Partnerships

Strong partnerships with community organizations are the bedrock of civic engagement. The Office of Neighborhood Partnerships (ONP) plays a vital role in building mutually beneficial campus-community programs by collaborating with neighborhoods surrounding the IUPUI campus and engaging students, faculty, and staff in addressing community issues.

Indy Near Westside

The Near Westside is home to a wealth of assets, including 19 parks and recreational areas, 41 churches of various denominations, 14 licensed child-care programs, six public schools and a private Catholic high school, two community centers, the Westside Health Center, a senior apartment complex, the Center for Working Families, several banks, a new library branch, the West District Police Department, the Westside Community Development Corporation, Goodwill Industries, many newly established restaurants and businesses, and a wide offering of social service programs.

According to the 2000 Census, Near Westside is home to 14,517 residents living in five distinct neighborhoods – the Westside, We Care, Hawthorne, Haughville, and Stringtown. The Near Westside – defined by 21st Street on the north, Tibbs Avenue on the west, the White River on the east and a small wedge of homes between West Washington Street and the railroad tracks on the south – has a long been a racially diverse community, with Hispanic residents comprising the newest wave of immigrants.

Greater Indy Neighborhood Initiative

A three-year set of initiatives, was established to support Indianapolis neighborhoods. The goals are to encourage neighbors to work together across traditional boundaries to:

• Organize and get involved in their neighborhood;
• Decide collectively on the priorities for their neighborhood; and
• Act on those priorities to implement change in their neighborhood.

Listening to Communities

With funding from the Indiana Campus Compact ,The Center for Service Learning and Office of Neighborhood Partnerships has been able to host 2 dialogue sessions in the community since 2003.  The following report and summary describe the discussion that went on concerning the universities role and involvement in the neighboring Near Westside community.

"In an environment of dwindling resources the involvement of IUPUI in the community has gone a long way in helping us to fill the gaps in services to the neighborhood. We couldn't do all that we do without their support and resources."
-Diane Arnold, Executive Director, Hawthorne Community Center