What is Safe Blocks?
The Safe Blocks Program supports place-based activities to reduce violent crime’s impact on public health, social well-being, and the local economy. Examples of the work include organizing block parties and resource fairs, enhancing green spaces, improving traffic control, and adding lighting to increase safety and decrease opportunities for crime.
Safe Blocks coordinators work directly in areas suffering from historical disinvestment, high rates of social vulnerability, and high rates of gun violence. The team is currently active in the Cully, Eliot, and Hazelwood neighborhoods, with work in Powellhurst-Gilbert scheduled to commence in 2025. Specific activities are determined through engagement with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders in the community.
What is Safe Blocks working on?
Safe Blocks Place-Based Violence Intervention Project (Byrne Grant)
In March 2024, Safe Blocks received a $2 million Federal Byrne Grant to fund place-based community violence intervention programming over four years in Portland's Hazelwood, Eliot, and Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhoods. Residents in these neighborhoods along with Cully, Portsmouth, and Lents are encouraged to take a community safety survey to help inform the grant’s projects.
The Byrne Grant Project Manager, Molly Esteve, joined the Safe Blocks Program on September 26th.
Neighborhood work
Cully
- Safe Blocks is still engaged with Reimagining Justice in Cully, a pilot program between Multnomah County and the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA).
- Discussions are happening with Metro and the Portland Bureau of Transportation on corridor improvement efforts (including traffic calming, pedestrian safety, and lighting).
- The Cully team is engaging with hard-to-reach residents in mobile home parks.
- Safe Blocks worked with Sheridan Food Company to source the food for the mobile food pantries.
- During the week of October 28th, Safe Blocks along with NAYA distributed over 300 catered, culturally-specific food boxes to the five mobile home parks in Cully and over 50 food boxes to NAYA.
- Safe Blocks is finalizing grant opportunities with two youth-lead initiatives: Make It Make Sense and Pathways to Peace Project (P3) to help communities brainstorm how they can lower crime and gun violence.
- The team tabled at a P3 event - a community and youth lead project to find community solutions to community problems through a theater model.
Eliot
- Safe Blocks hosted a quarterly housing resource expo at Dawson Park on October 1st.
- Safe Blocks is engaged with the Eliot Neighborhood Association and attended their monthly meeting to better understand their concerns when it comes to safety in the Eliot neighborhood and Dawson Park.
- Safe Blocks is in partnership with the Eliot Neighborhood Association, Cascadia Health, Self Enhancement Inc., and the Street Services Coordination Center and meet weekly to plan events and keep up to date with things happening at Dawson Park.
- Installation of bollards at Dawson Park is complete. These security features will help prevent unauthorized vehicles from accessing the park, a request received from the community in 2023. Lawn signs designed by Molly Esteve were placed on the four entrances of Dawson Park to alert park users to the purpose and timing of the bollard installation.
- Safe Blocks is evaluating community-based organizations to partner with to keep Dawson Park activated in the coming winter months.
- Safe Blocks is planning a short "Coffee & Doughnuts" event at Dawson Park on December 3rd. The event will be an informal gathering to celebrate the previous year's work and thank our hardworking partners for collaborating with us. There will be coffee, doughnuts, and limited resources available (flu shots, covid vaccines, and boosters). This event is in collaboration with Vancouver Ave First Baptist Church's food pantry.
Hazelwood
- Safe Blocks attended the Ron Russell Middle School Carnival with approximately 300 people in attendance, provided program information, and engaged youth in questions about safety in their community.
- Provided a personal safety training for nine residents at a retirement community in the Russell Neighborhood (adjacent to Hazelwood).
- Continued to plan for community use of the green space on the Family of Grace Church property.
- Continued initial planning for the community garden at 119th and Burnside in collaboration with Central City Concern.
- Met with PPB East Precinct and several other local government and business partners about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and safety training needs in the area.
- Completed a CPTED-based assessment report for the Menlo Safe Rest Village.
At-Large
- Safe Blocks collaborated with the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to host a drug take back event on October 26th at the Penumbra Kelly Building. 32 vehicles stopped by and the team collected five full boxes totaling 155 lbs. of drugs for safe disposal.
- Safe Blocks met with Portland Parks & Recreation and the Portland Bureau of Transportation permitting teams to discuss planning for Party On, Portland! (POP) in 2025 and launched a community feedback survey.
Security Assessments
Safe Blocks conducted three Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – known as CPTED – assessments in October. Assessments are labor intensive, involving a team member meeting with the property owner/manager and tenants to walk around the property for about an hour to learn about how the space is used and what the concerns are. After the walkthrough, the Safe Blocks team builds a comprehensive report with photos, recommendations, and resources. Safe Blocks then follows up three months later to check on the work and suggest additional improvements.
For more information or to request an assessment, visit the Safe Blocks website.
Rose City Self-Defense (RCSD)
Rose City Self-Defense is an empowerment-based self-defense program that offers community-based classes and workshops for youth and adults. All RCSD programming is free because classes and workshops are taught by volunteer self-defense instructors. Since its start, RCSD has provided self-defense training to more than 45,000 students, and workshops to over 120,000 participants.
- In October, 12 workshops were held on Personal Safety, Safety & Self-Defense, and De-Escalation, training more than 300 participants.
- Two resource fairs were offered serving over 250 community members.
- RCSD provided two After School Youth Programs, one 2-part Youth Workshop Series, one Community-based class, and one class specific to the LGBTQIA2S+ community, training more than 75 students in empowerment self-defense skills
RCSD’s November class filled up within 2 hours of opening registration!
RCSD utilized 120 volunteer hours (for community/LGBTQ+) and 15.5 (For Youth Programming) with a total of 135.5 volunteer hours. RCSD recruited 31 volunteer instructors (with a goal of accepting 20 applications) for the annual New Volunteer Training that starts in January 2025. The City saved $3,441.70 based on a volunteer hourly wage of $25.40 per hour.
Questions?
For more information, visit Safe Blocks at https://www.portland.gov/safe-blocks, email us at safeblocksprogram@portlandoregon.gov, or call 503-823-4064.