Quality of care – “Care is the freely given commitment from the heart of one person to another. It is the most powerful aspect of relationships” - page 24 of The Abundant Community. This community pillar is the foundation of all our work. The recruitment of block captains who go out into the community will create connections and foster friendships beyond those that already exist. The strength of these networks is the single best guarantee that this work will extend beyond the life of the grant.
We also believe that the quality of care will lead to positive outcomes we cannot yet foresee, as they tend to develop organically when the time is right. One outcome we hope to develop is the creation of informal mechanisms for home repairs using the skills of residents. There is at this writing no home repair program in central Louisiana. However, as block captains catalog the skills, interests, and hobbies present in the neighborhood, we will connect willing volunteers with those in the neighborhood who need minor repair jobs done. We have included a line item for materials so that these repairs can take place. In other cases, resident needs might lead to small business opportunities that can be fostered through the Icehouse Entrepreneurship program (see the “Local Economy” pillar below).