The project area overlaps the Fairhill and Kensington neighborhoods but is known broadly as Kensington. It is a short train ride north of Center City, with a population that is growing. Its residents are young, increasingly diverse and low-income. It boasts several parks, playgrounds, recreation centers and a very active library. It is the home of community festivals, block parties, and neighborhood cleanups. It is also at the epicenter of Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic.

The decline of Philadelphia's textile industry in the 1950's took a toll on the neighborhood in the decades that followed. As job opportunities diminished and residents fled the neighborhood, leaving businesses and institutions unsupported- the physical and social makeup of the community was disrupted. This pattern replicated itself across cities nationwide, but the extremes are particularly acute in Kensington. Vacant buildings and lots, a reminder of its industrial past, take up a combined 13% of the neighborhood area and provide ideal cover for the drug trade.

Historically a White working class community, the decline of jobs, coupled with nationwide suburbanization trends, has left the neighborhood considerably smaller and more diverse; 63% of residents consider themselves ethnically Hispanic, overlapping with racial identities that are 40% White, 22% Black, and 4% biracial. Kensington and Fairhill are the center of the Latino and Hispanic community citywide. In addition to the area’s established Hispanic population, the neighborhood received an influx of Puerto Rican residents displaced by last year’s hurricanes.

Median household income in the target area is barely half of the citywide median. Almost 60% of households live in poverty, which is two and a half times that of Philadelphia, and four and a half times the poverty rate for the state of Pennsylvania. The lowest income levels are clustered near Hope Park with a low of $9,597 average annual household income in one census tract.

Job loss, vacancies, blight, and significant demographic shifts would pose a challenge for a community in the best of circumstances, but these problems have been compounded over the last 10 years as Kensington, part of the Philadelphia/Camden High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), became the epicenter of the opioid epidemic on the East Coast. Kensington’s location within Philadelphia and proximity to the interstate make it an “ideal” distribution point. This, combined with a dense walkable street grid, prevalence of vacant land/buildings, decadesof economic distress, and the explosion of opioid use and addiction nationwide have contributed to the development of the largest open air drug trade on the East Coast.

Over the last three years, the rate of narcotics violations has increased by nearly 36% and is 25 times greater than the rate across all Philadelphia neighborhoods. The rate of violent crime remains 3 times greater in Kensington than the city as a whole.

Decades of disruption and disinvestment within Kensington have taken their toll on the community and the association residents feel toward it. High housing turnover, particularly in a neighborhood where over 60% of households are renters, makes it a challenge to build lasting bonds with neighbors. The drastic demographic changes in the past 20 years, including the exodus of long-time residents and large influx of immigrants and new residents, have contributed to a loss of connectivity between neighbors. Kensington has the largest unsheltered population in the City and State who are experiencing housing insecurity, adequate mental health, harm reduction and wrap around resources.

The Kensington community has experienced generational trauma and disinvestment for decades. Residents continue to face daily trauma and gentrification, and receive second class services, as they fight to remain in the community that they call home. Despite these problems, the Kensington project area has many strengths. It has a robust transit system, with Center City Philadelphia (Pennsylvania’s largest employment center) less than 20 minutes away. As with many urban areas throughout the nation, gentrification and displacement are becoming increasingly more difficult to circumvent, while prioritizing resident safety, quality of life resources, trauma care and youth services. Yet, with that being the case, for the first time in decades, residents are organizing at the neighborhood level and playing a critical role in building social cohesion.

We CAN (Change and Action Now) is a collaboration between three organizations entrenched in and committed to Kensington, each with decades of community development experience: New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), HACE CDC, and Impact Services Corporation. In the absence of a singular anchor institution in the neighborhood, the We CAN collaboration provides an opportunity to bring together the collective resources and capacity of its partner organizations. We CAN has been championed by residents and stakeholders for being innovative in its agency collaboration, resident engagement, support of existing efforts, and the amplification of community assets. Their vision is a safe and unified neighborhood where residents work together to build trust, eliminate crime, and advocate for their community.

The project's success and sustainability relies on each partner's relationships with residents, institutions, civic groups, faith-based organizations, and other local stakeholders forged over many years of work in the neighborhood. Additionally, each partner has the ability to leverage assets based on their trajectory and comprehensive neighborhood plans. Finally, each partner organization brings with it specific areas of expertise, such as housing counseling, commercial corridor management, real estate, and workforce development, that will help inform and expand the reach of the BCJI work.

The We CAN Planning Phase took place over a nine-month engagement period. During this time, the goals were to collect data, spread the word about the project, reach as many residents as possible, and forge relationships with key partners for implementation. It was also a time to establish We CAN's initiative and vision.

We CAN engaged over 1,400 residents at 67 events, which included:

• A community dinner, which was the public launch of the collaborative;
• Four monthly community meetings open to residents, stakeholders, and partner agencies;
• Five Chat-and-Chew dinners that brought together small peer groups to forge closer relationships;
• Six seasonal activities;
• Two cohorts of the Livability Academy;
• Seventeen community events, clean-ups, and resource fairs;
• Three monthly safety clinics;
• Two Police Buddy field trips facilitated by the Philadelphia Police Department; and
• Twenty-five creative place-making activities geared at using art to bring people together.

