Case Study: Dayton, WA; The Broken Window Theory

If a house's window is broken and left in disrepair, passers-by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. More broken windows result, a climate of destruction and despair builds and eventually pervades the neighborhood. That, in a nutshell, is the "broken windows" theory.

When Dayton, Washington saw elements of this condition in its community in the early 1980s, the townspeople, including the youth, decided things had gone far enough.

Click Here for the pdf document about how this community turned things around and decreased their poverty levels by 34% over a 10 year period.

If you click on the title of this post it will take you to the NWAF Solutions Depot, where you can access how-to-guides, case studies, and more related to successful initiatives to reduce poverty in your community.