Monrovia Area Partnership — Investing in People

The Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) is a comprehensive approach to combating blight and crime while empowering neighborhoods by fostering citizen activism, volunteerism and community pride.   

The partnership accomplishes this through a comprehensive application of services ranging from home improvement grants and public infrastructure upgrades to chain-link-fence replacement assistance, recreation and literacy programs, and youth employment services.

MAP has become more than a program. It is an innovative philosophy that transcends departmental barriers and coordinates public/private resources to provide services with widespread community support. It has become an effective tool for identifying, understanding and addressing community needs. Issues such as graffiti; gang violence; unsightly properties; recreation services; street lighting; at-risk youth; blight; street racing; environmental hazards; parenting skills; emergency preparation; senior citizen issues and much more.

MAP is the City Council’s unique pledge to the community.

 Home Improvement Grant and Rebate Programs available through MAP:

Home Improvement grants offering up to $10,000 or a maximum of $17,500* for permanent exterior home improvements.

$5,000* if toxic removal and repair are needed of items such as lead base paint, asbestos or toxic mold eradication.   

$2,500* for chain-link fence removal and disposal.

Home Improvement Grant Eligibility: Participants must live in MAP area, be the owner of the property to be rehabilitated which must be the their  primary residence and meet income guidelines:

Family Size	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Maximum Annual Income	$50,300	$57,400	$64,600	$71,800	$77,500	$83,300	$89,000	$94,800

Participants must submit a completed application and substantiat income to be considered for participation.  Grant amounts are formulated based on owners requests, staff recommendations with the highest priority given to improvements that correct code violations and increase decent, safe and sanitary housing.

Rebate Programs (Paint and Tools) Available: Paint rebate and tool rental rebate programs encourage property owners to make improvements to their home and receive a rebate of $200.00 for the cost of paint materials or rented tools needed for improvements. Approval must be obtained prior to work and evidence substantiating expenses must be provided upon completion.

 MAP holds neighborhood barbeques and invites residents to meet with City staff and local service organizations in a relaxed atmosphere.

“The success of the Monrovia Area Partnership has been based on partnerships from the very beginning and will rely on these partnerships for a better future.”

With the City’s Home Improvement Grant Program repairs are accomplished as part of a work experience program through an agreement with LA Works a job training consortium. At-risk young adults ages 19-21, trained in the areas of construction; landscaping and city clean up programs. Work crews operate under the direct supervision of a licensed contractor.

Since the MAP kickoff in the fall of 2006…

• more than 50 homes have been rehabilitated, with many more applications still being processed;
• 1,150 lineal feet of new fencing has been installed to replace more than 1,000 lineal feet of rusted and damaged chain link fence;
• 21 homes have received new paint, freshening up the look of the house while providing weather protection to the wood beneath;
• 14 homes have received new energy efficient, vinyl windows;
• 5 new roofs have been installed that will last the homeowners 30 more years;
• 6 automatic irrigation systems have been installed to keep the lawns green and 12 homes received decorative security lighting, improving the look and the safety of these homes during darkness.

Home improvements coupled with the removal of chain-link fencing have made a dramatic visual impact in the MAP neighborhoods. This has resulted in a domino effect as neighbors see each other improving their properties they are prompted to do the same.

BEFORE: Rusted chain link fence at a MAP property prior to receiving a chain link fence replacement grant

AFTER: The chain link fence was replaced with a decorative wrought iron fencing that improved the overall look this home.

BEFORE: An example of a home prior to a MAP home improvement grant.

AFTER: The same home after rehabilitation that included new roofing, new windows, new sprinklers and exterior painting

“What can I do to make my neighborhood better and where do I start”?
The Monrovia Area Partnership is the answer to assist you with your property and also help you contribute to the overall improvement of your neighborhood. It is a partnership between homeowners and the City of Monrovia for the purpose of enhancing the quality of life of our residents and making City services more accessible to the public.

Here’s what you can do…

• Replace that old chain link fence. We can help!
• Sign up for a program to help you improve your property.
• Attend Code Education training.
• Become a point of contact with the City & help us get the word out in your neighborhood.
• Participate in the National “Make A Difference Day” and lend a hand to a neighbor in need. We’ll be working right beside you!

Dan McConnell, Neighborhood Services Coordinator, and Alexis Newell, Neighborhood Services Representative

MAP Representatives
Call us at (626) 932-5504 or E-mail us at map@ci.monrovia.ca.us please include, Name, Address and Telephone number.

 The Monrovia Area Partnership is affecting positive change in the community. Residents, participants, organizations, public and private services have all become partners.

What participants are saying…

Excerpt from Mayor Rob Hammond's State of the City ’08 Address.

“We reinvested heavily in our residential and commercial neighborhoods and it seemed sometimes like Monrovia was one big construction site. (Click here to read more.) It will again this year, too. As we said: “Progress in Monrovia is never measured in buildings.  It has never been about buildings.” What is going on today in the Monrovista neighborhood is a great example of this. Monrovista has long been a neighborhood that needed help – it is in a high crime area and has suffered from blight and neglect and some bad zoning decisions made a lot of years ago. Last year, through the Redevelopment Agency, we put 14 new homes into that neighborhood, of which three are affordable units. In 2008, we’ll add another 20 homes, with four set aside as affordable. But we also infused Monrovista and the neighborhoods surrounding it with new resources of every type through our Monrovia Area Partnership program, or MAP. Through MAP, the residents of that neighborhood received more than 50 grants for repairing their homes, fixing leaking roofs, installing energy-efficient windows and replacing fencing. Residents learned about code requirements and got re-involved with their neighbors through street parties and volunteer programs. The Monrovia Reads van that brings literacy training to our neighborhoods has expanded its services this year and now Monrovia Reads and Plays brings not only reading but recreation to the children in our MAP neighborhoods. Things got better for the folks in that neighborhood last year. Folks who were going to sell their home and leave Monrovia, but were able to fix it up instead through the home improvement grant program and stay in the community. Folks like the residents who didn’t want a grant, but who got active with their neighbors and who were instrumental in helping us rid their neighborhood of some notorious drug dealers. Folks like Paul Ramirez, who not only fixed up his home, but took the volunteering part of the program to heart and is now a literacy tutor at the Library. Paul is now teaching English to three Monrovians who are working to become American citizens. These are the MAP success stories we celebrate. These folks are living proof that investing in neighborhoods is an investment in people.”