It means being there through thick and thin.  It means putting in the time to work with neighbors to change a neighborhood’s perception as “low income,” or a “problem” to seeing the neighborhoods and people as the asset they truly are. 

At New Directions, we know that our role in a neighborhood revitalization is that of facilitator, not savior. The needs, dreams, and the choices of the people in the neighborhood have already been determined. Our charge is to amplify those voices so the entire neighborhood is represented, and that those dreams are fulfilled.