Jacob's Ladder™ Community Development Corporation practices holistic community revitalization in blighted, distressed inner city areas. Our vision includes re-imaging broken communities - new housing, new schools, and building green spaces and parks, as a testimony to the creative and loving power of God.
Our name draws from the Old Testament story of Jacob, a man who dreamed of a connection between heaven and earth, a prelude to Christ's ministry on earth. We are committed to relationship building between neighbors, businesses, and faith-based groups.
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
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