Baltimore's Comprehensive Communities Program

The story of the Baltimore Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) has its historical roots in community organizing around housing problems with a heavy focus on problem-solving through sophisticated and, for Baltimore at least, time-tested legal processes. Baltimore has a unique style of row houses which lend themselves to a “domino” process once any of them are allowed to deteriorate or are abandoned. The origins and basis of Baltimore’s CCP effort is found in...
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The story of the Baltimore Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) has its historical roots in community organizing around housing problems with a heavy focus on problem-solving through sophisticated and, for Baltimore at least, time-tested legal processes. Baltimore has a unique style of row houses which lend themselves to a “domino” process once any of them are allowed to deteriorate or are abandoned. The origins and basis of Baltimore’s CCP effort is found in pre-existing community organizing which centered around improving Baltimore’s troubled housing situation. CCP funding was pivotal in furthering the development of these nascent community organizations. It multiplied the number of participating neighborhoods, provided important skills to neighborhood leaders, and furthered development of community policing during an important period of departmental reinvigoration. This report on Baltimore’s CCP shows that important crime control efforts can have their origins in the community, and these communities can develop skills to deal with complex problems. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.