Neighboring Well

The following are some thoughts from Mark Newman, one of our Assistant Construction Directors I recently took a trip with some of my co-workers to Atlanta for an open house hosted by FCS (Focused Community Strategies.) FCS is an organization that partners with neighborhoods in South Atlanta, with a goal of empowering them to thrive. They do that through creating mixed-income housing, making and creating businesses and jobs in the neighborhood, and intentionally engaging and living in the neighborhood.

“Neighboring” is an important value that I took away from my trip to Atlanta. Neighboring intentionally could mean living somewhere you wouldn’t normally consider living because of the housing market, crime rates, or even just convenience. Making this choice could provide a person with a lot of different options.  You could live your own life and benefit from a more comfortable life, or you could try and get to know your neighbors and spend time with them, or you could truly embrace neighboring intentionally and seek out different neighborhood leaders and help them accomplish common goals.  Whatever your reason is, you are provided with the gift of proximity.  Proximity is important because it changes your perspective on how you see a neighborhood. It could change from being a problem that you can fix to being a place with friends who you have relationships with. Doing this you are able to hear what exactly the neighborhood needs and wants rather than assuming you know what they need more than they do. I now feel challenged no matter where I live to live intentionally where I’m at and to build healthy relationships with my neighbors.