Francisville, Philadelphia

With in most urban communities you will find grass roots organizations that are the foundation of communities and have a direct influence upon them. It takes just one voice in a community to start a new way of thinking.  As mentioned in the previous post Grays Ferry was an area of disregard. Similar to Grays Ferry a community in North Philadelphia had residents who spoke up and wanted to undo the years of disregard. Residents of Francisville, Philadelphia were awarded a grant in 2007 from Wachovia Regional Foundation to residents along with other organizations to revamp the community of Francisville.  This area was once a vibrant community that had several commercial corridors within its small area. Years of racial feuds destroyed the infrastructure and many of the buildings were not covered by insurance and were never rebuilt. This lead to years of neglect resulting in broken social and economic ties in the community. There are still many steps to go for this neighborhood to be where it once was, and it will take the efforts not just from the community members but political officials as well.