Blue Ribbon Winner: 60th Street Strong Coalition, ACHIEVEability

PACDC’s Blue Ribbon Awards recognize outstanding achievement by Community Development Corporations (CDCs) advancing PACDC’s vision of an equitable city where every Philadelphian lives works and thrives in a neighborhood that offers an excellent quality of life.

Since 1981, ACHIEVEability has strived to end poverty for West Philadelphians, through education, affordable housing, workforce, and community development. Annually, we serve almost 3,000 residents – 98% Black; 72% female; and 98% below 200% of the federal poverty level – helping them meet their basic needs and move towards stability.

Exploding gun violence is one of the most pressing issues in West Philadelphia. The 60th Street Corridor—the central commercial corridor in our neighborhood—was severely impacted by the death of business owner, Sircarr Johnson Jr, who was killed in July 2021 when 100 shots were fired in front his 60th Street storefront, Premiere Bande. ACHIEVEability shared their neighbors' frustration with the gun violence crisis and was fired up to find a solution. Alongside local business owners and community stakeholders, they formed the 60th Street Strong Coalition. The 60th Street Strong Coalition reduces and prevents gun violence in West Philadelphia by providing youth impacted by or engaged in gun violence with opportunities to receive gainful employment, skills, and mentorship. By engaging youth at highest risk for violent activities and providing alternative pathways, they can achieve long-term success. The 60th Street Strong Coalition has four components: Employment and Training: Paid job training for youth with local businesses for 6 months, 20 hours a week paired with professional development and soft-skill training.

ACHIEVEability is partnering with 11 local businesses on the 60th Street Corridor to provide paid on-the-job training for youth. These business owners represent the personal care, fashion, and food sectors. Their breadth of knowledge and experience teach youth a variety of business skills including entrepreneurship and ecommerce, customer service, and business operations. Embedded in the community, these business owners have their finger on the pulse and have huge credibility with our target population. The results of the 60th Street Strong Coalition are clear. To date, the youth we work with have seen the following impact: -95% experienced no new incidents of violence -100% reported positive experiences with their job placement -89% reported site placement was helpful to professional goals -100% reported positive experiences with professional development sessions -89% believe they will use professional development skills in their careers.

This program is a collective movement that harnesses the power of residents and local businesses to reclaim the neighborhood. Taking at-risk youth off the streets and putting them into business settings where they can develop skills to start a career can be a life changing experience. The community is aligned in wanting a brighter future for our youth and West Philadelphia as a whole. As one of our partners, Siddiq Moore, expressed, “We are not going to wait for someone to save us. We have to save ourselves.”

AchieveABILITY’s programs include:

TechUp: Launched this innovative job training program to disrupt the cycle of dead-end jobs for Black, low-wage jobseekers with only a high school diploma, by providing technical training and placing them in Salesforce careers. TechUp provides an opportunity to diversify the business-technology sector, while connecting Black jobseekers to safe, high-growth careers. Average starting salary for graduates is $50,000 with benefits and ladder for growth. Graduates increased their earned income, reduced their reliance on public subsidies and increased their taxes paid. New Market West: Co-led the development of New Market West, a $50 million mixed-use community center, in partnership with Mission First Housing Group and Horizon House. The 135,700 sqft. center houses 300 employees, created 200 temporary jobs through construction and 94 permanent jobs, and stimulated economic investment to this community.

Neighborhood Revitalization: Connected 60th Street businesses to over $300,000 in capital to mitigate COVID-19 impact; launched greening initiative to plant 300 trees by 2024; led community-design process for banners on 60th Street; secured relamping under the El (330 LED’s); installed lights and cameras to businesses to improve safety, cleaned Corridor 5 days per week to keep businesses sustainable, and make the Corridor a shopping destination for residents.

Wraparound Services: Support services for youth to address trauma, housing, education, transportation, financial stability, conflict resolution, and more. Mentorship: Coaching for youth from business owners and other professionals to support long-term growth.

Safe Streets Events: Monthly engagement activities driven by youth to open lines of communication with residents and foster community cohesion. No single organization can solve the gun violence crisis alone. The strength of this project comes from our collaboration with residents and business owners to pursue a collective goal.

PACDC congratulates 60th Street Strong Coalition, ACHIEVEability on being recognized as a 2023 Blue Ribbon Award Winner!