The Community Action Organization of Erie County and Martin Luther King Jr. Better Schools/Better Neighborhoods collaborative have turned a shuttered HSBC bank branch into a community resource center.

But now they may have their work cut out convincing community members that the project actually will help the MLK park neighborhood it plans to serve.

About 70 people attended the formal announcement of plans for the former bank branch—now the Masten Resource Center at 1423 Fillmore Ave. — earlier this week. There were politicians from every level of government — from Buffalo Deputy Mayor Donna Brown to a spokesperson for Rep. Louise Slaughter. CAO staffers were recognizable by their T-shirts. And HSBC bank executives stood up to be recognized.

But few community members attended.

Merline Bell, owner of Promises beauty school across the street from the new center, came to hear about the plans and how the center may help her. After listening to the speeches, she’s still not sure.

“Their programs don’t lend themselves to students who are not going to college, and that’s who my students are. But while I’m here, I’m going to see what type of assistance they can give me,” she said.

An HSBC customer who banked at the former branch, Irene Melson lives on Glenwood Avenue around the corner from the new center. She said the plans sound good, but talking about ideas will not make a difference unless they materialize.

“It’s a good concept, but we can’t wait 20 years. There needs to be ongoing practices every day. If we wait 20 years, there will be nothing here,” she said.

The bank closed the site on Nov. 20, saying business had declined, and donated the building to the CAO.

Now the resource center will be the headquarters for the Martin Luther King Jr. Better Schools/Better Neighborhoods collaborative to help turn the struggling neighborhood into a vibrant community.

The idea is to build a model for how to change neighborhoods, people and institutions and then replicate it across the city, said Henry L. Taylor Jr., director of the University at Buffalo’s Center for Urban Studies. The collaborative is his brainchild.

In addition to CAO and HSBC, partners in the collaborative include the city of Buffalo, the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, business people and ordinary citizens—“anyone with a vested interest in the community outreach,” Taylor said.

“Everyone in the area will be involved. We will organize the community so they speak with a single voice and a single purpose,” he added.

Programs and services to be offered at the resource center include computer and vocational training, an Internet cafe with Wi-Fi set up, the Keep Buffalo Neat program, as well as programs for senior citizens and youth, said CAO Executive Director L. Nathan Hare.

For example, the resource center will run an anti-violence program that will focus on outreach and identifying troublesome areas and youth, Hare said.