Ravenstahl expects to get more information from the walk so he can with the community organizations and activist. Community leaders Ricky Burgess and Joe Preston were among the people in the community walking through Homewood. They want to implement their vision and strategy for the future of Homewood. Ravenstahl adds, "Our message is clear and that is we are here to help and we want to do what we can to get the resources in place to reinvest in Homewood.

"Certainly walking through Homewood gives Mayor Ravenstahl and his administration a “birds-eye view” of some of the problems and some of the things that we can do immediately," say Ricky Burgess. He says that there will be an immediate impact and as a council office he is working on these things systematically and with the administration they are showcasing particular hot spots. "We are looking at houses and if they are condemned, we will talk about having them removed. If they are not condemned, then the houses will be rehabbed, concludes Burgess.

Joe Preston admits that it's been difficult trying to get these buildings torn down or get the front sides merged. They keep going from buyer to buyer. The owners no longer live there and those that do have probably past away. Preston says, "After six years of vacancy, the houses can not be rehabilitated. They can only be torn down and the city is responsible for that to happen."

The city does not have the money, but what everyone is trying to do as a whole community is come up with a comprehensive economic development plan, by flattening out most of this area and rebuild so people would want to live in Homewood.

"You have to tear down enough and totally rebuild. The infrastructure is here because we can replace the telephones lines and place them underground to make it look more appealing. We do not need to have these
houses down in these alley ways. If you build the kind of houses like you have in other areas that would be great. You have people in this area doing drugs and other things they should not be doing. People deserve a certain level of quality of life," Preston adds.

Reverend John Wallace of the Bible Center Church in Homewood has changed a house from residential to a community center. It was an active crack house and they pulled our resources and revitalized the house by churches and others to make Homewood a better place.

Mayor Ravenstahl thinks it's tremendous that Reverend Wallace has been a active participant in so many different ways to try and help take back Homewood is just another fine example.

"Reverend Wallace and his church have redone this house without any help from the government. They put their own money in this project and it shows you the opportunity and potential of what can happen when you come together. You have seen the negative parts that we just walked by and one block later you see the positive impact the church is having. We need more partners like this and we need more people to step up and try to help us help them make this a better place to live," says Ravenstahl.

Reverend Wallace and his church found the house beause it is directly behind his church. He says that you should your community work first and then you do your church.