Murals are starting to pop up on the front and sides of some of the areas condemned homes. Paintings of windowsills, kittens, flowers and leaves have replaced empty windows and worn brick at the corner of Kittatinny and 13th Street.
These paintings are the first of what the Tri County Communuity Action group hopes will be many which brighten up a neighborhood which often times, gets a bad reputation.
"It's not only dealing with blight, but also helping to give the residents here a platform to share their voice and identity in the neighborhood," said Julie Walter, revitalization outreach coordinator for Tri County Community Action, and project leader for ArtUP! South Allison Hill.
The paintings along Kittatinny and 13th Street were a huge success for the group last year, largely because of the community involvement. Eighty-one local youth took turns painting leaves.
"The residents association really wanted to make sure this job moved forward," she said.
This Wednesday, the ArtUP! project will take its next step, painting murals which will be placed on the outside of homes along Berryhill Street at Daisy Street and 15th Street in May.
The Tri County Community Action team, along with local artists and neighborhood residents, will get together at Fountain Gate Church on Derry Street on Wednesday between 3-5 p.m. Artists will paint "African whimsical art," butterflies, faces, and trees.
"The citizens here really care about their community," said local painter and participant Jeff Copus. "This project gives them a way to express that through art."