Baltimore Revitalization: Construction, Deconstruction, and Demolition in Underserved Communities.

Baltimore's inner-city neighborhoods are under-invested, and they have all the negative social and economic indicators common to other large US cities. The indicators are well known – chronic poverty, poor quality housing, high unemployment, poor educational results, high crime, poor health, low incomes, and low household net-worth. Many young people experience the criminal justice system.  They then encounter even more difficulties reentering society, getting a job, and earning income.  There is a high degree of crimes, high dropouts, low rate of graduation, high poverty, and the physical and mental crisis of health in the city. There are many residents who are underemployed, unemployed, and unskilled for many of the available high salaried jobs vacancies in Baltimore.

Moreover, many people who have been incarcerated cannot find jobs. There are about 17,000 vacant and abandoned buildings in the city that are idle. Baltimore's construction industry needs many more good workers, but existing training programs have not been able to overcome, far too many personal characteristics, social challenges, and limited resources hindering successful performance.

In particular, training in construction, deconstruction, and demolition can provide a solution. Investing or reallocating more resources for training will provide economic, environmental and social vitality to Baltimore’s distressed neighborhoods and address:

· vacant and abandoned housing stock; enhancing the community by training and employing residents who will reinvest in their communities and neighborhoods.

· career opportunities for re-entry, teen drop-out and the underemployed; engaged employed residents are better able to reinvest in their communities making it safer, healthier and more attractive.

· economic development of neighborhoods by community residents; devoting resources for skill development training for employment in construction, deconstruction, and demolition, will create economic, environmental and social vitality for distressed neighborhoods.

Matching the labor shortages found in the construction arena with employment opportunities for Baltimore residents would invigorate the entire community. Notwithstanding, the uplift in employment statewide, in some Baltimore neighborhoods, unemployment rates are as high as 55%. However, if we indeed are committed to changing the equilibrium of social problems in Baltimore struggling neighborhoods, we must realize that re-entry, teen drop-outs, and underemployed residents are afforded opportunities to gain access to permanent careers in construction. Matching shortages in construction with the large numbers of unemployed residents would be a win-win for all.

These newly construction trained City residents is a suitable and viable response to addressing the much-needed construction labor pool shortfalls. This approach would further serve as a link for residents to take part in rebuilding their neighborhoods and strengthening the community.

The disinvestment of economic stability has strained the vitality of many crime-dominated neighborhoods and solving vacant houses will not fix the problems. By expanding opportunities where everyone can participate and prospered mainly those from disinvested neighborhoods, we jump-start economic transformation. More specifically, by creating and designing more opportunities in construction, deconstruction, and demolition that employs residents from the community, this endeavor will revise neighborhoods, enhance health, safety, and environmental considerations, and ultimately improve the economic vitality for our most vulnerable citizenry.

I believe revitalized neighborhoods will decrease crime & blight and will provide more significant economic development opportunities and incentives for local entrepreneurial businesses.