Final Research project paper

Small businesses are often underestimated when talking of the economy, but the fact is that small businesses actually have a huge impact on our economy providing 50% of the jobs in the United States. In the world of business there are many categories of businesses, non profit organizations, green businesses, start up and high growth businesses, internet businesses, and home based businesses just to list a small few. With the many categories of businesses, all individual and unique in there own way why must they compete against one another creating higher pricing for consumers and sometimes their very own demise.  Don't get me wrong, competition is a strong way for a business to succeed however, what I am proposing is this, why cant small businesses work together with other types of small businesses to create an alliance and an army if you would of referrals growing their businesses by helping one another.  Keep in mind that a small business is defined as any privately owned business that has less than 500 employees as we take a look at the statistics; I'm more interested in small business competition effects in small businesses like a mom and pop shop. The United States has approximately 23 million small businesses accounting for 54% of United States sales and has increased 49% since 1982. Of those 23 million small businesses Utah contributes 241,692 small businesses to that number (2008). The majority of Utah's small business owners are those that specialize in construction, real estate, or professional/scientific/ technological services.

I came across an article with six rules for building strong business connections, these are as follows, Join a local meeting group for entrepreneurs, Join a social media, Join small business web, PAY IT FORWARD, build informal alliances with like minded companies and adopt a “support a small business” mindset. Through these six rules and other research you can deduct that there are three main types of assistance when discussing support for small businesses. The first type of program that helps with small businesses are those that help with both planning and acquiring financial assistance. Second there are support groups that help with planning and decision making among business owners, and third and final are programs that help make connections between business professionals as well as their consumers.

      There are several government funded programs and privately owned programs for small businesses, most of which pertain to helping with financing and other financial burdens that come with owning a small business, mainly they are in place to help new business owners in the start up process. There are several programs out there for new businesses owners; the SBA (small business association) specializes in helping small businesses from the beginning of creating a business plan to acquiring the right loans and grants. The SBA is not the only company out there that is dedicated to helping small businesses.  10,000 businesses is a program funded out of Cleveland where a team of professionals at a community college are teaming together to help  continued education of small business owners teaching them and mentoring them as they go. There are also several "incubation" programs I came across (unfortunately not located in the U.S) where a firm essentially nurtures a business until it is either successful or a bust. This incubation program sets up business owners directly in their building space if necessary and helps with decision making, marketing, hiring, creating policies etc.  Businesses in this program are not released until the business is well on its way.

Business outreach programs are small programs that are generally funded by the city, these programs are in place to help not only guide businesses through the start up process but to help them connect with other businesses involved in the program to keep the business relations within the community rather than outsourcing for products or services. Keeping relations within the community helps balance and stabilize the economy within the community between business owners. These “support groups” usually have a small fee that is required in order to be a part of the group. These groups then get to meet once a month and help each other with the functions of running a business. Questions asked at these meeting can pertain to simple marketing issues to more complex issues of finding suppliers. There are also many social networking sites, some requiring membership fees and some are free. Among the many networking sites I came across three stood out as the most popular, twitter, facebook and the current number one business networking site, LinkedIn. Most businesses are using these to not only communicate with one another but to communicate with consumers which bring us to our third and final form of support for small businesses.

The last form of support involves programs that help business owners connect with their consumers as well as their fellow business owners. The 3/50 project is one of these programs that help encourage consumers to shop locally by challenging consumers to pick three small businesses that they would miss if the business was to disappear tomorrow, then choose one of these businesses and spend fifty dollars a month. If half of the employed population did this, $42.6 in revenue would be generated each year. The importance of shopping locally is how much money goes back into the community, for every one hundred dollars spent in a local shop, sixty eight dollars goes back into the community for taxes, wages, etc. If you spend one hundred dollars in a national chain only forty eight dollars comes back into the community, this is why it is important for businesses to band together creating connections and referral programs. Locally, business alliance programs are simply in place to help make these connections. Some businesses have created their own ways of referral programs. Companies like Dixie Direct, and the green pages are sources that are simply in business to combine businesses in town into one convenient book of coupons and advertisements. They make money off of making connections between business owners and consumers. Other simple ways to make connections is by banding together to create discounts and rewards for the consumers that shop or purchase services at one of the businesses. An example of this occurring locally is at the Summit Athletic Club where they advertise for businesses (for free) to their 6,000 members, in return the businesses getting advertised for must provide a discount of at least 10%  to Summit members, this is an incentive to not only shop or eat at these local businesses but to become a member of Summit for all the “perks” of a discount card. By making small connections as these the community of small businesses in town are growing and expanding together.

