Painting the homes of seniors, conducting scores of neighborhood clean ups and providing graffiti training have earned the Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) a Difference-Maker Award by the Make A Difference organization.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

Maria Torres, owner of MRM Construction Services, was able to construct new headquarters in south Phoenix that included 8,000 square feet of office and laboratory space, a far cry from the 8-by-30-foot trailer that served as her previous headquarters.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

The Neighborhood Services Department recently was recognized by the National League of Cities and National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) for last year's "Taking It To The Streets" celebration, which showcased diverse Phoenix communities and neighborhood groups.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

The Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) and PHX11 have received a gold AVA Award for "Phoenix Working for You," a live, call-in show last March that featured interviews with NSD staff about department programs and services.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

Last year, the city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) Graffiti Busters team cleaned nearly 64,000 graffiti sites, and this year the team is on track to clean more than 90,000 tagged sites.

As such, the department this month sent letters to retailers reminding them that it is against the law to sell spray paint, broad-tipped indelible markers and etching solutions to persons under the age of 18 in Phoenix.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

When the Phoenix City Council approved an ordinance establishing a comprehensive shopping cart retrieval program last spring, the city's Neighborhood Services Department recorded retrieving approximately 900 abandoned shopping carts per month.

To read more on this story or for Media Contact information please view the full news release.

The city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) recently was recognized nationally for use of mobile technology to allow code enforcement inspectors to access databases remotely by using computer laptops and the citywide wireless network.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers and the Public Technology Institute selected NSD as one of 23 programs nationwide with a "Best in Tech" annual award for enhancing government services through innovative adaptations of technology.

Use of the computer laptops by approximately 80 inspectors and field supervisors improved customer service by giving residents immediate answers in the field, improved productivity by giving inspectors in-the-field data entry and data retrieval capability and reduced costs associated with fuel and vehicle wear.

The department last year resolved more than 50,000 code enforcement cases throughout the city.

For more information on code enforcement questions or report violations, call 602-262-7844.

The city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) recently was recognized nationally for its use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) in a Web-based application that enables city staff and law enforcement entities to share graffiti-related data.

The Public Technology Institute (PTI) selected NSD's Graffiti Web Services as one of 17 programs nationwide with a "Technology Solutions" award for how well they applied technology to improve service delivery, reduce operating costs or create new revenue opportunities. Award winners will be recognized at the 2007 PTI Technology Leadership Conference held from May 6 to 8 in Denver.

Graffiti Web Services integrates city graffiti data and neighborhood association information to help graffiti detectives and county prosecutors identify neighborhoods and graffiti crime victims to identify trends of graffiti vandals and assist in their apprehension and conviction. The site also allows NSD staff to view and summarize graffiti removal costs to report on and recoup these costs.

Community action and school resource officers also can access the Graffiti Web Services to identify graffiti vandals in their respective jurisdictions.

Last year, NSD staff removed more than 52,000 tagged sites around Phoenix.

For information on other NSD anti-graffiti programs, call Neighborhood Preservation at 602-262-7844 or go online at phoenix.gov/NBHDPGMS/grafbust.html.

The city of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department recently received the highest federal government rating for its work removing lead hazards in homes throughout Phoenix.

Phoenix exceeded federal standards, and it received a "green" designation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The city has trained 55 individuals on lead remediation and participated in more than 40 outreach events to educate the community about lead hazard issues and the assistance available.

With those educational and awareness efforts, the city already has surpassed the goals outlined as part of a $3 million HUD grant Phoenix received last year.

Through the Lead Hazard Program, the city has remediated more than 1,000 homes since the program began in 1996.

For more information, call 602-534-3757.

Phoenix is receiving national recognition for its efforts at removing neighborhood blight, building affordable housing and removing health and safety hazards from homes in the community.

The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) will present three Awards of Merit in Housing and Community Development in July to the Neighborhood Services Department for those projects.

Neighborhood Services spearheaded the neighborhood revitalization and community development efforts, which addressed more than 1,200 blighted properties in central Phoenix. In that Village Center Neighborhood Initiative Area, the department also made possible the building of 17 workforce/affordable infill homes, rehabilitated more than 100 homes and created approximately 200 jobs for low- and moderate-income residents.

Overall, the project helped more than 43,000 residents in the Sunnyslope area.

Neighborhood Services also helped to design and create a Neighborhood Resource Center in at 24th Street and Broadway Road that includes a neighborhood police unit, neighborhood code enforcement inspectors and community meeting rooms. The center was built with 2001 bond funds.

In addition, the "Healthy Homes Demonstration Project" remedied child health and safety hazards in 120 housing units, as well as provided parent education and supplies to make the homes safer and healthier for children. The project was a collaborative effort between Neighborhood Services, Phoenix Head Start, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Arizona Department of Housing.

NAHRO is a national housing and community development organization devoted to promoting affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

The Westwood Rental Renaissance Team (WRRT) recently received national recognition for closing a crime-ridden, 156-unit apartment complex, working with police to shut down an illegal, after-hours club that was the source of constant gunfire and prostitution, and also for providing approximately 300 underprivileged children with food and gifts.

The American Society for Public Administration presented the WRRT, comprised of staff from the Neighborhood Services, Police, Parks and Recreation and Law departments and Westwood Community Association members, with a Superior Service Award for its approach to fighting crime and blight in the Westwood community.

The WRRT was formed in 1998 to address the rampant crime and blight affecting the one-square-mile, west Phoenix neighborhood bounded by Camelback and Indian School roads and 25th and 19th avenues that includes more than 11,000 residents and 120 apartment complexes. The group developed and implemented an action plan that included aggressive law and neighborhood preservation ordinances enforcement.

"The Westwood Rental Renaissance Team is a good example of the positive synergy made possible by interdepartmental and neighborhood association partnership and collaboration at its very best," said Jerome Miller, Neighborhood Services Department director.

"The team is to be commended for the way it embraced the Westwood community and for its dedication to transform it into a safer and healthier environment for families, schools and businesses," he added.

Information on neighborhood preservation and revitalization programs is available by calling the Neighborhood Services Department at 602-262-7344 or online at phoenix.gov/NSD/index.html.