In 2006, after seven years of intense effort, Community Impact concluded its work with the Cohort I neighborhoods: Bushtown, Highland Park, M.L. King and Southside Historic District. Once considered some of the city's least desirable places to live, these neighborhoods today have a different air. Neighborhood leaders speak with renewed pride about their community. They share stories about working with other residents to confront the adverse elements that threatened their communities to promote homeownership, engaging youth in positive activities, and organizing community events to promote neighbor-to-neighbor relations. Recent homebuyers are eager to share when asked why they chose to live in these neighborhoods – "It's the community; we love the people and the character of the houses".
Though residents rarely use figures and numbers when describing the benefit of living in a safe, caring community, the following metrics show some of the cumulative effects of the Community Impact program. The importance of residents' and program partners' efforts in these accomplishments cannot be overemphasized.
- Improved curb appeal of over 100 properties through the façade enhancement program
- Acquired 43 vacant or blighted properties for redevelopment using Community Impact's Buy-Hold funds
- Provided home purchase incentives to 48 homebuyers in participating neighborhoods, leveraging over $4.9 million in home sales
- Total annual value of residential building permits increased from $2.4 million in 1999 to $10.7 million in 2006
- Annual median residential sales values increased from $33,400 in 1999 to $124,000 in 2006
- Recruited and trained over 90 block leaders, providing a critical "first response" and resident engagement team in support of revitalization efforts
- Assisted neighborhood residents to organize safety events and eliminate over 100 crime hotspots
- Assisted neighborhoods to advocate for zoning changes, alley improvements, and traffic safety improvements
In addition, Community Impact took the lead in establishing the Family Partnership Specialist Program in Hamilton County's urban elementary schools, providing much-needed outreach support to school families and after-school learning to students. Partners in this effort were Hamilton County Department of Education, Benwood Foundation, Public Education Foundation, Lyndhurst Foundation and the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. In school year 2007-2008, the Family Partnership Specialist program was incorporated into the urban elementary and urban middle school programs and fully funded by the school system.