          Like I said in the beginning, competition is a major part of any business but as a small business owner it is important to remember that your connections within the community of both fellow business owner as well as consumers help you build strong community referrals and relations improving the quality and success of your business.

Bibliography:  

Business alliance program: creating business and community partnerships. Bureau of justice       assistance. Nancy E. Gist. https://www.ncjrs.gov

U.S small business administration. http://www.sba.gov/#

Wiley, Deborah Lynne. "How to Succeed in Business using LinkedIn: Making Connections and Capturing Opportunities on the World's #1 Business Networking Site." Online 33.1 (2009): 62-3. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Bagely, Rebecca Small businesses= big impact. Forbes Magazine.                                              2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabagley/2012/05/15/small-businesses-            big-impact/

      

Greenbaum, Kurt. "BUSINESS OUTREACH PROGRAM A SUCCESS." Sun Sentinel: 18. Apr        03 1987. ProQuest. Web. 3 Dec. 2013 .

Nazar. Jason16 surprising statistics about small businesses. Forbes magazine.. September 9,2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-small-businesses/

Hodgetts, Richard. "THE IMPORTANCE OF SMALL BUSINESSES." Sun Sentinel: 11. Nov 13 1995. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .

Corporate Alliance. 2012 influence international. http://www.knoweveryone.com/

"Networking Tips: Entrepreneurs Create More Opportunities when Making Connections that Matter." PR NewswireJan 08 2013. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .

Summit Athletic Club. Summit Club Card. http://summitathleticclub.com/club-card/.2013

The 3/50 project. WWW.the350project.com. 2012

Question: How can small businesses work together instead of competing against one another to create an efficient and reliable economy?

Currently I am at an information overload, I have more sources than necessary and more thoughts than I can handle. So here's a rough outline and a small beginning. suggestions WELCOMED.

  A brief outline of questions to answer...

1. How many small businesses are in the United States today?

    - How many in St.George ?

    - What kind of businesses are they?

2. What are the odds?

    - How long will they last?

3. Why do businesses compete?

    - How do they compete other than out pricing. 

4. What kind of programs currently exist to help small businesses

    - What are the criteria of such programs?

    - Are they costly?

    - Are the benefits worth participation?

5. What does the future for these programs and the businesses they are involved with look like?

    Small businesses are often underestimated when talking of the economy, but the fact is that small businesses actually have a huge impact on our economy In the world of business there are many categories of businesses, non profit organizations, green businesses, start up and high growth businesses, internet businesses, and home based businesses just to list a small few. With the many categories of businesses, all individual and unique in there own way why must they compete against one another creating higher pricing for consumers and sometimes  their very own demise.  Don't get me wrong, competition is a strong way for a business to succeed however, what I am proposing is this, why cant small businesses work together with other types of small businesses to create an alliance and an army if you would of referrals?

      Keep in mind that a small business is defined as any business that has less than 500 employees as we take a look at the statistics, I'm more interested in small business competition effects in small businesses like a mom and pop shop. The United States has approximately 23 million small businesses accounting for 54% of U.S sales and has increased 49% since 1982. Of those 23 million small businesses Utah contributes  241,692 small businesses to that number (2008). The majority of Utah's small business owners are those that specialize in construction, real estate, or professional/scientific/ technological services.

      There are several government funded programs for small businesses, most of which pertain to helping with financing and other financial burdens that come with owning a small business mainly they are in place to help new business owners in the start up process but who helps them grow once they are on their feet?.  10,000 businesses is a program funded out of Cleveland where a team of professionals at a community college are teaming together to help  continued education of small business owners teaching them and mentoring them as they go. There are also several "incubation" programs I came across (unfortunately not located in the U.S) where a firm essentially nurtures a business until it is either successful or a bust. This incubation program sets up business owners directly in their building space if necessary and helps with decision making and marketing.   There are sadly very few  programs dedicated to making connections among businesses and their owners.

