South of Penn Task force is a community engagement project that focuses on trying to increase home ownership, improve livability and foster interpersonal relationships with the neighbors of this area.
This project, geographically speaking, consists of Franklin St to Canal St and RACC to 7th St. We are funded by the Wyomissing Foundation. Our partners include Barrio Alegria, Reading Public Library, Reading Recreation Commission Center, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Reading Police and Reading Area Community College.
Our purpose is for the community to start to feel that their voice matters and find that civic engagement can be fun, that it is connected to their daily lives, and they can engage in a way that is meaningful to them to create a collective transformation.
We believe residents can make a difference in their community by engaging them in various quality of life improvement initiatives. By creating this we believe that our efforts will leave a long-term impact of reduction in transiency, increase in home ownership, increase in property values, reduction in crime, and an increase of Latino participation in boards, commissions, and task-forces such as this one.
We are here to improve our city and improve our relationships. Let’s come together and make a change!
