| The Hilltop neighborhood of Valparaiso, Indiana, suffers from Porter County's highest rates of poverty and unemployment, lowest education levels, and oldest housing. Bordering Valparaiso University (VU) to the north and west for approximately 12 square blocks, the Hilltop neighborhood stands as an "urban" pocket in a relatively wealthy, suburban, and rural county. For more than two decades, the neighborhood has struggled with poor housing, lack of jobs, low education levels, inadequate health insurance, no public transportation, and piecemeal childcare.
To address these challenges, Hilltop residents have joined together in three different neighborhood organizations during the past 10 years. They include: Union Community Church, a predominantly African-American church congregation active in social justice issues; Casa Centrale, a Hispanic-serving community and education center; and the Hilltop Neighborhood Association, a neighborhood unity and improvement group with a predominantly low-income, White membership. An overriding goal of the Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) at VU is to find ways to support these neighborhood-based efforts, and to ensure that more are forthcoming.
In this regard, the COPC's University Neighbors program is undertaking four projects: affordable housing support, a mentoring program for youth, neighborhood revitalization through community organizing and leadership development, and project capacity-building. The Hilltop Neighborhood House, a local community center, and Project Neighbors, a grass-roots organization that builds affordable homes and helps neighborhood families, will work closely with the COPC. Other partners include the city's Community Development Corporation, Family and Youth Services Bureau, and VU's Community Research and Service Center.
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