          Business outreach programs are small programs that are generally funded by the city, these programs are in place to help not only guide businesses through the start up process but to help them connect with other businesses involved in the program to keep the business relations within the community rather than outsourcing for products or services. Keeping relations within the community helps balance and stabilize the economy within the community between business owners. 

          Like I said in the beginning, competition is a major part of any business but as a small business owner it is important to remember that your connections within the community help you build strong community referrals and relations. 

Sources: 

Business alliance program: creating business and community partnerships. Bureau of justice          assistance. Nancy E. Gist. https://www.ncjrs.gov

U.S small business administration. http://www.sba.gov/#

Small businesses= big impact. Rebecca O Bagley. Forbes Magazine.                                                  2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccabagley/2012/05/15/small-businesses-                        big-impact/

      

Greenbaum, Kurt. "BUSINESS OUTREACH PROGRAM A SUCCESS." Sun Sentinel: 18. Apr             03 1987. ProQuest. Web. 3 Dec. 2013 .

Communities past, present and future

What is a 21st century neighborhood? 

       A 21st century neighborhood is a combination of social interactions and physical characteristics. These two traits combined come together for either the success or failure of the given neighborhood. These neighborhoods are those that inhabitants either deal with their situation or try to make a difference. The trouble with deciding the difference between a "failed" neighborhood or successful neighborhood are blurred in that these neighborhoods generally coincide side by side and often over lap into one another. Sampson wrote regarding Cabrinis ashes (a neighborhood previously known for "gangs, drugs, misery and murder" now essentially "taking back" their community in a slow transition) "already infused with chic dining spots, grocery stores and growing shopping districts. Cabrini-Green is the Chicago neighborhood of the future". This shows how the "slums" are integrating into the wealthier communities. 

How tied is it to the past? 

    Regardless of these neighborhoods integrating Sampsons work shows that there are still and will continue to be unsuccessful neighborhoods due to the fact that instead of fixing the problem on a social level (community awareness, policing etc.) we are just relocating families out of that neighboring leaving it there to become essentially a wasteland/ My thought on this is that if we relocate those individuals that cared enough to want to live in a better environment those that get left behind will continue to let their neighborhood fall and even get worse. Sampson noted several similarities between a given neighborhood past and present. 

What will a 22nd century neighborhood look like? 

   I think that there will continue to be a gap between neighborhoods and the blurred lines will eventually disappear. As I was reading sampsons work I kept thinking to myself that part of the problem is that the "rich" neighborhoods are the ones that get all the attention on a city level, they get the proper police protection, better schools etc. Police often over look the things that occur in poorer neighborhoods because that is just what is expected in that neighborhood. And unless we do something about the inequality between the two different neighborhoods I think that the gap between them is only going to get bigger. The city needs to spend a little more time and money into the poorer neighborhoods. I think that it would give a lot of the people hope for a better future, they would be able to take their children out and show them how to appreciate having a clean low crime environment.  I think that it would help to promote a social policing as Sampson mentioned. 

Is community dying. thriving, or just bumbling along, about the same now as always?

  I think that communities are a little bit of all three depending on where you are looking. I think that (or at least hope) that there are those out there working towards a better future and looking for ways to help integrate society a little better. In this case I think that communities are thriving, I also think that there are those communities that have been "left in the dark" so to speak, they have no help, and at this point are so use to crime and violence being part of the norm. Then there are communities like ours, just bumbling along making changes here and there. Some sides of town thriving some dying but for the most part moving forward as a whole. I know that's not necessarily a straight answer but until someone comes up with a solution that has a base idea that can help all neighborhoods and communities on all levels I think that there will be a variety of neighborhoods experiencing both success and failure. 

Leadership in community context

My thoughts on leadership in the community...

      I really appreciated how Sampson focused on people that were involved in education, religion, and community organizations rather than strictly just politics. When I read the topic for this blog on the calendar, politicians were the first people to pop into my mind. I wasn't super excited about the topic, Of course I always like to know whats going on, However I don't always appreciate how politicians do their business. They set a precedent of how things should be run  and at any point not everyone is on board with their shenanigans I think this just causes a lot of dishonesty and distrust, these people should be able to be trusted, they were after all entrusted with running a community. Haha if only in a perfect world right?  At one point Sampson mentions leaders of youth programs. I was very excited to see this, as a coach for youth myself I feel that youth leaders have an important role in building character and helping mold who youth grow up to be. Especially if the community is underprivileged. Sampson studied the ties that these "leaders" have with other leaders, I think that cohesion is a big part in being able to get things done and run a successful community. I think that Sampson questions near the beginning of the chapter regarding how long leaders have been in positions, and looking at if there are new leaders in positions is important. Looking at something like this can give major insight to what the community will respond to. 

