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ella Veasy believes in the three things that have brought her joy in her life: Caring for people – she was a nursing aid for more than 44 years; caring for her home; and the power of God to work things out. “I can’t explain it, you have to ask God and believe he will provide what you need,” she said Ms. Veasy moved to Amani from Tennessee as a young woman in love with a man from Milwaukee. After working and saving for more than a year, Ms. Veasy and her husband bought their Amani home in 1975 and she has loved living there ever since. “The neighborhood was different when we moved here. Everyone knew each other,” she said. “We would all help with snow shoveling and watching out for each other.” She said that though things have changed as more landlords moved in to the area and home owners moved out, she still tries to stay connected with her neighbors. “I have enjoyed my life here. I love my home be- cause I have good memories here. My husband and kids were here. I can still see him leaning on that kitchen counter,” Ms. Veasy said as she mo- tioned through her dining room to her kitchen. “This is my house. I worked for years and years and paid it off after my husband passed,” said Ms. Veasy. “My husband did all the repairs around here, and now at age 74 I can still do some things, but I don’t like to ask my kids for help. Sometimes you think you don’t need anything, but you don’t realize you do until you ask for it.” Ms. Veasy is thankful that DC and housing coordi- nator Amanda Clark took the time to ask her what she needed. “God works things out,” she said. “It’s wonderful what DC is doing the community, and I thank God for helping me find them. Ms. Amanda is wonderful, now she calls me just to see how I am. I call her my daughter.” Ms. Veasy lives on one of the Beta Blocks of the Block by Block initiative, a project designed to be a model for neighborhood revitalization. Through the initiative, Ms. Veasy’s home was brought up to code and her windows were replaced, her roof was fixed and her porch, basement and concrete walkways were repaired. The initiative aims not only to revitalize the hous-
ing on each block, but bring back that sense of community the Ms. Veasy remembers. DC en- gages residents with community clean-ups, Rock the Block events (beautification efforts, fellowship and fun), and canvassing the blocks to provide information and resources. The initiative further supports the community by offering contractor and electrical training to residents, who in turn, do the work on the homes. The Block by Block initiative is supported by part- ners Northwestern Mutual, Dominican Center, Amani United, Ezekiel Community Development Corporation, Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Mil- waukee Christian Center, LISC Milwaukee, CDBG Milwaukee, KG Development Corp and JP Morgan Chase.
For information on the Block by Block initia- tive, visit https://www.dominican-center.org/ block-by-block
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