Two neighborhoods, Brookside and Pleasantville, have been selected as New Castle County’s next engagement efforts in the Building Better Communities initiative, County Executive Matt Meyer announced Tuesday.

The aim is to reduce violence and increase community engagement in Brookside, which is outside of Newark, and Pleasantville, in the New Castle area.

“The American Rescue Plan Act provides a historic opportunity to reimagine the communities in which we live, an unprecedented opportunity to address problems that arose in recent months and divisions that have festered for decades,” Mr. Meyer said.

Building Better Communities has launched a grant application for organizations that have the capacity to serve residents in Brookside and Pleasantville. To learn more, visit nccde.org/bbc.