My research....

    The problem I seem to be encountering as I am conducting my research is that I am interested in to many topics! I read an article which sparks an interest for something else. although I do have some good pieces of material I am struggling to narrow down my thoughts. I really want to stay near the topic of what businesses are doing to stay successful while building a strong community and relationships. I firmly believe that businesses will only thrive when the community is happy with said business and A business that encounters resistance with the community will likely fail. I would really like to look at something that has proven community development/ relationships in a business. 

Moving...

Why do people choose to move to different neighborhoods? 

          Chapter 12 of Sampson's book discusses reasons/theories behind why people move into different neighborhoods, he brings up the issue of individual circumstances for reasons behind moving to a new neighborhood or community, some for better opportunities, or even fear of the current location (specifically fear in integrated societies). Since sociology is one of my emphasis areas I relied heavily on the knowledge I have in that field when reading Sampson's work. According to sociologist, social class systems are an important part of society this means that most individuals are trying to achieve a certain level of social class. This leaves much room for opportunity in an individuals life. For example, a young couple may decide to move out of a lower class neighborhood with a poor school district so their children can live in a more stable environment with better education in hopes that their children will eventually be better off than their parents once were. This social mobility could be a major impact on the question of why people move to different neighborhoods. Another reason behind people moving locations is work related. Businesses rely on the resources of the individual and the individual relies on income. Most people will do what it takes to make this system work. 

How likely is it that their individual choices will 

transform the communities they leave or enter?

           In Sampson's section labeled"Does moving in turn effect individuals" he describes how moving can be a "good" or "bad" experience for the mover based on the context of the move.  Sampson's specific study was on how moves affect the violent outcomes in children. He found that when movers stayed inside the city the percentage of violence in children increased whereas movers that went to city outskirts saw a decline in percentages . My personal thoughts on moving are similar, moving can be good or bad depending on the circumstances. Depending on how great the move (same city or totally different state) some cultures vary and what is acceptable in one community may not be for another community. So the outgoing "community leader" may move to a neighborhood and become the "neighborhood hermit". On the negative side, a criminal could move into a nice neighborhood, according to the readings most criminals commit crimes close to on in their very own neighborhood. 

Blog #7 Ideas

   With my two emphases being business and sociology I would like to integrate the two on how businesses can effect the success of a community both financially and in community togetherness. By businesses helping communities be the best they can be as a community (Sounds a little cheesy now that I write it out, maybe I should add world peace too haha) suggestions are encouraged! 

While researching some sources for the last blog I found two articles that nailed my thoughts on this issue so I hope you don't mind me re posting them! 

The privatization of public safety in Urban neighborhoods. 

  This article discusses how privately owned businesses can affect their community by adding public safety to their business like security staff or cameras. This would not just mean for their own business but for the section of block that they may inhabit. by doing this they are double covering each other and protecting not only the businesses but the people that like to enjoy them. 

MacDonald J, Stokes R, Grunwald B, Bluthenthal R. The Privatization of Public Safety in Urban Neighborhoods: Do Business Improvement Districts Reduce Violent Crime Among Adolescents?. Law & Society Review [serial online]. September 2013;47(3):621-652. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA.

Influencing commitment of volunteers in neighborhood watch organizations. 
          As stated in my last blog I feel that it is extremely important to understand what drives community members to feel the need to help out their community or vise versa, what deters them from helping? Fear, selfishness ? with this knowledge at hand maybe we can figure out a way to encourage those that are currently not willing to stand up and help their community to do something even the smallest thing helps. I want to know, what drives commitment in a community? 

Thomas V, Selvadurai S, Er A, Lyndon N, Moorthy R. Factors Influencing Commitment of Volunteers' in Neighborhood Watch Organization. Journal Of Social Sciences (15493652) [serial online]. December 2011;7(4):569-574. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 8, 2013.

What businesses and business organizations could do...

I particularly love this article I found, It goes through bullet points of what businesses can do for our communities. (I found this one after I already started my blog, I guess my vision isn't as cheesy as anticipated).

