| The demographics of the Central High School neighborhood in Little Rock, Arkansas, are quite different from the rest of the city. For example, the neighborhood's unemployment rate in 11.7 percent, compared to the city's 5-percent unemployment rate. African Americans make up 92 percent of the neighborhood's population, and only 34 percent of city residents. The Central High School neighborhood also has a higher percentage of residents over age 65 and more children than the city as a whole. In addition, more of its residents live in poverty.
Housing conditions in the Central High School neighborhood are considered to be deplorable. It is not uncommon to find several generations of a family living in a two-bedroom frame structure that is totally run down. Many of the homes have rotten foundations, poor electricity, malfunctioning plumbing, and inadequate insulation.
To make these conditions even worse, a devastating tornado hit central Arkansas on January 21, 1999, substantially damaging more than 106 homes and causing moderate damage to 178 homes and light damage to an additional 712 homes. One of the hardest hit areas was the Central High School community, which President Bill Clinton declared a disaster area.
Arkansas Baptist College, which serves the Central High School neighborhood, is using Historically Black Colleges and Universities funds to establish an independent unit that will be dedicated to addressing local economic development issues. The Community Economic Development Center is attempting to meet the home repair needs of low-income residents through a housing acquisition and rehabilitation initiative. It also is providing business development and community service programs, and completing an ongoing project to build a community facility on its campus. The college hopes that these grant activities will reduce the amount of substandard housing in the Central High School neighborhood, increase the economic potential of residents, and provide greater community access to university resources.
Project partners include the City of Little Rock's Community Development and Housing Rehabilitation Program.
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