Bright Blocks
Supporting home improvements, strengthening blocks, and investing in Huntington's Southside.
Small improvements can make a lasting difference.
Bright Blocks is a neighborhood improvement initiative of The Southside Alliance designed to help residents complete exterior projects that support the care, maintenance, and long-term condition of their homes.
By concentrating resources within selected areas, Bright Blocks helps homeowners make meaningful improvements while strengthening individual properties and the surrounding neighborhood.
From one home to an entire block.
Bright Blocks takes a targeted, neighborhood-based approach to supporting exterior home improvements.
A Target Area Is Selected
The Bright Blocks committee identifies a target area within the Southside where concentrated home improvement efforts can make a meaningful impact.
Residents Apply
Residents within the selected area have an opportunity to apply and describe the exterior repairs, maintenance, or improvements they would like to make to their property.
Projects Are Reviewed
The committee reviews applications and determines which projects qualify for Bright Blocks support and the amount awarded.
Work Begins
Once approved, residents can move forward with their projects, helping address needed improvements to their homes while contributing to the continued care of the surrounding block.
What could a Bright Blocks project look like?
Bright Blocks focuses on exterior projects that help homeowners address repairs, maintenance, and improvements to their properties.
Applicants can share the improvements that would be most helpful for their home as part of the application process. Final eligibility and awards are determined through the Bright Blocks review process.
Exterior Repairs
Projects that address exterior areas of the home that may need repair, replacement, or continued maintenance.
Porches & Entry Areas
Improvements to porches, steps, railings, entryways, and other exterior areas that help homeowners maintain their property.
Exterior Maintenance
Projects that help homeowners care for and maintain exterior surfaces, features, and other visible areas of the home.
Home Improvement Projects
Other eligible exterior improvements that support the condition, function, and long-term care of the home.
Investment in one home can strengthen an entire block.
When homeowners have additional resources to care for and improve their properties, the impact can extend beyond one house. Individual projects can help strengthen homes, support long-term neighborhood stability, and encourage continued investment throughout the community.
Concentrated Impact
Focusing resources within a target area allows individual home improvements to work together and create a more noticeable positive impact throughout the neighborhood.
Supporting Homeowners
Bright Blocks provides residents with additional resources to complete exterior projects that may otherwise be difficult to take on all at once.
Long-Term Neighborhood Investment
Supporting the care and maintenance of individual homes can help strengthen neighborhood stability, encourage continued investment, and support pride in the place residents call home.
Inspired by a proven neighborhood approach.
Bright Blocks was inspired by the Oswego Renaissance Association in Oswego, New York, an organization that has used neighborhood-based revitalization to encourage resident investment, property improvement, and community pride.
With guidance from Paul Stewart of the Oswego Renaissance Association and the work of The Southside Alliance's board and Bright Blocks committee, the idea was adapted for Huntington's Southside.
Have questions?
Here's a quick overview of how participation in Bright Blocks works.
Who can apply for Bright Blocks?
Residents whose properties are located within the currently selected Bright Blocks target area are eligible to submit an application.
How much funding can I request?
Applicants may request grant support of up to $1,000 for an approved exterior home improvement project.
Can anyone in the Southside apply?
Bright Blocks works within selected target areas so that multiple home improvement projects can create concentrated impact. Eligibility therefore depends on whether your property is within the current target area.
What types of projects may qualify?
Bright Blocks is intended to support eligible exterior repairs, maintenance, and home improvement projects. Applicants can describe the needs of their property as part of the application process, and the Bright Blocks committee will determine project eligibility.
When can work begin?
Work should begin only after the Bright Blocks application has been reviewed and approved.
How are projects selected?
Applications are reviewed by the Bright Blocks committee based on the program's guidelines, available funding, and the proposed improvement.
Help us improve Bright Blocks.
The Southside Alliance is gathering feedback from Southside residents to better understand how people learn about Bright Blocks, what types of home repairs and improvements matter most to them, and how we can make the program easier to understand and access.
Our short questionnaire only takes a few minutes. Your feedback will help shape how Bright Blocks communicates with and serves residents moving forward.