*Education- Adopting a course in schools on things like economics.
             - Inviting children into the workplace- show them what its like
             - Student interns
             - Job training and placement
             -sponsoring programs (kids at work)
*Family friendly workplace
*Encouraging employee involvement
*sponsoring a community event for youth
*paying entrance fees to impoverished children (or stating a fund for these facilities that are paid entry only)
*providing college scholarships

The list goes on and on

http://people.missouristate.edu/MichaelCarlie/SOLUTIONS/INSTITUTIONS/what_your_local_business.htm

Blog Six- The testing of Altruism and cynicism in the neighborhood

Sources found after readings...

MacDonald J, Stokes R, Grunwald B, Bluthenthal R. The Privatization of Public Safety in Urban Neighborhoods: Do Business Improvement Districts Reduce Violent Crime Among Adolescents?. Law & Society Review [serial online]. September 2013;47(3):621-652. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 8, 2013.

    This article describes how privately owned businesses in neighborhoods can affect the neighborhood itself among youth by applying their own public security features for the public. 

ANDERSON J, MACDONALD J, BLUTHENTHAL R, ASHWOOD J. REDUCING CRIME BY SHAPING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT WITH ZONING: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF LOS ANGELES. University Of Pennsylvania Law Review [serial online]. February 2013;161(3):699-756. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 8, 2013.

    Combining both emphases of sociology and business this article discusses zoning of neighborhoods and the effects of the crime rate. They found that neighborhoods that are mixed commercial-residential have a lower crime rate. 

Thomas V, Selvadurai S, Er A, Lyndon N, Moorthy R. Factors Influencing Commitment of Volunteers' in Neighborhood Watch Organization. Journal Of Social Sciences (15493652) [serial online]. December 2011;7(4):569-574. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 8, 2013.

   Comparing the levels of commitment of an organization such as neighborhood watch. What effects the commitment and ties to the community. 

Sobol J. Social ecology and police discretion: The influence of district crime, cynicism, and workload on the vigor of police response. Journal Of Criminal Justice [serial online]. July 2010;38(4):481-488. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 8, 2013.

   This article reviews how police use discretion in certain neighborhoods, they view crime as normal in some neighborhood regardless of the actual instance. 

Explain how these sources relate to one or both of my emphases... 

     The sources I have chosen either look at how a community and businesses can work together or integrate together to create a safer environment for the entire community. By understanding how businesses can help their community, they will build a stronger one. Other sources take a look at how and why people commit themselves to their community. I think it is important to understand why some residents feel the need to involve themselves in a community and why some just don't care. 

How I feel these relate to Sampsons methods...

      In Sampsons methods of the letter drop and CPR I feel like he was only testing if people WOULD take the time to help. I think that it helps to understand WHY someone would stop and help or why someone would not. In these days I feel like there are so many warnings out there, meaning there is always some story floating around like, not stopping to help little old ladies, its a gimmick for gang members to snag you. Or people putting money in your windshield wipers while your in the store so when you come out you will stop and take the time to get it out, meanwhile they have to chance to rob you or worse. Maybe some members of society want to help but are scared or hesitant because of the world we live in. Is it best to just keep your head down and keep walking ? I feel like this relate to Sampsons work because it is important to know what average of community members would help but also why and why not. 

Blog #5- Collective Efficacy

      As described in our text collective efficacy as Sampson and his colleagues describe it are broken down into two key factors, social cohesion and expectations for control (p. 152) to me this means that as a whole, the community strives to achieve a certain level of safety and understanding. Further down in the text Sampson describes that the framework of collective efficacy does not necessarily mean that all in the community need to be friends or even know each other but they all have similar needs and expectations of their community. The article I read outside the text was an article written by Browning, Feinberg and Dietz challenging the typical idea of collective efficacy, in their paper the paradox of social organization they discuss how they used a census to test the theory that social networks (our relationships within the community) mixed with collective efficacy have basically cancelled each other out and those neighborhoods have become a "social capital" for offenders. Answering to Sampson's questions below...

1- Children skipping school and hanging out on a street corner - If I know them, call their parents. I would want to know if my kids were hanging out on a street corner, not necessarily because I think they would get into trouble themselves but it seems like there is a constant stream of stories of young girls and boys being abducted. your child could be taken early in the morning and you would never know until they didn't come home from school. I hope that my children will always keep me in the loop and I don't think that is to much to ask. I always told my parents what I was doing, even if it was skipping class (and I did A LOT). At least they knew where I was, with that came freedom for myself and comfort for my parents always knowing where I was. I'm sure it would have been different if I was a bad kid with bad grades.

