J. Fred Kauffman, West Philadelphia
jfk@mcc.org
In October 2004 four members of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship (WPMF) met in the home of 70-year-old Miss June Jackson on the 5000 block of Beaumont Ave, three blocks from where we worship. On this block of twenty-three small row homes, ten were vacant and deteriorating. Miss June had called the meeting for neighbors to meet with WPMF and talk about the possibility of working together to rehab the vacant homes for sale to low income working families. Her first question was “How can we get this going?†At the end of the meeting she led a prayer for God’s guidance and blessing.
The idea for this project started “incubating†in the spring of 2004, when young adults at WPMF began discussing the rapid rise in housing prices in West Philadelphia. Middle and low income families were being priced out of the neighborhood. At the same time, on blocks nearby many homes were vacant and deteriorating. We saw these abandoned properties not just as eyesores and security problems, but as valuable assets if they could be rehabbed.
WPMF members met a Philadelphia City Council representative to learn about government subsidies or affordable housing, and we began having monthly meetings with residents. The residents turned out to be a far more complex mix than we had expected. They included: an Irish carpenter (who’s claim to be part of the IRA was far too believable), a retired German engineer, and two African American neighbors who grew up as kids on that block—one now a professional musician and the other a successful entrepreneur.
When we first met Miss June she told us that this block of Beaumont used to be one of the prettiest
in the area. What caused the deterioration? “Gangs in the 1970’s and crack in the 1980’s and 90’s.†she said. Once the block had run down, property values dropped to a point where owners simply abandoned structures when they moved out rather than trying to sell.
In 2005 we found incredible partners: the University of Pennsylvania law school offered free legal counsel, the community association, Cedar Park Neighbors, gave a matching grant for $1,800, and a project management firm gave us valuable direction in working with the City. In addition some WPMF members shared their skills in accounting, housing construction, Habitat for Humanity rehab work, and various aspects of urban real estate development. This mix birthed a new non-profit, “The Beaumont Initiative.†and received its 501(c)3 status in 2006.
As of May 2007, Philadelphia has committed two vacant properties on Beaumont Ave to the initiative: 5015 and 5019; one in fair 
condition, and one a total “gut rehab†job. When our architect came to begin the drawings, she pushed us to acquire 5017, the vacant property in between also in need of a total rehab. The Beaumont Initiative has reached agreement with the owner to purchase it as well. The initiative will have three properties in a row which will make for more efficient and better construction.
Our prayer is that this partnership with neighbors on Beaumont Avenue will be an example of God’s grace taking shape in visible ways to support and sustain a part of the neighborhood that has seen hard times.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.