By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Friends of Little Sài Gòn (FLS) has announced a new, community-led effort to address safety and liveability concerns within Little Sài Gòn.
Created in partnership with the City of Seattle, the initiative, called the Phố Đẹp (Beautiful Neighborhood) initiative, is meant to highlight and strengthen local partnerships and place-based solutions to create a safer environment and more vibrancy within the historic Seattle neighborhood.
Home to more than 85 immigrant and refugee-owned small businesses, Little Sài Gòn serves as the heart of the area’s Vietnamese community. The Phố Đẹp initiative aims to use a place-based approach to addressing the neighborhood’s issues of homelessness, drug use, illegal street vending, and crime by collaborating with business owners, Little Sài Gòn residents, and local organizations.
“FLS believes that the most sustainable solutions come from within the community,” said FLS’s executive director, Quynh Pham, in a press release about the initiative. “Phố Đẹp is about reclaiming our neighborhood’s vitality through collaboration and strategic problem-solving, rooted in uplifting our cultural communities.”
FLS will hold a special community kick-off event for the initiative on Feb. 27 at the Nisei Veterans Committee Memorial Hall, located at 1212 South King St., Seattle, Washington 98144. The event runs from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., and will feature discussions on community-driven solutions and opportunities to connect with stakeholders.
Those interested in the initiative or the kick-off event can learn more on FLS’s website.