Neighborhood Plan

Creating an environment needed to support a healthy and vibrant community

The Neighborhood Critical Community Improvement (CCI) Plan is led by the City of Shreveport’s Department of Community Development and will create an environment needed to support a healthy and vibrant community. This Plan follows the goals outlined in the CN Transformation Plan completed in August 2013 and is in keeping with HUD Livability Principles, notably through its public-private partnerships and investment in strategic areas around the replacement housing. The CCI projects have been vetted through a public input process based on their sustainability and economic impact.

The 5 Goals of the Neighborhood Transformation Strategy

Improve household self-sufficiency and economic stability.

Create mixed-use activity nodes to achieve critical mass of new development.

Address public realm improvements with a comprehensive approach.

Create opportunities for a wide array of artistic and cultural programs to enrich residents' quality of life, nurture local talent, and foster creativity.

Reduce criminal activity and improve perception of public.

Shreveport Choice Neighborhood - CCI Map

Shreveport Choice Neighborhood - Neighborhood Plan

CCI strategies included in the Neighborhood plan are directly tied to connecting residents to jobs, social services, housing, retail and CNI funded investments. These activities serve to promote social cohesion, preserve the historic fabric of the community, provide business opportunities, job creation, and workforce development, reduce criminal activity, and enhance neglected commercial corridors.

The City, HACS and Volunteers of America (VOA) through case management services will ensure that the targeted residents and local businesses will benefit from any economic opportunities derived from this initiative. Our CCI projects will make significant improvements in the built environment, community and retail amenities, transportation options, housing choices, and public safety. Target residents will benefit from increased private investment, an attractive environment for small businesses, much needed amenities and the jobs and economic opportunities they bring.

CCI Projects

Milam Street Kitchen Incubator and Community Kitchen Culinary Medicine Center

The Milam Street Kitchen Incubator (MSKICK) opened in August 2019 as a result of Shreveport’s Planning & Action Grant, and in partnership with Southern University at Shreveport. This facility nurtures and supports existing and aspiring small catering and culinary businesses, entrepreneurs, and related workforce development opportunities.

Shreveport Choice Neighborhood - Neighborhood Plan, Milam Street Kitchen Incubator (MSKICK)

Shreveport Choice Neighborhood - Neighborhood Plan, Milam Street Kitchen Incubator

The facility provides access to commercial-grade kitchen equipment, technical assistance, and training/certification programs. Learn more and get involved today by visiting the MSKICK website.

Projects Coming Soon

The EPIC Center

The EPIC Center will be located in the footprints of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI). Specifically, the EPIC Center will directly connect residents to employment, job training, and entrepreneurship. The activities in the center will serve to promote job creation, and workforce development, while reducing criminal activity, and enhancing a neglected commercial corridor.

This initiative will foster partnerships with workforce development training partners to provide well organized training steps tailored to the local job market. The overall goal of the center is to address career pathways and to help adults and youth navigate a path to jobs that will pay a living wage. This training facility will give residents in the community education on basic skills and occupational training that lead to credentials for in-demand jobs.

The EPIC Center will house three major components: The Packaging and Distribution Center, Wilson Street Makerspace, and a workforce training center.

Workforce Technology & Training Center: The training center will offer approved programs in classroom instruction. The City of Shreveport in conjunction with its Caddo American Job Center, Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana Technical College, and other partners propose to create a Workforce Training and Technology Center (WTTC) for the primary purpose of promoting economic development through education, skill training, and workforce development.
Baker Street Packaging and Distribution Center: The distribution center will utilize HUD Section 3 and partnerships with Workforce Development training partners to provide Choice residents and those that reside within the Choice Neighborhoods footprint the opportunity to gain training in the food and beverage industry through catering opportunities, and gain training to obtain living-wage jobs with local employers.
Artist Makerspace: the Wilson Street Makerspace will contribute to economic development in the Choice footprint by providing an environment in which individuals can develop the workforce skills needed in current manufacturing sectors.

Civil Rights Museum

The rehabilitation of the Old Galilee Missionary Baptist Church to a Civil Rights Museum will protect, enhance, and preserve a structure of unique character, as well as architectural and historical interest, and host the rich archives of the birth of the civil rights movement born there that impacted the entire region of North Louisiana and beyond. It will reduce blight, bring people into the area, increase neighborhood cultural awareness, and promote pride in the neighborhood’s key role in the history of the civil rights movement.

Public Safety Plan

The Public Safety Plan will facilitate deterrence and targeted surveillance of crime by purchasing cameras and drones in the CN and increase the safety of target residents. The installation of innovative smart lighting to identified hot spots will benefit residents through increased security, remove blight (Artistic Board up) and improve the perception of crime in the Neighborhood. The city’s community policing efforts will be better able to target areas of criminal activity, capture and deter crime and perform targeted crime prevention and apprehension activities. All activities will be within one mile of the CNI housing.