In the bloom of the current Providence Renaissance, it is easy to forget what Providence looked like in 1976. Many neighborhoods were suffering from abandonment as families fled to the suburbs. In many cases, people just locked their doors and abandoned their home.

The south and west sides were particularly hard hit. Arson was such a threat around July 4th that there were citywide arson watches organized every year. And, houses still burned. Insurance was difficult to secure, so when houses burned they were not repaired. The city demolished them and left hundreds of vacant lots with questionable ownership and no one to care for them.

On the south side, community activists organized to address what was quickly turning into blight. They coined their efforts People Acting Through Community Effort (PACE). PACE was more interested in using demolition to eliminate the blight than saving the houses.

A group known as the Ontario Street Block Club in Elmwood grew concerned about an abandoned house on their street that threatened the safety and security of those who lived nearby. Led by Berta Phillips, the Ontario Street neighbors fought against demolition because they feared the vacant lot would become more of a problem to their neighborhood. They convinced the owner to sell it for a nominal price and then found someone to renovate it and move in.

It was deemed a success and they wondered if more houses could be saved this way. The Elmwood residents tried to get other more established organizations to take up the cause, but found no willing partners. Left with no other options, they decided to create a new organization with a new mission – to match a house with a buyer.

The name they picked said it all – Stop Wasting Abandoned Property. Today known as SWAP.