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May 2007 Friendship Volunteer Center
Friendship Volunteer Center, Sarasota Florida:
The Points of Light Foundation Strengthening Communities AmeriCorps*VISTAs of Friendship Volunteer Center are working to create a relationship with ReHabitat (the housing rehabilitation division of Habitat for Humanity), and the Sarasota Association of Realtors with 4,000 members, many interested in volunteering. This cooperation will help to strengthen ties between national programs and local programs to create a new partnership in times of disaster. In Laurel, about 25 percent of the 250 homes are owned by people living in poverty. The partnership with ReHabitat will be a year-round effort to offer repairs, painting and other house rehabilitation to residents who are unable to take care of these things themselves due to economic reasons, age or medical issues. This same service would be channeled to help in disaster recovery efforts should Sarasota be hit with a hurricane, tornado, brush fire or flood.
Sarasota has a very high median income, but there are pockets of poverty and old public housing projects where redevelopment efforts are either underway or on the drawing board. It is difficult for assistance organizations to penetrate some impoverished predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhoods because of cultural and language barriers. The Friendship Volunteer Center is focusing on building partnerships in the community to help to create a network of groups that are invested in the community. By reaching out to both local and national groups, the Volunteer Center is able to bring in a range of resources and ideas to help strengthen and build connections in the community.
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