Ideas to Help Build a Stronger Community and Safer Neighborhood

Safe neighborhoods don’t pop up overnight. To live in a community where you feel secure, it takes getting to know your neighbors, forging bonds and connections, and sharing the same initiatives as others. Working together with members of your community is one of the most effective ways to maintain a safer place to live. 

Help Make Your Community Stronger, and Your Neighborhood Safer

To support our mission to help make neighborhoods safer, we collected some community involvement and safety ideas to help you and your neighbors build a stronger, safer community together:

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Just knowing your neighbors makes your neighborhood safer. In fact, researchers and criminologists at the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that streets where neighbors got to know each other saw increased community engagement and decreased crime rates. 

Whether you’ve lived in your neighborhood for a while or you just moved in, getting out of your comfort zone and learning your neighbors’ names, occupations, and hobbies can give you a sense of comfort and security. Starting the conversation doesn’t require a grand gesture like baking a fresh pie or casserole — simply stopping over after work to introduce yourself and say hello can make all the difference. Let your neighbors know that you’re there to help with a household repair or if they ever need someone to bring in their mail when they’re out of town. And if you take the first step, your small act of kindness can drive other people on your block to pay it forward by getting to know their neighbors too, which can help build a stronger community that looks out for each other. 

Start Traditions

Creating annual neighborhood events and activities can help make you and your neighbors feel more invested in the community while giving everyone something to look forward to. By organizing seasonal and holiday traditions, like group trick-or-treating and Christmas caroling, spring garage sales, and summer block parties, you can give individual families the chance to meet new people and create unity within your neighborhood. And, of course, a bit of friendly competition never hurts! Hold a contest for best-kept lawn, scariest Halloween costume, or most festive holiday light display, and host the final vote at your home — you can offer snacks and refreshments to keep the event light-hearted and fun.

Show Local Support

Getting involved is a great way to feel connected and develop relationships in your community. One initiative to support your community is to shop at local businesses. From the mom-and-pop coffee shop down the road to the clothing store in the nearby plaza, spending time at local establishments helps you get to know your neighbors and invest in the community’s success. After you visit, promote their shop or store by writing a positive review online or spreading the word during casual conversations with friends and neighbors. After all, one positive review can go a long way for local businesses — and each successful business helps your community thrive.

Other ways you can support your community include:

Connect with Your Community No Matter Where You Are

When communities work together, safer neighborhoods become a reality. The Neighbors App is a free tool for residents to connect, stay informed about community happenings, and access valuable information from reliable sources no matter where you are. Download the app today to receive real-time, hyper-local updates from fellow users and the local public agencies that serve them.

The Neighbors App also allows you to share local events, such as town hall meetings or donation drives, engage directly with your local agencies, discuss incidents caught on camera by your community, and much more. You can even send out good neighbor alerts when you spot an act of kindness in your community using the Neighborly Moments posting category in the app.

Help Keep Your Community Beautiful

You can continue to build on relationships with your neighbors (and keep your community well-kept) by helping with yard work and shoveling snow from driveways or sidewalks. Some of your neighbors may have difficulties with yard upkeep, and your assistance can help make their lives a little easier. You can also initiate efforts in your neighborhood to help the environment. Starting a recycling drive, using public transportation a few times a week, or planting a community garden can help make a positive impact on your community and neighborhood.

Picking up litter is also a great way to keep up with your neighborhood’s curb appeal and to take pride in your community. Plus, a neighborhood that’s well-maintained sees less crime, a reduced risk of fires, and fewer unwanted animals.

Maintain Communication

There's nothing like having a strong relationship with your neighbors, knowing that you can rely on them for support in times of need — but it's not always easy to stay connected. With busy work schedules, family commitments, and other obligations, it can be hard to find the time to keep in touch outside of community events. 

If everyone on your block is comfortable with it, compile a list of names, email addresses, and phone numbers and send it to the entire block. That way, you and your neighbors have access to residents’ contact information to easily stay in the loop about upcoming events or neighborhood news. You can also stay connected virtually by reading and sharing information on your neighbors’ posts and providing important updates on the Neighbors App. 

We hope these tips and ideas we gathered inspire you to take action. Together, we can help create stronger communities that result in safer neighborhoods.

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