NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS
2020 Census statistics for the general downtown area of Anderson , including the west side :
• Most of the residents – 60 % to 80 % -- are considered in the low-to-moderate income group , with median income ranging from $ 22,656 to $ 28,127 .
• The majority of homes are occupied by renters .
• The Black population is 29 %, representing the lion ’ s share of the area ’ s 38 % non-white residents .
• About 30 % of the area ’ s population has graduated from high school . Less than 10 % have a college degree . and the least occupancy . “ Every other house was vacant ,” he remembers . “ It had three big streets and was so close to downtown .”
Many of the area ’ s new residents have moved to Anderson from
Carmel and Fishers , where they were paying triple the rent , says Perry , who likes living in the area and wants to be surrounded by working people . “ This is a neighborhood you see small families moving into ,” he notes . “ All the houses are being maintained . People are walking down the street and waving and stopping to talk to each other . It ’ s become a neighborhood .”
Perry believes that small businesses popping up in the area will eventually lead to other retail . “ We will get grocery stores ; we will get merchants and get sustainable businesses because of the people living in the neighborhood ,” he predicts .
Continued upgrading of the neighborhoods will take the combined effort of neighborhood stakeholders , Perry believes . “ The people living in the area need to push the needle ,” he says . “ A master plan is not needed . The free market is proving what can be done . When people don ’ t put limits on what they can do , things will be accomplished .”
In addition to the rehabilitation of the houses in the neighborhood , Perry has planted orchards on several vacant lots to eventually provide fresh produce to local residents at no cost .
TIM PERRY , THROUGH HIS PICKET FENCE BUSINESS , HAS PURCHASED AND REMODELED 100 HOUSES IN THE GRID THAT EXTENDS FROM JACKSON STREET TO JOHN STREET . THESE HOUSES ARE LOCATED ALONG 9TH STREET NEAR JOHN STREET .
government . “ You need to have a government entity that pays into the plan , provides the funding ,” he emphasizes . “ We need to have a five-year plan that people can track progress .”
If you visit downtown and westside neighborhoods , you can see signs of progress , some of it related to new housing .
Since moving from Plainfield , Tim Perry , through his Picket Fence business , has purchased and remodeled 100 houses in the grid that extends from Jackson Street to John Street . Perry not only has more than one business located in the area , he and many family members call it home . He started purchasing properties in 2012 and now has 50 rentals and has sold 50 homes in the neighborhood .
“ I look for retention ,” he says of the properties . “ Millennials want to own homes , but they don ’ t know how to take care of them . I do a low monthly rent and we do all the maintenance . “ We have never posted a for-rent sign … or evicted a tenant ,” Perry says .
Perry picked the neighborhood because it had the most infrastructure
Lelia Kelley , executive director of the Anderson Community Development Department , calls the downtown and westside neighborhoods a “ melting pot .” “ Diversity is not from the perspective of race ,” she notes . “ There is a growing Cuban and Asian population . It ’ s not a black-and-white issue .” From Kelley ’ s perspective , the greatest needs in the neighborhoods revolve around economics .
“ How do we use the two Opportunity Zones in those areas to spur economic development ?” she asks , alluding to a federal program that provides money for local incentives to attract businesses .
Because the core population of the city of Anderson is people and families in the low-to-moderate income range , “ we need to develop support services . I ’ m looking at job training and job placement programs ,” Kelley says . “ I would love to see an entrepreneurship program started to encourage people to open businesses . We need a program for convicted felons returning to our community so that they have the ability to build their own economies and work .”
Any effort to revitalize neighborhoods will require an organizational structure with institutional resources , Kelley notes .
Like Kelley and Perry , County Councilman Reese sees great potential in the downtown and westside neighborhoods . Despite the area ’ s many challenges , Reese likes living on the west side , mostly because many members of his family call the area home . “ My father always said he wanted to have a home that a young man could come past and see what could be accomplished through hard work ,” Reese recalls . “ He wanted to show kids that you could have a good life .” •
2023 Diversity Magazine 7