The Good Hood: Making Meadowood a Healthy Community

At a Glance

The Good Hood project, led by The Mellowhood Foundation, aimed to cultivate a more empowered community by securing financial resources to pay more adults a living wage, offering more youth opportunities in paid programs and enhancing educational opportunities. Systemic racism has significantly impacted Madison’s Meadowood community, resulting in feelings of hopelessness among community members and contributing to poverty, crime, housing instability and mental and physical health issues.

Good Hood successfully enhanced community infrastructure, safety and housing quality. It supported residents facing eviction, assisted new renters with security deposits and ensured access to healthy food through a food share program. To improve health and well-being, a summer program was launched to address immediate food insecurity needs, and 16 youth were engaged in activities that promote physical exercise, stress management and mental focus. Finally, the project formed new, and maintained old, partnerships which helped to distribute resources, support educational initiatives and address key social issues in the community.

The Challenge

Systemic racism has had a severe impact on Madison’s Meadowood community. Racism has led to widespread poverty, crime, wage and housing inequities, food deserts and inadequate access to health care and justice. These issues result in significant trauma and have caused apathy and hopelessness among community members, especially the youth who experience depression, paranoia and anxiety. Families live in constant fear of eviction and substandard living conditions, which exacerbate physical and mental health issues. Overall, the neighborhood’s lack of basic needs, security, supportive relationships and culturally sensitive mental health care contributes to a cycle of trauma and instability.

Project Goals

The goal of Good Hood was to expand their capacity to address community needs through Entire Community Awareness (ECA), which is based on building trust by working and staying in the community. The project aimed to build on the trust established with the community over five years by securing financial resources to pay more adults a living wage, offering more youth opportunities in paid programs and enhancing educational opportunities. Good Hood planned to provide the youth in paid programming with transportation, hire qualified educators and a cook and ensure participants have access to healthy food. Ultimately, the project sought to achieve financial stability to sustain and grow their initiatives to create a stronger, more empowered community.

Results

Good Hood successfully enhanced community infrastructure, safety and housing quality despite challenges related to the pandemic. The Mellowhood Foundation provided support to residents facing eviction and assisted new renters with security deposits. A food share program delivered organic produce and gift cards to elderly residents and families in need. These efforts ensured continued access to healthy food and maintained community stability during difficult times.

The project also made progress in improving the health and well-being of the Meadowood Community. A summer program was launched and offered meals, protein shakes and grocery shopping assistance in order to address immediate food insecurity needs. Additionally, 16 youth were engaged in activities that promote physical exercise, stress management and mental focus. These efforts were complemented by the establishment of a communal space for socializing and accessing resources, and this space fostered a sense of belonging and connectedness in the neighborhood. Finally, by forming and maintaining key partnerships, Good Hood effectively distributed resources, supported educational initiatives and addressed systemic social issues to contribute to a more cohesive and resilient community.