In 2018, Buffalo was named one of ten winners of the Cities of Service City Hall AmeriCorps VISTA Love Your Block competition. Cities of Service awarded each winning city $25,000 to be used for mini-grants and provides ongoing technical assistance and resources to support the efforts of citizen groups and local nonprofits to fight property blight through home repairs, lot transformations, and community cleanups.
With the Cities of Service Love Your Block Blueprint as a resource, the City of Buffalo has revitalized communities through Clean Sweeps, which helps improve city services. The city has worked to eliminate blight, reduce crime, and provide social services with the help of AmeriCorps members, citizen volunteers, and community-based organizations. Revitalization efforts include: boarding up abandoned structures, removing graffiti and debris, trimming trees and grass, repairing signs, filling potholes, and much more. To learn more about Clean Sweeps, check out this article published in Route Fifty about the initiative.
Buffalo has been a member of the Cities of Service coalition since 2011, when Mayor Byron W. Brown signed the Declaration of Service.
Mayor Byron W. Brown
Since taking office, Mayor Brown has championed the renaissance that is taking place throughout Buffalo and has spearheaded and sponsored a number of neighborhood revitalization projects.
Chief Service Officer Oswaldo Mestre, Jr.
Oswaldo works to address the needs of Buffalo’s residents ranging from neighborhood revitalization projects to quality of life programs. He helps the City of Buffalo engage thousands of citizens and instills a sense of responsibility in local youth.
What's Happening in Buffalo
15K
the number of square feet of graffiti cleaned up
“Our work with Cities of Service helped Buffalo to establish an infrastructure and network of volunteers who could be instantly tapped in times of need, and who could help us target areas of need in crises like extreme, unexpected snowfall. The partnership pays dividends.”
Chief Service Officer Oswaldo Mestre, Jr.
162
the number of neighborhood revitalization projects completed