February 1996                                                                                         Lansing, MI
Thomas StreetTimes
From the Staff of the Sense of Community Project at Michigan State University.

 
Hello! This newsletter is sent to you from Urban Affairs Programs at Michigan State University. We surveyed your block during the months of September, October, and November. The purpose for the survey was to see how strong a sense-of-community exists on your block. Twelve out of eighteen households participated from your block (67%). So, how did you do? Who lives on the block? How do you as a block feel about each other? To find out, PLEASE READ ON!!!
Who lives on the block?

There is great diversity on your block -- a mixture of retirees, married couples with young children, and unmarried people. Seventy-five percent of you indicated that you particularly like someone on the block. This is a good sign because it means there's someone to whom you feel you can turn to in an emergency situation or for support. Additionally, many of you have volunteered your time to help out a neighbor, which implies the presence of connection between residents on the block.

 

 Support

Although most of you agreed that people on this block watch out for each other (83%) and give rides to each other (75%), the majority of you socialize with only a few of your neighbors. However, ALL(100%) of you agreed that people on this block feel they belong here. Fifty-eight percent of you don't consider other households as friends, but 64% of you said you were somewhat interested in working with your neighbors. These results are rather mind-boggling. Why?
 
 

Well, it seems that you are willing to work together or lend a helping hand when it's needed. However, you also want to maintain a sense of privacy for you and your household. For example, most of you speak or associate with one or two of your neighbors. 
 
 

Finally, the results on whether you and your neighbors socialize were evenly split (50/50). Even though 69% of you talk with neighbors very often or fairly often, 92% of you agreed that no one gets together to hold meetings.
 
 

 

 2                                                                                                 Thomas Street Times

Safety

This is a very safe street. In fact, you all (100%) agreed that people on the block feel that it is safe. In addition, 75% of you said that it is safe to walk on the block at night. Crime is not perceived as a problem either; 83% of you feel there is less criminal activity on your block than other blocks. This is great especially for the kids, the majority of whom are under 12 years of age. 

Issues/Problems

One of the main issues that you mentioned is the fact that there is no clear leader on the block, and the majority of you are not interested in assuming a leadership role at all. Hence, there are no community meetings that are held to discuss issues on Thomas. You also mentioned that there is low feeling of empowerment among people on your block. Less than half of you (42%) said that people on the block have a voice regarding important 
 

 

 community issues. Some of the issues you raised include the presence of the gas company, the need for dead end street signs, and the deterioration of property values on Thomas. You have indicated that these issues could be solved through greater collaboration between neighbors. 
 

Overall Impressions
 

There is a definite sense of safety on this block. Everyone feels they belong, but there's a sense that trust between residents could be strengthened (58% said neighbors trusted each other). 
 

Finally, the majority (83%) of you feel the sense of community is "just right." This could indicate a respect for the privacy mentioned earlier, and a commitment to "banding together" when it's needed.
 


 
 

Thank you for your participation in the Sense of Community survey. If you have any questions, please contact John Schweitzer at 353-9144, Urban Affairs Programs, Michigan State University.