We CAN collected crime data to verify 10 crime focus areas and gathered 157 baseline survey responses to measure social cohesion, collective efficacy, perceptions of safety, and attitudes towards the police. The project team also created an asset map and identified key blocks to work on during the Implementation Phase. These blocks were selected by their proximity to the focus areas, as well as existing relationships with residents.

During the Planning Phase, We CAN also worked on strengthening their collaborative initiative, setting joint goals, and establishing better ways of working together. All the information and feedback received during the Planning Phase helped the BCJI team refine their strategies to implement the following goals:

• Increase collective efficacy.
• Strengthen collaboration between the community and the police.
• Reduce physical disorder.

Throughout the implementation period, We CAN has continued to work in a concentrated capacity and hands-on with 11 identified focus areas within the project target area and employ nine resident leaders from the blocks and immediate area. Widespread violence, narcotics-related activity, homelessness, and encampment sites have increased over the past 18 months throughout the target area, but We CAN has experienced strides in safety perception and community and police relations through the resident-driven strategies of We CAN. We CAN's trauma-informed efforts have supported an increase in community cohesion and collective efficacy goals. We CAN's initiatives have been heavily influenced by the arts. In collaboration with Mural Arts and supported by the Office of Anti-violence, a series of intergenerational art workshops led by three local artists resulted in a traveling exhibition, “From Kensington With Love” Behind The Veil. The We CAN Collaborative ”Reach Out and Touch” initiative includes Back To School outreach, community Harvest Fest, Thanksgiving basket distribution, and Holiday toy give away.

We CAN Community/Stakeholder Meetings are held on a monthly basis, along with weekly check-ins, bi-weekly working group meetings, and monthly leadership meetings. Meetings are curated around project goals and relevant topics informed by the community which have included presentations on CURE Violence, Trauma and Safety Plan creation, and a "How Can Art Activate Community" artists panel, which was featured on WHYY Public Art as Tools for Social Change. "Safety Community Solutions' ' was framed around community-led advocacy and momentum garnered around public transportation protests after the discontinuance of service. A We CAN team member that lives on one of our super focus areas was able to be designated a playstreet and offer summer lunches to over 50 children due to a collective stabilization strategy developed by our team, City Services, and our local police.

The Livability Academy has expanded into three cohorts, graduating 75 residents and culminating with a 115 planter distribution project “Kensington Blooms” in our project area.

Two community leadership retreats have taken place allowing the We CAN network to reflect on successes and plan for the future with new and prior partners. One of nine community connectors was provided with technical support to relaunch her nonprofit, and three have obtained full-time positions within the collaborative agencies. Connectors have also assumed leadership roles on local civics and are charting the course for the collective and sustainability of the We CAN goals and initiatives.

Four resident leaders now serve on the 24th Police District Advisory Council (PDAC) and have participated in numerous “Roll Calls” at the newly formed Kensington Ave satellite district, which is located in one of the project partners' facilities. Target blocks are included in the foot and bike patrol officers’ rounds, quarterly “Coffee With A Cop'' meetings are hosted at the project’s host site, and a Police & Community coordinated Block Party was held this summer on one of the target blocks. We CAN has coordinated family-centered field trips with officers to the Philadelphia Zoo and the Barnes Foundation, and co-hosted holiday events and National Night’s Out. We CAN has formulated a 14 person resident-led Town Watch Patrol.

Twenty-nine young people, ages 14-24, participated in a six month series of “My Voice Matters” virtual dialogues, in-person workshops, and training sessions facilitated by Creative Praxis. These dialogues and conversations have resulted in a full report with recommendations for improving police relations and best practices. The series culminated with a community presentation attended by 65 guests, including PPD leadership. The report will be presented to the PPD, political entities, schools, youth organizations, and will be converted into podcasts. NKCDC is looking for collaborators and funding to move the recommendations and youth centered advocacy work further.

The 24th District Police Captain has dedicated 10 officers and the Community Relations Officer to take part in a five-session Trauma Training which builds off of Chief Inspector Altovise Love-Craighead’s Community Trauma Police Training. The remaining sessions are focused on understanding Trauma from clinical, community, and youth perspectives, and the history of policing. The final goal is to offer this comprehensive Trauma Training module District wide.

Resident leaders have led 13 projects that have resulted in the reimaging of blighted lots, community gardens, creative place-making initiatives and reclaiming unsafe public spaces.

Philadelphia Police Department 24th District, 24th District Police District Advisory Council, Art LifeStyle, Barnes Foundation, Community Life Improvement Program, Congreso, Edison High School, Esperanza, Friends of Hope Park, Friends of Hissey Park, Friends of McPherson Library, Harrowgate Civic Association, Iglesia del Barrio, Kensington, Health and Sciences Charter School, Kensington Neighborhood Association, Kensington Soccer Club, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Mill Creek Community Partnership, Mural Arts, Philadelphia Office Anti-Violence, Philadelphia Horticultural society, Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia Office of Managing Director, Philadelphia Police Office of Community Relations, Philadelphia Zoo, Porchlight, Resilience Project City of Philadelphia, Rock Ministries, Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School, Honorable Maria D. Quinones-Sanchez, Somerset Neighbors for a Better Living, Theater of Witness, Town Watch, Willard Elementary School