Iowa State is hoping a grant received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will enable the university to provide support to surrounding communities.

Recently, more than 100 universities nationwide participated in a competition to receive part of a $7 million grant to promote a Community Outreach Partnership Center Program designed to help out local communities.

ISU was one of 18 schools to receive a portion of the grant.

Competing universities underwent an evaluation by the housing and urban development department in order to determine which universities would be allocated a part of the grant.

The grant is “designed to create Community Outreach Partnership Centers,” said Riad Mahayni, chair of the community and regional planning department.

The specific area receiving ISU will focus on in the program is the five neighborhoods in Des Moines known as Enterprise Community.

These are the communities in Des Moines determined to be in need of “rebuilding and revitalization,” Mahayni said.

This project is the first of hopefully many major projects designed to help the community, Mahayni said.

He said the basic idea of the program is to set up centers in the Enterprise Community designed to teach residents of the communities the necessary skills needed to “rebuild and revitalize” their neighborhoods.

The community determines what areas need help, and ISU sets up programs intended to address these problems.

The program was designed so the people of the community can, in essence, “help themselves,” Mahayni said.

“We want the communities to tell us what areas of their community needs help,” Mahayni said.

One workshop to be set up is a leadership training class. The people in the community can learn how to become leaders in their neighborhoods and encourage the rebuilding process.

The Department of Community and Regional Planning said it is willing to work with students from ISU who want to help in the rebuilding process.