Photo Courtesy of the City of Peoria

Earlier this summer, the city of Peoria’s Neighborhood and Human Services Department was recognized for its Code 101 and Block Party Programs. The Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) Conference awarded the city of Peoria the Best Neighborhood Program in the Physical Revitalization/Beautification category for the Code 101 Program and the Best Neighborhood Program in the Social Revitalization/Neighborliness category.

“We developed these two programs to provide more opportunities for neighbors to connect with each other and the city,” says Chris Hallett, Peoria’s Director of Neighborhood and Human Services. “Community engagement is a high priority for the city of Peoria, and we are honored to receive national recognition for these important programs.”

Peoria’s Code 101 Program was one of six finalists competing in the Physical Revitalization/Beautification category for NUSA’s Best Neighborhood Program. This first place award is now the third national award for the Code 101 Program, which was developed by the city’s Code Compliance Division. The City of Peoria created the Code 101 Program to provide innovative, accessible education to the community on code-related topics. Code 101 consists of in-person presentations and an informational video series called Code Talk. To view the Code Talk videos, visit peoriaaz.gov/code.

Also awarded a first place designation for the Best Neighborhood Program for Social Revitalization/Neighborliness was Peoria’s Block Party Program. This program unites residents using a free block party trailer filled with everything needed to host a neighborhood gathering. The Block Party Program was also designed to bring city information to neighborhoods. Peoria’s Community Engagement Division staff are always on hand at each block party to answer questions and provide city service referrals. To learn more about this award-winning program, visit peoriaaz.gov/engage.

NUSA is a national nonprofit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood organizations by encouraging the development of partnerships among neighborhood organizations, government, and the private sector.

To learn more about Peoria’s Neighborhood and Human Services programs, visit peoriaaz.gov/government/departments/neighborhood-and-human-services.