In six regions across the country, the Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) is investing in and amplifying local efforts to ensure that new investments reduce racial disparities, build a culture of health and prepare for a changing climate. Since 2017, BLDG Memphis has served as the backbone agency for SPARCC in Memphis, also referred to as the Neighborhood Collaborative for Resilience (NCR), supporting community-led solutions for addressing racial inequity in North Memphis. Through a community table structure and various work groups, and as a result of the collective efforts of our staff, NCR members and the SPARCC national team, community-sourced projects were able to take root in a part of Memphis that has historically faced disinvestment.

The work we have accomplished through this partnership has been extremely rewarding. These projects include a food pantry, affordable senior housing, education around flash flooding and more. 

Tiffany N. Turnage, Program Director

How was SMA started?
SMA opened its doors in the year 2000 to help support local civic organizations in addressing community concerns such as blight, food deserts, environmental racism, and social injustice. These issues are, and always will be, at the core of our agency’s mission.

What is your current focus? 
SMA has focused on three core goals: social services, mentoring, and advocacy. In 2012, our agency took a dilapidated, rundown laundry in South Memphis and secured one million dollars to convert it into the first-of-its-kind laundromat and resource center, which we named “Social Suds.” This unique social entrepreneurial project built a state-of-the-art laundromat to attract individuals who often fall between the cracks of society, including the working poor and students. While customers were waiting for their clothes to wash and dry, they were able to receive free support services from over a dozen social service agencies. These agencies included the Shelby County Health Department, the Memphis VA Medical Center, the IRS, Hope Credit Union, Southern College of Optometry, Just City legal aid, and many more.

Jared Myers, Executive Director 

How was the Heights CDC started?
The Heights CDC began organizing in 2013 and was officially established in 2016. A small group of residents who went to Christ Community Church completed a community survey with 80 families to find out how the church could best serve the neighborhood. The results of that survey showed that residents wanted better housing and a safer community. The Binghampton Development Corporation was awarded a Building Neighborhood Capacity Program grant under President Obama’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, and the BDC deferred that grant to the neighborhood north of Highland/Mitchell Heights. The BNCP allowed our community to build capacity and start our own CDC for the neighborhood. The Heights CDC is the organization that is helping to facilitate and implement our neighborhood’s revitalization plan.