The West End neighborhood is less than a mile from downtown Salisbury, near the intersection of two major transportation corridors (Brenner Avenue and Jake Alexander Blvd). The West End contains 26 percent of the city’s population (est. 6,600 persons) across 3,383 households and has the city’s densest population per square mile. This neighborhood represents approximately 26 percent of the city’s population and 41 percent of shootings in occupied dwellings, 30 percent of shots fired calls, and 26 percent of aggravated assaults with guns. The Salisbury Police Department (SPD) has focused on data-driven approaches to reduce and prevent violent crime in the West End “focus areas,” resulting in short-term decreases in crime and timely responses to violent events.  

The West End has accumulated adverse community environmental characteristics, such as poverty, poor housing, lack of economic mobility, violence, and community disruption. The neighborhood hosts several multi-family housing complexes contributing to population density and straining available resources. The West End has the city's lowest income per household, and the neighborhood qualifies as a persistent-poverty area. National research has indicated that social and family health factors contribute to a lack of opportunity and economic mobility, resulting in further poverty and adverse circumstances. Long-term impact on children affected by these environmental factors result in intergenerational disadvantages. Further, research has shown that poverty exacerbates violent crimes, and greater income inequality leads to higher crime levels. 

Over several decades, the demolition of dilapidated structures has left 182 lots (25 percent of total parcels) vacant, exposing significant gaps in the neighborhood's fabric, with some blocks left with only one or two homes. Instead of occupied homes offering “eyes on the street” these often-overgrown vacant lots offer opportunities for illegal dumping. Residents routinely complain about rabid raccoons and groundhogs inhabiting vacant buildings and that overgrown vegetation harbors rats and snakes. Before demolition, these vacant buildings also often provide havens for illegal activity. In the last three years alone, another ten housing demolitions have occurred in the West End.  

To focus our efforts in the neighborhood, we have identified a 1.21 square mile area encapsulating assaults and gun violence incidents. This project area is primarily residential housing of single-family homes and multi-family buildings. Our city’s high school, Livingstone College, and small businesses are also located in the area. In the project area, there are focus areas of gun violence incidents in Brenner Apartments and Zion Hills Apartments, multi-family housing complexes, and surrounding the Miller Recreation Center. The areas selected for this grant contribute to 30 percent of SPD’s gun violence calls for service (e.g., shots fired, weapon offenses), 41 percent of shootings in occupied dwellings, and 26 percent of reported aggravated assaults with a gun. Crime rates indicate that residents or other persons in neighborhood are three to four times more likely to be victimized by gun violence in the West End than in the rest of the city.  

The West End Salisbury Transformed Empowered Neighborhood Development (WEST END) project seeks to establish a collaborative, cross-systems community committee to guide and synthesize community resources and efforts. Incompatible past efforts have inadvertently contributed to the decline of housing and the increase of crime and disorder. We see that the focused and consistent effort proposed in this grant will help us align resources and ensure a collaborative response. To ensure this coordination occurs, the SPD will employ a Project Coordinator that will assist in organizing and guiding the activities explained below.  

The primary activities during the Planning Phase include: 

• Completing a Neighborhood Survey on crime, housing, and quality of life concerns: The Project Team will use the Neighborhood Survey to ensure that the community’s voice is heard regarding their perceptions of what factors contribute to their crime concerns. The research partner will assist in developing the survey and distributing it to residents and business owners through various community engagement activities (town hall-style meetings, social media, door-to-door distribution, etc.).  

• Further understanding contributing factors to crime in the pre-identified focus areas: The Project Team will conduct environmental scans at various times and conduct community interviews on crime and quality of life concerns in the focus areas.  

• Identifying and collating community resources that may support implementation: Synthesizing information on existing local programs and community resources to support implementation plans for programs, services, and revitalization efforts.  

Salisbury Police Department (SPD), Salisbury Parks and Recreation, Salisbury Community Planning Service, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Rowan Regional Crime Information Center, Salisbury Community Development Forum, NAACP, West End Pride Group, Gethsemane Baptist Church, Moore’s Chapel AME Zion Baptist Church, Gateway Freedom Center, Project Safe Neighborhoods, Brenner Crossing Apartments, Representatives from two Council appointed boards, Habitat for Humanity