Since the neighbourhood of Albion-Heatherington gained the attention of city council — and city funds — improvements have been made to one of the lowest-income areas in Ottawa in the last year, say some residents.
But revitalizing a part of the city that has an individual low-income rate of 34 per cent, will take more than the attention of councillors.
“I’ve seen the difference over the past decade. I would say they have tried- I feel perfectly safe,” said resident Yolande McMillan. “But yes, there is some crime.”
The average low-income rate is about twelve per cent for all of Ottawa, according to data from the 2011 National Household Survey, compiled by Statistics Canada, meaning Heatherington’s is almost three times higher than average.
Over the past year, a lens has been placed on the neighbourhood as it’s one of three areas the City of Ottawa has picked for a revitalization project, titled Building Better Revitalized Neighbourhoods, approved in March.
The project specifically targets low-income neighbourhoods, including Carlington and Vanier South.
On Oct 19, the city announced Heatherington will be the subject of a revitalization study, one that will cost $250,000. It’s the result of the work of Diane Deans, councillor for Gloucester-Southgate, who called for the city to bring specific attention to Heatherington over the past year and a half.
Funding for the neighbourhood also came this year after Deans submitted a project proposal for federal funding- for a community kitchen to be added on to the Albion-Heatherington Recreation Centre.
The recreation centre boasts programs for youth and children with a basketball court inside. On any given night you can hear balls bouncing and shoes screeching on the court.
McMillan has lived in the neighbourhood for ten years and often walks her dog behind the centre. Nearby is a local park nestled between several apartments and housing units.
The primary reason for moving to the area was diversity of people- which may not be as present in other Ottawa neighbourhoods, she said.
She believes the city has made major improvements that benefit children in the area specifically.
“They are cleaning the parks on a weekly basis. They tore down the Herongate Mall and are putting up new housing on the other side of the street,” said McMillan.
In the summertime, you can often see children playing in the parks, and an ice rink is set up near the recreation centre in the winter, she said.
Some business owners and workers in the area continue to be wary of crime in the neighbourhood.
Yj Zhung works at the local Dollarpal near Heatherington Road, in Walkley Plaza. She said most of the customers at the store are low-income families in the area.
Zhung said she does feel uneasy sometimes-as fights sometimes occur in the plaza parking lot. “This area specifically is not very safe. The police come a lot,” she said.
She often sees teenagers roaming the neighbourhood- as not enough community activities seem to exist. More of these via the community centre, could help.
In the same plaza, Mo Ali works at Bullo Wireless and Exchange Ltd, a tech shop, as a part time owner. On one of the plaza walls is a community graffiti mural, with “community is a shared responsibility” written on it.
He said he likes working in the neighbourhood- but would not want his children to live here.
“If my kids were here, I’d feel uncomfortable,” he said. “They should have a better recreation centre, or another place where they can play basketball.”
Mentioning the new community kitchen, Ali agrees that this is a good use of resources. But it’s still not enough, he said.
Without enough of these public spaces, kids play on the street and witness drug deals that happen nearby, he said.
“They stand in the plaza sometimes, selling stuff,” said Ali. “The police need to do something about that.”
Earlier this month four were arrested for several swarmings involving robbery that occurred near the recreation centre. Ali said he is in favour of a heavier police presence in the neighbourhood.