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Every community in Palm Beach County has a wide variety of issues and activities that are important to its residents. It could be a desire to improve the appearance of a neighborhood or to address community concerns regarding safety, speeding, lack of activities for area youth, or a new project being proposed. Palm Beach County’s Office of Community Revitalization works to respond to these neighborhood concerns and to promote a strong partnership between the County and its residents.

Designed to provide neighborhoods with a link to County government, the OCR team assists neighborhood groups and residents in effectively accessing and using County services and other community resources to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County’s neighborhoods. The OCR provides or supports the following services to Palm Beach County residents:

CCRT and GTAC Coordination

people at a meeting The OCR facilitates, and collaborates with other County Departments on, the Countywide Community Revitalization Team (CCRT) and Glades Technical Advisory Committee (GTAC) created to coordinate stabilization/ revitalization activities in designated Palm Beach County neighborhoods. Regularly scheduled meetings allow County departments and residents to exchange information about what departments are doing, receive input from the residents, prevent duplication, concentrate efforts at the same time, and determine what is working and what is not. For more information on the CCRT, please contact William Wynn, Senior Planner, at 561-233-5618, and for information on GTAC, please contact Audley Reid, Senior Planner, at 561-233-5565.


Link to Local Government

people at a meetingThe OCR staff is often called upon to help schedule meetings with neighborhood groups and organizations, county staff and other governmental entities to seek input on community concerns and determine what assistance can be provided by the County. The OCR serves as the liaison office on behalf of Palm Beach County. OCR staff is also called upon to present information on available resources to neighborhoods, schools, and civic groups, and to educate citizens about Palm Beach County government, how to access resources, and how to be part of the decisions that affect their communities. For more information, contact the OCR at 561-233-5303.


Technical Assistance

people writing on easelsOCR staff works closely with neighborhood leaders and groups to help organize and assist in maintaining healthy, growing neighborhood associations. OCR staff also assists developers and/or their agents in scheduling meetings with neighborhood groups to seek input on new projects and help mitigate their impact on the communities.


Education and Training

taking about issuesThe OCR staff plays a critical role in educating neighborhood residents and organizations through workshops, seminars and individualized training. Specifically, OCR staff seeks to build neighborhood capacity to identify, prioritize and resolve neighborhood issues, and to increase residents ability to organize around solutions and manage long-term results.

Other important services entail:

  • Organizing and facilitating neighborhood meetings and visioning workshops, and helping prepare neighborhood plans;
  • Translating for Spanish-speakers at meetings
  • Identifying as well as procuring funding for neighborhood improvement projects;
  • Building partnerships with outside organizations to infuse dollars and resources to targeted neighborhoods;
  • Preparing and distributing neighborhood news and information to residents on workshops, neighborhood conferences, and other community resources;
  • Addressing community problems by working with citizens, other departments, County Administration, and the Board of County Commissioners to identify solutions to neighborhood problems, improve service delivery, and effect positive community change; and
  • Providing opportunities for neighborhood groups and organizations to network and communicate with each other to share their successes, and build both a stronger sense of community and a closer link to the local government.

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 OCR Programs
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The OCR also offers the following programs over the year:

 

Neighborhood Home Beautification Program
This program was created to provide funding assistance for visible enhancements to residential properties in the CCRT areas. Examples of eligible improvements include: exterior painting, exterior doors and windows, mail boxes, fencing repair and lawn improvements.

Neighborhood Street Lighting Program (NSL)
This program was created to provide funding for the installation and maintenance of citizen petitioned streetlights at approved locations along County owned and maintained roadways in designated CCRT areas that experience above-average nighttime criminal activity, as well as unsafe pedestrian and vehicular mobility conditions.

Resident Education to Action Program (REAP)
This program is a six-week, hands-on educational course designed to help community members develop skills to feel confident and to participate in making meaningful decisions about the future of their community. The program encourages citizens to be knowledgeable neighbors about how County government works and its available community resources and services that can be used for neighborhood improvement efforts. REAP supports the formation of neighborhood associations and empowers neighborhoods to seek for themselves a better quality of life that is citizen-driven and focused.