about blight and its impact
create a mobile application to identify, report, and analyze blight data
to support the development of real property that is visioned, led, implemented and owned by the community’s existing residents.
The application will give users guidance on identifying blight and provide information on how blight impacts quality of life and community wellness. Additionally, the mobile system will provide an easy-to-use method to document blighted conditions. After the user documents blight, the mobile system will automatically report conditions to the appropriate parties. The application also will allow users to view and use a variety of analytic tools, as well as follow and update reports of blight.
OUR STORY
On Mother’s Day 2016, I witnessed what could have been an awful tragedy. A few children were riding their bikes down the sidewalk of Fremont Avenue, crossing Lafayette Street, where four brownstones were being demolished. The demolition site was filled with debris, gaping holes about six feet deep in the ground, and no gate to prevent site access. I witnessed the potential danger associated with these unsafe conditions such as a child falling into the unsecured debris. That day, I began researching, documenting, reporting and tracking environmental hazards created in part by the demolition sites around the city and the structures that preceded them. That effort and research has resulted in the development of an environmental justice innovation titled Fight Blight Bmore.
What We've Achieved
Development and current testing of APP MVP.
Awarded Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab Cohort Prize (2019).
Awarded Baltimore Women in Tech (BWiT) Micro Grant (2018).
Awarded Warnock Social Innovation Fellowship (2018).
Awarded Baltimore Corps Elevation Awardee (2017).
Awarded Kaiser Permanente Social Innovation Challenge- JUICE Accelerator (2016).
“Baltimore’s most blighted neighborhoods Sandtown-Winchester, Harlem Park, Upton, and Druid Heights have life expectancies more than 10 years less than Baltimore’s least blighted neighborhoods.”
