When we moved into our house on Hinckley Street 24 years ago, we experienced what I think of as the true Dorchester neighborhood. There were neighbors you knew well and neighbors you simply waved to while walking down the street, but everyone understood that if someone needed help, you stepped in.
When I was home with a toddler and pregnant with my second child, a neighbor would clear my sidewalk whenever a weekday snowstorm hit. If your car battery died, someone had jumper cables. If you needed to borrow a tool, there was always a nearby door you could knock on. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a community. The other parents at our local preschool became the ones we sat with in the stands when our kids played Little League and later at high school graduation ceremonies.
Since moving to Dorchester (or, returning to Dorchester in my husband’s case) every house on our street that has come up for sale has been purchased by an investor or developer who does not live in Dorchester. The multi-family homes that were owner-occupied still provided rental housing, but they also provided stability…