2- Children were spray painting on a local building - I know there a those out there who think that graffiti is a form of art, great, spray paint a wall in your own back yard. I like that my neighborhood and town look clean. I would definitely call the cops on this one. I would not stop to say anything, here come the stereotype....  I'm not sure what kind of kids I would be dealing with, usually those that paint graffiti are gang members or troublemakers. I don't like thinking that but I  have children that I need to take care of and would much rather call the police then try to intervene myself and possibly put my children at risk.  

3- Children were showing disrespect to an adult - On a situation such as this I would need a little more detail. I was raised to respect my elders and treat everyone with kindness, now a days I feel like parenting is seriously lacking. If this was a child disrespecting their parent, I would let the parent deal with it, again it depends on the extent, it is not my business on how their children are raised, but on the other side, my children will have to deal with children like this.... so I guess it depends on what is going down. If it seemed to be a group of children disrespecting an adult that they don't seem to know then I would definitely say something. 

4- A fight breaks out in front of my house - I would call the police, especially since I have children to look after, I don't need anyone fighting in front of my house. Some times people just need to be put in their place and it seems that only an authoritative source such as the police can do something like that, unless I know the people, If I knew them well I would probably send my husband outside to see if he can break it up (staying safe of course though)  

5 Fire station closest to my home was threatened by budget cuts - I would be pretty upset, the further away the station the longer it would take for them to come help us if a situation were to arise. I would probably go to the city to see what we as a community/neighborhood could do to prevent it. (volunteers, donations etc.)

Looking at my responses, I realized two things. One, I really rely on the police. God forbid a world where we don't have such a luxury. Two, I tend to stereotype the type of people who do these things (even though I didn't type most my thoughts I sure was thinking them! ) I feel like I live in an unpredictable world and I will do whatever it takes to protect myself and my children even if that means that I must think about the worst that can happen. I promise I don't always look at the negative, I am one who always tries to see the good in things however, people can't live with their head in the sand :) I would like to consider myself positively cautious :) 

Browning C, Feinberg S, Dietz R. The Paradox of Social Organization: Networks, Collective Efficacy, and Violent Crime in Urban Neighborhoods. Social Forces [serial online]. December 2004;83(2):503-534. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 23, 2013.

Blog #3

Blog #3

While I was reading the article "the death and life of Chicago" I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. I kept thinking, "Ok, when are we going to get to the part where he actually helps the society for the long term". I know that's only my personal opinion and may seem a little rude however, what is JR doing for the people of these communities? I see it as sweeping the homeless under the rug, lets get them off the streets so no one has to see them. Even after reflecting on the reading I'm not sure exactly how to feel, on one hand I think that helping the homeless, using our available resources and helping the homeless is great. On the other hand, why doesn't the campaign focus some of their monetary contributions to teaching these homeless vocations?  At the end of chapter five in Sampsons boon it discusses the thought that poverty is not solved only redistributed to another location. There's so much money going into creating these livable homes but very little effort going into helping the people create lives for themselves, making them a better more responsible member of society.

When I think of blighted communities I think of some outskirts of Vegas. I once watched  a documentary on the homeless of Vegas where they showed the "underground city" of Vegas. Miles and miles of underground tunnels that the homeless wander through and make their permanent residence. I think the big problem with Vegas is that it seems to be solely revolved around the casino industry, most lose their money there or travel there thinking that they can make it better. How many of those casinos are giving back? Larger cities such as Las Vegas should have community programs set up that help the homeless get back on their feet, not necessarily with money but teach them the skills that it requires to make themselves a valuable piece of society. Help them find jobs and regularly check up on them. I understand that there are some homeless out there that prefer to be homeless. However...

Estimated homeless figures in the United States range from 600,000 to 2.5 million
Source:  http://www.fas.org, 2009

1.37 million of the total homeless population in USA are children under the age of 18. 40% are families with children, 41% are single males, 14% are single females
Source: International Journal of Psychosocial Research

http://www.homelessworldcup.org/content/homelessness-statistics

This research shows that most of the homeless are children. It is not to late to start helping them. 

