Port St. Lucie awarded $100,000 neighborhood revitalization projects
Published on May 06, 2024
The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University has announced that City of Port St. Lucie will receive Love Your Block grants to fund resident-led, neighborhood revitalization projects in communities across the city.
As one of 16 newly selected U.S. cities, Port St. Lucie will join the largest cohort in the history of the Love Your Block program – which reached nearly 50,000 community members who have improved nearly 4,000 public spaces – creating nearly 800 art displays, cleaning 102,000 square feet of graffiti, and removing 6.7 million pounds of trash in cities nationwide since its creation in 2009.
“Port St. Lucie is committed to putting residents first,” said Mayor Shannon Martin. “The Love Your Block grants presents an excellent opportunity to showcase our commitment to resident-led community revitalization. We want to empower our residents and promote a sense of pride in our neighborhoods. We are grateful for this partnership with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.”
In addition to funding, Port St. Lucie will also receive a dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA and technical assistance and training from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins team of civic engagement experts.
“Each Love Your Block city helps demonstrate one of the most important skills required to drive innovation in city halls – the ability to center resident voices,” saidAmanda Daflos, Executive Director of the Center. “We are excited to partner with Port St. Lucie to build on the successful legacy of support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Cities of Service and accelerate their efforts to partner with communities to drive local impact through funding, staff support, and the public innovation expertise to help sustain resident-led change.”
Port St. Lucie residents will be able to apply for mini-grants for neighborhood improvement projects through the Love Your Block program in 2024.
The 2024-2026 cohort of Love Your Block cities include Allentown, PA; Baltimore, MD; Charleston, SC; Columbia, MO; Dallas, TX; Durham, NC; Evanston, IL; Fall River, MA; Gary, IN; Little Rock, AR; Long Beach, CA; Louisville, KY; Reno, NV; Port St. Lucie, FL; Rapid City, SD; and San Bernardino, CA.
For more information related to the Love Your Block program or the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, visit publicinnovation.jhu.edu/loveyourblock.