By Larry Baas WVLP.LP is your community radio station at 103.1 FM and streaming live at WVLP.org. WVLP, like Hilltop Neighborhood House, HealthLinc, Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities (NEO), Neighbors Place, and dozens of homes throughout the community is a creation of Project Neighbors. WVLP...
By Paul Schreiner Originally built to house what was to become HealthLinc, Neighbors Place is an apartment building housing 18 low-income women. Very affordable, the women are provided with all utilities, free TV, free WiFi, two laundry areas, and a 3000 square foot, grade level common room. Their...
Project Neighbors was founded in 1969 on the basic premise that Black home ownership is a critical building block to addressing all other disparities. In the early years, White families subsidized Black families in Valparaiso in both gaining and paying mortgages. Over the years, we’ve...
You may have noticed that we’re trying to incorporate solar into our new building projects. We’re also going to be putting solar on Neighbors Place, which is great not only because it will offset our energy costs and make for a cleaner NWI environment, but it reminds everyone who...
Being in the right place at the right time can lead to an amazing outcome. In mid-July, while Project Neighbors was working to finish building a duplex, I received a phone call. (I will leave out most of the names in this story to preserve the privacy of the players.) The caller, who I did not...
The house on Indiana Ave. was over 100 years old and needed much work. We made an agreement with the owner to demolish it and build a duplex at the site. The owner would occupy one unit and the additional unit would be below-market rental for the community. Demolition happened in late fall...
We have been busy! And we like busy. It means we’re doing what we set out to do – build community. Since our 2021 newsletter, we’ve accomplished a lot with your volunteer and financial support. Together, we’ve: Started and finished a beautiful duplex with dedicated volunteers –...
Anyone who watched the spectacles surrounding the determination of how to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money in both Porter County and the City of Valparaiso was treated to an education on the different workings of two governments tackling the same problem. Without making a judgment...
Frankly, this is the easiest and most rewarding part of the job. Because we are an affluent culture with roots in Christian notions of responsibility, many people have the discretionary time and motivation to volunteer. But in the beginning, one must target the search: churches, civic...
At a recent Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) meeting, a board member commented on the consequences of having “affordable” apartment units in the community. According to him, persons who live in this type of housing would be “transients” and unlikely to adequately care for the property which would...
I told you to “stay tuned” to read about how a community can provide more affordable housing. This is a tough one. I will divide my thoughts in two categories: cultural and governmental. I have, for a long time, asserted that a cultural re-set was necessary. Affluence and media have established...
Panic! If you want excitement, drama, high emotion, adventure in your life, pour concrete. There is nothing like the adrenalin rush that happens when – after you have set the forms, compacted the sand base, laid out all the tools, estimated the total number of cubic yards of concrete to...