Program Overview

BAME CDC recognizes that in order to promote a healthy and balanced community there must be a strong infrastructure including quality services to sustain the area. As such, BAME strives to strengthen and rebuild the fabric of the community through economic development initiatives, affordable housing, services that support aging seniors, entrepreneurial activity, local businesses development, job creation, and financial empowerment for families and youth.

Housing Development

Debilitating levels of poverty, and a myriad roadblocks to homeownership, including housing prices, down payment requirements and lack of adequate affordable housing in several urban marketplaces, have made it challenging for many families to achieve economic stability.

While some communities have seen tremendous growth and development, others have been left out. Communities and neighborhoods that house low to moderate income, immigrants, and predominately minority people have been by-passed. In some neighborhoods, housing stock that was once vibrant has become victimized by age and changing demographics and has given way to negligence, blight, and poverty. Having identified demographic patterns and trends that increase the need for upgraded and increased volumes of affordable housing stock, BAME works to revitalize those neighborhoods through:

• Creating and maintaining quality affordable housing which enhances the historic fabric of the neighborhood
• Providing a successful Home Ownership Education and Counseling program
• Beautifying and enhancing public areas and facilities, and upgrading the efficiency of the neighborhood's infrastructure
• Facilitating rehabilitation of selected properties
• Building affordable single-family residences and other properties

Senior Programs

BAME’s Senior Citizens Services (SCS) enables seniors to enjoy a high quality of life. Its mission is to assist seniors in maintaining their independence, dignity, and self-sufficiency.

The program focuses on the well-being of seniors in our community and offers a variety of services in an effort to meet the needs of this aging group. With the rapid growth of the senior population, we continue to expand the tradition of cost-effective and innovative services for older adults and their families.

SCS activities include occasional luncheons, dominoes, bingo, arts and crafts, board games, fellowship, movies with popcorn, reading, picnic, field trips, cultural arts, musical events and celebrations for special occasions and holidays. Guest speakers visit the group on a regular basis and provide valuable information on health topics, screenings, counseling nutrition, education, referral services, physical fitness and more.

BAME also provides free transportation services for seniors which enable them to move freely throughout their communities to attend medical appointments, visit senior centers, conduct their grocery shopping, and access other local destinations.

Community and Economic Development

Business Development Services
BAME’s Community Business Network (CBN) was developed to keep existing businesses in the community, support and help them grow in strength, attract new retail business and services to the area, and to foster economic growth in the Grant Hill, Stockton, and Logan Heights neighborhoods.

The CBN represents retailers, restaurants, and service providers. Working together and as a liaison, the CBN acts as a communication link between local government and businesses located within the geographic area.

Among the goals of the CBN are to:

• Provide employment opportunities for residents in the Grant Hill, Stockton, and Logan Heights neighborhoods
• Provide technical assistance, training, and educational services to new and existing businesses in order to insure their long-term stability
• Create an economic environment in the community that will attract new businesses to the area
• Assist in the recruitment and development of new and existing businesses

To accomplish these goals, the CBN, in conjunction with other agencies and our partners, offers a range of business development services to existing and start-up entrepreneurs. The services provided assist businesses with business plan development; networking; market research; financial analyses; sustainability consulting; and identification of financing sources for expansion, start-up, and other essential business needs.

Financial Empowerment Program
The goal of the Financial Empowerment Program is to empower community residents with financial literacy through financial workshops that encourage good stewardship over money and wealth creation. To aid participants in becoming economically stable, several intensive workshops on topics such as consumer credit, debt management, basic banking, budgeting, saving, retirement planning, asset creation (wealth building), predatory lending, and others are presented. To ensure optimal results, each participant’s financial goals and savings plans are monitored quarterly and/or monthly.