Neighborhoods
Community Building: Turning Neighborhood Visions into Reality
Family Leadership Academy
Family Leadership Academy
A Neighborhood Initiative
At New Brunswick Tomorrow, we believe that the most powerful force for change is the voice of the community. That’s why we center residents and families in every step of our neighborhood revitalization work—empowering them to shape their future and take action on the issues that matter most.
Through outreach, engagement, and leadership development, we’re building a movement of residents who are not just participants, but co-creators of a stronger, more vibrant New Brunswick.
➸ Resident Engagement & Leadership
Neighborhood revitalization starts from the ground up. NBT’s engagement model trains active resident volunteers to conduct peer-to-peer outreach, build trust, and bring neighbors together. Residents set the priorities—and we support them in working collaboratively with decision-makers to drive meaningful change.
➸ Celebrating Arts & Culture
Arts and culture are essential to building vibrant, connected communities. In partnership with coLAB Arts, we support a range of creative initiatives that elevate the stories and identities of New Brunswick’s diverse residents, including:
- Public art projects that reflect community voices
- Mercado Esperanza: A family-friendly festival celebrating Latino arts, food, and culture
- Youth arts programming that nurtures creativity and leadership
➸ Safety & Quality of Life
We work with residents, the City of New Brunswick, and community partners to identify and address quality of life concerns. Together, we’ve achieved:
- Improved trash collection in key corridors
- Enhanced community policing and public safety
- Pedestrian safety upgrades
- Major capital investments in neighborhood parks
➸ Family Leadership Academy
In partnership with PRAB, we co-created the Family Leadership Academy (FLA)—a year-long program that helps families build skills, access resources, and work toward greater economic security. The FLA combines:
- A comprehensive group curriculum
- Individual case management
- A matched savings account to support long-term financial goals
OUR IMPACT
volunteer residents participating
hours performed in community improvement activities
community clean-ups
residents satisfied with neighborhood
Citywide impacts due to resident advocacy:
workers gaining mandatory paid sick time
Municipal IDs issued
vacant properties rehabilitated
local ordinances passed with resident advocacy
residents trained and activated as outreach ambassadors
residents engaging in neighborhood improvement activities annually
new community murals or public art installations
community celebrations & festivals hosted
neighborhood parks developed or improved
families graduated from Family Leadership Academy
saved by Family Leadership Academy families
Together with our partners, we’re making measurable progress:
first-time homebuyers supported
families received down payment & closing cost assistance
in assistance grants awarded
affordable housing units developed
distressed homes rehabbed and sold
households receive pre-homeownership counseling annually
households receive pre-homeownership education annually
tenant households counseled annually
tenants engaged in the Tenant Association annually
NBT and its partners will have contributed to the growth of local entrepreneurs and small businesses by:
business grant funds awarded
small business grant recipients
small businesses participating in neighborhood activities
neighborhood businesses featured in new district website
entrepreneurs received business education training
emerging entrepreneurs provided sales opportunities annually
new storefront food businesses opened
culinary scholarships awarded
people reached with financial education annually
KEY ISSUES
PROGRAM
Partners