This article was written by Patricia Deinhart-Bauknight and Em Matson
The Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization (WCNO) wants to talk to you! So much is going on at WCNO that we want to share a few projects and ideas with the neighborhood. WCNO wants to hear from you!
First, the Youth & Family Committee has taken off with multiple projects including the Youth Snow Shoveling Crew. These young people are passionately volunteering to help shovel snow from sidewalks and driveways of neighbors who can’t. If you or a neighbor needs help this winter with shoveling and live in the McKinley, Folwell or Webber-Camden neighborhoods [see pages 8 and 9], just fill out the form at WCNO’s website and they’ll get in touch to schedule your work for free! Check out our ad section on page 8 for more info.
Because the COVID crisis has impacted so many in our community, WCNO is reaching out to see how we can help by gathering updated housing information.
In the Webber-Camden neighborhood [one of the seven neighborhood organizations in the Camden Community] we have 2,111 occupied housing units; 55.4% owner occupied and 41.8% renter occupied. Before the pandemic, 27.5% of owner households were cost burdened (paying more than 30% of gross income for housing) and 67.1% of renter households were cost-burdened. We know that those numbers are now even higher and when the moratoriums are lifted, there’s going to be even more need for assistance. The WCNO Housing Committee has a housing survey available to take on the WCNO website that will help us understand the needs of the community. Let us know how we can help by completing the survey.
WCNO won a grant from the City of Minneapolis Great Streets Program to survey Webber-Camden home-based and street-based businesses so we can promote the vast array of businesses in our community and provide assistance where we can to help them thrive. Watch our website and Facebook page in March for this survey.
WCNO’s Community Safety & Outreach Committee will sponsor a Community Safety Corner that connects city service providers that work in WCNO with residents. Monthly educational topics include a panel group discussion on youth mentorship, judges’ listening sessions, renters’ housing rights, and exemplar Northside voices for good in the neighborhood.
Check our website, there’s a lot going on at WCNO. We hope you can join one of our committees, fill out a survey or just let us know your thoughts about what is happening in and around Webber-Camden. With COVID restrictions still in place, the office is closed but you can reach staff at info@wcno.org.