Our Journey

Jacob's Ladder™ began in 2003 with a square-mile pocket of poverty known as the Belt Line. Once a strong and vital community, the Belt Line struggles with issues beyond its control, its crime and chronic unemployment spilling over into other neighborhoods. Other issues include:

• Culture of Predatory Lending & Financial Dependency
• At-Risk Youth and Teenage Pregnancy
• Decayed, Ghetto Housing
• Community Instability
• Created a coalition of businesses, churches and neighbors in the Belt Line, moving from fragmentation to solidarity
• Partially renovated 3 streets
• Renovated previously vacant houses and placed qualified homebuyers in them
• Conducted over 20 neighborhood-building festivals
• Created a strategic plan for long-term community redevelopment
• We co-sponsor an annual spring work festival with Coca Cola and Clean Memphis as co partners.

In addition, we've supplemented early childhood education in the Belt Line by opening a Youth Enrichment Center. The Center is a sanctuary place where children can learn life skills like gardening, cooking, computer literacy and financial responsibility, along with art, music and drama instruction and attaining valuable life lessons from faith-based story-telling.

Our Vision

Jacob's Ladder™ is growing! Our mission is revitalizing inner city neighborhoods through partnerships, and our goals include:

• Implementing a long-term community redevelopment plan, designed in partnership with local residents, churches and businesses
• Advocating for a new charter school in the Belt Line
• Developing new senior housing
• Continuing our housing rehabilitation efforts
• Creating green spaces and park areas
• Connecting and strengthening existing churches