Neighborhood improvement programs designed to protect Upper Roxbury from urban blight began in 1949 when Freedom House joined with community members to organize neighborhood clean-up projects and playground construction.  Abandoned houses and cars and empty lots were targeted for clean-up by Freedom House and other neighborhood block associations. Bars that were considered a nuisance were routed out of the neighborhood and alcohol licenses were denied due to the efforts of the group.  Freedom House worked closely with the city to improve the services provided to Roxbury and with the police department to improve police-community relations.  At the same time, Boston was beginning a formal urban renewal campaign that did not initially include Roxbury.  A telegram from the Snowdens to Mayor Collins resulted in the inclusion of the Washington Park Urban Renewal Project in Boston's campaign.  By 1963 Freedom House had entered into formal contracts with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the Action Boston Community Development (ABCD) to serve as a liaison between the planners and technicians, and the residents of Washington Park. This relationship, lasted until the Boston Redevelopment Authority withdrew from Roxbury in the late 1960s, leaving much of its work undone.