Neighborhood Sponsorship Program

Neighborhoods are a central part of the Tucson community. They are unique environments, some would say experimental laboratories, where children are raised, families are amassed, and life is defined. This unique environment is not sheltered, isolated, or confined to its geographic area; rather its activities often overrun its borders and consistently spill into and affect adjoining neighborhoods. In stable neighborhoods, this overrun might take the form of block parties, garage sales, park events, and other pro-social activities. In high crime rate neighborhoods, these activities might include burglaries, truancy, juvenile graffiti, or other youth or adult related crimes or abnormalities.

As identified in research studies (Chauhan and Reppucci, 2009; Krivo, Peterson, and Kuhl, 2009; Westaway, 2000), an overwhelming majority of humans desire to live and raise their families in places of safety, social engagement, and with opportunities for personal and professional growth. These researchers show that neighborhoods that possess greater numbers of coordinated and collaborative assets—such as committed residents, effective schools, prosperous businesses, engaged churches, and successful nonprofit programs—have lower crime, less unhealthy and undereducated residents, and more job opportunities than those that have less assets.

To accomplish this goal, people work hard to achieve social and economic upward mobility, to maintain a high standard of living, and pass that standard of living on to their children. In this quest, residents often volunteer in their neighborhoods, keep their yards clean, and join their neighborhood or homeowner’s association. They work hard to ensure their neighborhoods have adequate institutions such as schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations (such as nonprofits) that effectively engage families, specifically those that need a little extra support. However, what neighborhoods do not consistently engage in is the process of determining the effect of having these resources in their neighborhood.

Social disorganization theory serves as a reference point for neighborhoods. This theory advocates the idea that neighborhoods with deficient ecological systems (schools, businesses, churches, etc.) are more prone to crime, poor health, low education, and higher unemployment. Community Action Groups are vital resources in determining if its neighborhood has enough assets in order to decrease and prevent crime, increase health lifestyles, improve educational success, and increase job skills and employment.

Determining if a neighborhood has enough resources (which are coordinated and collaborative) and how they (institutions) affect children and families is critical to ensuring a safe, engaging and prosperous neighborhood. To achieve this determination, it is important that consistent measurement of the relationship between programs in neighborhoods and the rate of crime related offenses, health, education, and employment be completed.

By becoming a neighborhood sponsor, you will help Tucson neighborhoods decrease and prevent crime, increase healthy lifestyles, improve educational success, and increase job skills and employment. You can choose to sponsor an entire neighborhood for a year or more or you can sponsor any phase of a neighborhood's deployment. It's your investment, you determine how you would like to improve Tucson's community. To partially or fully sponsor the neighborhood of your choice, call us at 520-297-0702 or email us at info@ccnrcenter.com.

CCNR Network – Neighborhood Deployment Schedule