History
The City of Allentown became an officially recognized State of Pennsylvania Weed and Seed site, July 2002 and a Federal Weed and Seed site October 2003.
The office is located at:
City Hall, 435 Hamilton Street, 4th Floor; Allentown
Weed and Seed requires focus on a target area within a community. The target area is generally selected with reference to the following characteristics:
1. The area's crime rate compared with the surrounding community, especially drug and violent crime.
2. The presence of families with children in the area.
3. The presence of signs of social deterioration in the area. For example: juvenile delinquency, vandalism, broken families and alcohol and drug dependency among others.
4. The rate of poverty and unemployment compared with the surrounding community.
5. The presence of homes, businesses and public spaces in need of cleanup, maintenance and capital development.
6. The presence of community-based organizations (i.e. churches, schools, and civic organizations) motivated to take responsibility for improving local quality of life.
Allentown's Weed and Seed target site consists of 48 blocks which stretches North to South from Tilghman to Hamilton Street and East to West from the Lehigh River to 8th Street. It takes up a large portion of what is known as the 1st Ward and the 4C's community (center city).
As a safety and community revitalization initiative, residents and community leaders involved with weed and seed, work to address the roots of crime and poverty in the target area through prevention, intervention, treatment, and neighborhood revitalization strategies as articulated within the community weed and seed plan.
The City of Allentown submitted it's weed and seed plan to the target area community on January 2004. The plan was accepted by the community, state and federal government.
The implementation plan has 6 components:
Vision
Our vision is that all of Allentown will be diverse, thriving and safe.
Assistance for Impact Delegation Team (AID)
The AID team also known as the Steering Committee is a collaborative group of key non-profit, government and private sector leaders charged to create a revitalization plan and deliver services and resources to the residents of the weed and seed community.
The AID team meets monthly, the second Wednesday of each month, 12:00 Noon, 10 Pump Place, Bucky Boyle Park, Allentown, PA 18102. Meetings are open to the public.
For more information or to inquire about joining the AID team, please call Phyllis Alexander, Weed and Seed Coordinator. You may also reach the Coordinator by calling 610 437-7679.
Resident Team Leaders
The Resident Team is comprised of residents from the weed and seed community who are engaged in the revitalization of their community. Resident team members receive leadership training, and are in leadership roles on the Assistance for Impact Delegation (AID) team (also known as the Steering Committee) and on various committees.
For more information on the Resident Team, or to inquire about joining, please contact the Resident Team Coordinator, Tatiana Tooley at tatiana_tooley@yahoo.com. The Resident Team Coordinator may also be reached by calling 484 274-4319.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee also known as the Assistance for Impact Delegation Team or AID Team is a collaborative group of key non-profit, government, residents and private sector leaders charged to create a revitalizatin plan and deliver services and resources to the residents within the weed and seed community.
There are currently 29 members. The Steering Committee meets the second Wednesday of every month at 8:00 a.m. at the Weed and Seed office located at Bucky Boyle Park, 10 Pump Place.
Meetings are open to the public. Members are selected either by an individual showing an interest in joining or by being recruited.
If you are interested in becoming a member of this dynamic resource team, please contact the Weed and Seed Coordinator, Phyllis Alexander
TALL TEAM
The City of Allentown Weed and Seed initiative has Resident Leaders involved in the revitalization of their community. Residents attend the various committees that implement the revitalization strategy.
If you are interested in joining residents who are empowered and committed to revitalizing their neighborhood, please call the Community Liaison, Tatiana Tooley.
To reach Resident Leaders, please contact Tatiana Tooley, Community Liaison, 484 274-4319, or tatiana_tooley@yahoo.com
After School Program
The part-time Youth Coordinator Alex Vasquez (610) 439-5994 alexvasquez22@yahoo.com facilitates the Weed and Seed Youth Council and the Second Step Curriuculum.
The Youth Council is comprised of youth 11-15 years old. The Council meets every Monday and focuses on how to be engaged in the revitalization of their community. Youth Council members also advise the Weed and Seed initiative relative to the concerns youth have about their community.
The Second Step: Student Success Through Prevention program is a researched based program for middle school students and teaches:
- Substance abuse prevention
- Bullying prevention (including cyber bullying)
- Violence prevention
- Empathy and communication
- Emotion magement and coping skills
Drug Education for Youth
The Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) program began as a special initiative of the Secretary of the Navy in 1992.
DEFY is a comprehensive, two-phased prevention program for youth ages 9 to 12 that emphasizes the positive development of mind, body, and spirit. DEFY deters at-risk behaviors by giving youth the tools they need to resist drugs, gangs, and alcohol. The leadership and life skills provided by DEFY include goal setting, team building, conflict resolution, and decision making.
Phase 1 consists of a five day residential camp that combines classroom instruction with activities designed to teach leadership, self-esteem, conflict resolution, and team building. Phase II is a mentor program. In Allentown, Phase II is also a program that reinforces academic achievement. Students meet four days per week after school.
The partners for the Allentown Weed and Seed DEFY program are the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) and the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Weed and Seed Community Map
Download Weed & Seed Community Map
The target neighborhood for the Weed and Seed initiative consists of a 48 square block area which stretches North to South from Tilghman Street to Hamilton Street and East to West from the Lehigh River to 8th Street. It makes up a large portion of what is known as the 1st Ward and the 4C's community.
Partners
- City of Allentown
- Federal Weed and Seed- now known as Community Capacity Development Office
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency- Click "Communities" on their home page
- Allentown Police Department
- Allentown Redevelopment Authority
- Allentown School District
- Allentown YMCA/YWCA
- Alliance for Building Communities
- Casa Guadalupe Center
- Center for Humanistic Change
- Children's 1st Community Academy
- City of Allentown
- Crime Victims Council
- Community Solutions, Inc.
- Community Action Development Corporation-Allentown
- Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Family Answers
- Grace Episcopal Church
- Honorable Charles Dent, US Representative
- Honorable Jennifer Mann, State Representative
- Honorable Pat Browne, State Representative
- Housing Association Development Corporation
- Kids Peace
- Lehigh Country Children & Youth
- Lehigh County Intake & Referral
- Lehigh Valley Drug & Alcohol Intake Unit
- Lehigh County Juvenile Probation
- Literacy Center of LV
- Main Street Program
- Neighborhood Housing Services
- Old Fairgrounds Neighborhood
- Pennsylvania National Guard
- Penn State Cooperative Extension
- Pennsylvania State Police-Troop M
- Pennsylvania Weed & Seed
- Pinebrook Services for Children & Youth
- St. Luke's Neighborhood Center
- The Salvation Army
- US Attorney's Office
- US Dept of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration
- United Way of the Lehigh Valley
- Valley Youth House
- Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!)
- 1st Ward Neighborhood Resource Group
- 4 C's Neighborhood Association
Downloads