COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
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evitalization projects in the community or attend Neighborhood Association meetings.<br />
They were committed to organizing the poor and picketing and lobbying against<br />
legislation they felt from their perspective would negatively impact the poor.<br />
Non-profit Organizations in Oak Park<br />
In addition to community groups in Oak Park, there are a also variety of<br />
professional organizations working to improve the quality of life for residents, such as<br />
local non-profit organizations composed of employees and volunteers. Non-profits<br />
provide resources for residents and provide residents with a “sense of community.” They<br />
are gathering spots for residents to come together as well as places where the low-income<br />
can find consistent forms of support. Non-profit organizations, such as the Sacramento<br />
Food Bank, the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center, and the Imani Clinic<br />
provide food, emergency shelter, and free health clinic services to the poor. Residents<br />
know these organizations will offer a consistent form of support in their neighborhood.<br />
The locations of many of these organizations are not easy to spot in the neighborhood<br />
because they often resemble homes and vacant buildings. Faith-based organizations,<br />
such as neighborhood churches also fill a role by providing resources for residents and<br />
many churches have their own food and clothing closets. Non-profit organizations are<br />
plentiful in lower-income neighborhoods because these services are in close proximity to<br />
the poor.<br />
Many middle-class residents do not know these social services exist in the<br />
community because the poor use public space in their neighborhood differently. The<br />
poor are invisible to middle-class residents. And the poor gain knowledge of the local<br />
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