The MyHometown Initiative is a partnership with members of the community, stakeholders and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with other religious institutions.

For the past two years, a similar program known as Operation MyHometown was piloted in West Valley City. Provo is the second to take on the partnership.

In part, the initiative is to help build community leadership and resilience; collecting and deploying resources in the community; and to provide labor, expertise and mentoring.

If successful, the initiative is expected to bring new life and energy to Provo neighborhoods by improving the housing and the appearance of the neighborhood. It would also offer opportunities for the community’s families to advance and prosper and it make the community a place where people will want to invest their time, money and efforts.

The West Valley was considered extremely successful. The Youth Council were actively engaged in the operation and there was a great deal of engagement with other faith-based institutions.

Concerning the West Valley Pilot program, The Deseret News reported that, “Operation MyHometown has been successful enough in one neighborhood of 1,060 houses, apartments and mobile homes that West Valley City already is expanding it to several others, and one of the partners, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is hoping to replicate it in other parts of the country and perhaps other parts of the world,”

“Six days a week, the church is converting its meetinghouse in the neighborhood into a community center. Corporations are donating cash and goods. A new park is planned. The city is adding street lights. Funds are being raised to finance home ownership. And volunteers are streaming in from all over the Salt Lake Valley to work side by side with residents to deal with blight and city code violations. Together, they paint homes, pour new driveways, haul away dead trees and remake lawns,” the Deseret News reports.

As for Provo, Kaufusi sees even more possibilities.

“Helping build a strong sense of community and neighborhood resilience is a big part of what a city should do. The opportunity to focus resources from non-profit and faith-based organizations in our community to build and strengthen neighborhoods does not come around every day,” Kaufusi said. “After seeing the success of the MyHometown initiative in West Valley, we looked for a way to use and build on that model in Provo and found a willing partner in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are excited to partner with them, our other partners, and the residents in these neighborhoods to offer resources tailored to the resident’s needs and further the health and resilience of these fantastic Provo neighborhoods.”

There will be no time wasted with this initiative. The LDS Church is already calling service missionaries, sometimes called inner-city missionaries, to come and start serving.

They won’t come in skirts or suits, according to Wayne Parker Provo Chief Administrative Officer, “These missionaries will come in jeans and work boots.”

Here’s how it works:

• City provides leadership and connections.
• Local ecclesiastical leaders are key.
• Block captains are recruited and provide connection and leadership.
• Church of Jesus Christ provides missionary and facility resources.
• Non-profits maximize their services.

Block Captains are recruited from neighborhood residents and will work with around 20-35 families each. They determine needs and marshal resources. They are to focus first on families and neighbors.

Church volunteers will offer resources not found in the neighborhood and coordinate with ecclesiastical leaders of many faiths.

Provo Freedom Stake and Provo South Stake boundary areas will be the first neighborhoods targets. There are 28 stakes in the initiative.

The service missionaries will focus on service projects, one on one mentoring, running Community Resource Centers and coordinate efforts with city and other stakeholders.

While this initiative has drawn praises from the Provo Municipal Council and others, it isn’t the first of its kind in Provo. Residents could learn a thing or two from what the Seventh-day Adventists have been doing for years.

Chaplain Linda Walton, ACS director, is happy to have added help to what this Provo congregation has been trying to do. Walton noted that the problems just keep growing.

“Many people aren’t aware of the needs in our community,” Walton said. “We have probably 20,000 homeless people and many groups that have nowhere to meet. Many charities for many years have been dealing with poverty, homelessness, health issues, children’s needs, elderly assistance, animal care, and many other needs.”

“Utah County, for instance, used to have about 42 faith groups, but, because of the pandemic, that number has decreased to about 10. And, many smaller groups just don’t have the money to buy or rent space,” she added. “We have about 400 people that use our gymnasium, and other parts of the building, for church services, daycare centers, Utah Valley Symphony rehearsals, American Red Cross blood drives and shelter in case of a disaster (including storage of 100 cots and blankets, medical supplies and basic food/water), and the Utah Valley Handbell Choir, every week.”

“There is also a large parking area and yard for summer outdoor picnics, or additional space for emergency tents, or other shelters,” Walton said of the Community Center addition to the church.

“Our facility has everything from beautiful pianos in a chapel to showers, washer, dryer, full kitchen, and basketball hoops,” Walton said. “Now we have school supplies, computers, and canned goods to distribute at the Food and Care Coalition on the third Sunday each month.”

Perhaps one of the most forward thinking approaches to helping non-profits, neighborhoods and those in need is the use of LDS churches during the week as these Community Resource Centers.

For years, many members of the church have thought the buildings could be used for more than just Sunday activities and basketball. The LDS Church has worked out the liabilities and insurance, which is a mountain itself to climb. It can now service these non-profits and build on them. According to plans, even church parking lots could be reconfigured for use of outdoor space.

Provo’s involvement includes two city liaisons, Tara Riddle and Dixon Holmes. It will offer resources, grant funds, offer in-kind services like dumpsters and street cleaning. There will occasionally be limited “but-for” funding. Workers Compensation will be offered for volunteers. There will be background checks for volunteers and they will wear nametags etc.

“We are seriously enthusiastic about this initiative. It is all about capacity building, not the traditional ‘one and done,'” Parker said. “It is about what residents have, not what they don’t have. Developing resilience is the objective, not just clean up and paint up.”

“We are thrilled to be able to build upon the many partnerships that currently support our work at our South Franklin Community Center,” said Bill Hulterstrom, President and CEO of United Way of Utah County. “Having additional locations for activities as well as additional volunteers to support vital community interaction is exciting.”

We will be sharing much more about the details of this initiative in the coming days, Kaufusi added.