Blog #2

While I was reading Sampson's book I began to see similarities (not necessarily so drastic) in my own community as that Sampson saw in these Chicago neighborhoods. Living in St.George through High school I learned where to live and where not to live if I decided to stay here in town, Mind you, high school students can be very judgmental, back then my teen self was more concerned  with how close it was to town amenities, beautiful views, and of course the status of the community. How did I come to conclusions then? LOOKS, strictly looks. So while my husband and I were looking for our first home a few years ago, I of course started looking in those neighborhoods that I felt had all the things I could ever want. After several tours our Realtor showed us a home in a neighborhood that I had never considered a good neighborhood. instantly it  seemed different. Our Realtor proceeded to tell us about the neighborhood and how the neighbors had taken care of this house for 2 years while it sat vacant. (The previous owners had moved for work but didn't rush the selling process in hopes that they may move back. We got lucky with their price drop when they realized they would not be moving back and needed to sell the home). The lawn was beautifully taken care of, the neighbors had rotated taking turns watering the lawn with their water since the water was no longer on, The porch had been regularly swept, it seemed like there had been residents all along. Of course the neighbors were not doing it for us (potential buyers) but for the neighborhood. It showed us that as a neighborhood this group of people wanted to make sure that everything was nice and tidy. The best part? Our home built in 1987 was the last home built on our street. This showed us that the people that lived in this neighborhood took great pride in it. The neighbor to our right was born and raised in her home, bought it from her parents and now her and her husband are raising their family in it. Most of our neighbors seem to have similar stories of a lifetime in this neighborhood. I've never really thought about the differences in communities until I lived in ours, someone visiting would never guess how old our homes were strictly for the fact that not only do we take care of our homes but most of us have added on or upgraded parts of our homes. So this makes me think... Do we take great pride in our community because we actually care what the outside looks like? our do we care because the rest of the neighborhood cares and as a whole we want to keep a clean neighborhood? The city has never put a lot of effort into our community, we have no new parks, no sidewalks, and no street lights like all the other communities seem to have but for some reason I would rather walk alone down our dark streets then walk on the brightest lit street of some other communities in town. The more I think about it, I feel like looks do play  a part in a community but I think that the people of that community play an even greater part. If you move to a neighborhood that has bars on the windows then naturally your going to feel unsafe, less likely to communicate with your neighbors. People play a great role in how you feel about your surroundings.

First Response- What is a community? neighborhood?

I fell like a community should be a place where one can feel safe not only for themselves but for their children. Members of a community should feel like they can send their children out with a group of friends and that they will come home safely. Neighborhoods I feel should be even closer to one another than the entire community, those neighbors would be the first ones to run to in the event of an emergency ( house fire, car trouble, etc) members of a neighborhood should feel like the neighborhood would step up and help in the event of a problem. If you know a neighbor is not home but see a suspicious person lurking around that you have never seen before then you should step up and do something about it, ask the person what they are doing, watching them so they know your there, call the police if necessary. If neighbors do not step up and stop activity like this then criminals will know that the  neighborhood is an easy target. By protecting your neighbors house you are protecting your own. I feel like I live in a really good neighborhood, we mow lawns for each other when we know people are on vacation or under the weather, we check up on each other when we know someone is sick, Take care of each others animals and above all communicate with on another. I knew when someone tried to break into our neighbors car, someone saw them ( a group of teens) and when they came back a few  days later and smashed my car window and stole my purse, a neighbor saw the same car fleeing the neighborhood again, three hours later the police had them in custody and I had my belongings back. I feel like my neighborhood is as perfect as it can be but I know that not all neighborhoods are like mine and I'm sure I feel like my neighborhood is a true neighborhood because of my values and opinions of what a neighborhood should be. I'm sure there are those out there that would think my neighborhood is over bearing and nosy, those people that like to keep their lives entirely private. But I feel like for MY family that a neighborhood is just what we have, a caring tight nit group that all want to feel safe. 
I have so far enjoyed looking into sampsons work, it's nice to know that there are people out there working towards a better future for all communities. So far I share similar opinions on his view of community, I feel like the people inside the community or where you live in a community will shape how you act in your community. I don't know if I lived in a high traffic crime right area if I would be so forthcoming with information as to when I am home or where my spare key is like I do in my neighborhood.