The session begins at 6 p.m. at Knollwood Elementary at 3039 Santa Monica Drive in Decatur.
Healthy Belvedere says the neighborhood concerns are common issues in South DeKalb and challenging to address. While the lack of funds may prevent the community from getting more sidewalks, crime and stray dogs are problems that residents can tackle if they work together, the campaign says. The forum will offer active living and crime reduction strategies.
The Harvard School of Public Health recently published a study that found that having a sense of community and being willing to get involved in making a safer community brought crime down by 40 percent, Healthy Belvedere cited. Another study, reported by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that when residents feel safe they are more likely to participate in physical activity.
For Belvedere residents want to get out and walk but don’t feel safe enough to do so, Healthy Belvedere has created some ways to get neighbors connected and physically active.
The strategies that will be introduced at the Community Forum include a new Healthy Belvedere Safe Neighborhood listserv, a Good News blog and education on how to handle encounters with stray animals, Neighborhood Walks and walking clubs, roving fitness classes, and opportunities to form Neighborhood Watch groups.
The Healthy Belvedere Community Health Initiative is a neighborhood effort to reduce health disparities associated with chronic illnesses through environmental and policy changes. It is based in southeast DeKalb County. The service area is formed on the north by Memorial Drive, Columbia Drive to the east, Glenwood Road to the south, and Candler Road to the west. The initiative is a partnership among Kaiser Permanente of Georgia, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and Belvedere community stakeholders.
For more information, www.healthybelvedere.org or call 678-973-2186.
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