Community Leadership Institute Success: the Sabor Del Northside Community Festival

By Sara Varela 
NeighborWorks America
Community Building and Organizing
communications specialist

This entry is reposted from the Leaders for Community blog: http://ow.ly/cFdyb

The NeighborWorks America Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is coming up in October, an event where local leaders from throughout the country gather together to learn how to better serve their communities. I have been generating excitement online using a Facebook group and this week I decided to read through the outcomes tagged as CLI projects to share success stories with the group. CLI outcomes are one of my favorite topics to read about, because the ideas for the projects are generated by a team of resident volunteers who attend this national event, and then go home full of energy and make positive changes in their communities. It is resident empowerment at its best.  Avenue Community Development Corporation (Avenue CDC) in Houston, Texas submitted this text and photos. This story is great because it shows what can be accomplished when residents who care partner with organizations that are ready to support them.
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“Schools, businesses, artists, community organizations, and residents came together at “Sabor Del Northside” to celebrate the great things in the Northside. What began as a brainstorm from eight resident leaders became reality as more than 1,000 people flocked to Ketelsen Elementary for this vibrant community festival.

Image courtesy of Avenue CDC and Epic Shots Photography

Even before the festival day, the “Sabor Del Northside” planning committee considered the event a success, because the planning process truly brought the community together. More than 50 organizations and businesses signed up to have booths at the festival to showcase their work. Project GRAD hosted a student art show on the next block. Local bands signed up to play, and cheerleaders and dance groups eagerly asked to perform. Parent-teacher organizations sold tacos and drinks to support their schools. Lindale Civic Club brought out children’s games and prizes. Marshall Middle School created elaborate decorations. It seemed that the idea of a festival, located in the heart of the neighborhood, sparked the collective imagination of the community.

Image courtesy of Avenue CDC and Epic Shots Photography

At the festival, it was clear that there is so much to celebrate in the Northside. The festival was also the groundbreaking for the new Ketelsen SPARK Park, a beautiful new community playground and park that will be built this summer.

The festival was funded by a $2,000 NeighborWorks America CLI grant, and including volunteer hours and in-kind donations, leveraged more than $43,000 in resources.”
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For additional photos from the Northside neighborhood and the great work they are doing visit their Facebook Page. To stay in touch with Sara Varela, you can use @SaraVarelaCBO on Twitter.

NextGenCD: Valuing Mentors

In honor of the upcoming NeighborWorks America Young Professionals symposium, we have collected several blog posts from those under 35 asking their feelings on the meaning of community development. This first post is a variation on that theme.  Share your comments on Twitter using #NextGenCD.
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Kate Titford, NeighborWorks
America, General Counsel

When I was first asked to blog on “What Community Development Means to Me,” I spaced out for a few minutes — not unlike the kid in A Christmas Story after he is assigned the theme “What I Want for Christmas.”  And as I reflected on a career that has held at least as much excitement and joy as a Red Rider BB Gun, it was the faces that stuck out to me more than the accomplishments.  So I am exerting some editorial liberty and assigning myself the more relevant theme:  “What my Community Development Mentors Have Meant to Me.”

Marcea, my boss at that first job, broke me into office life and introduced me to the different moving parts of the community development scene.  When the going got tough at the national housing intermediary where we worked, Marcea encouraged me step up to the plate on challenging new projects that stretched me professionally and cultivated my passion for this work.  I laugh to think about my early days in the 9-to-5 world:  I was a spirited 22-year old who wouldn’t be caught dead in a suit. 

Marcea and Me

Some years later, when I was mired in a law school funk, another mentor — Brenda— scooped me up and helped me stay connected to local housing issues.  Her own career and activism were a constant reminder that my exile in law school would ultimately contribute to my work in community development.

I owe much of my happiness in my professional life to these mentors.  Their generosity of time and knowledge helped guide me through the critical junctures to where I am – who I am – now in community development.  They made an investment that will pay off for the entire field of community development.  As we descend on Cincinnati to discuss the opportunity of welcoming the next generation of leadership to community development, let’s pause and remember what mentors have meant to each of us in our careers.  Let’s pay tribute to those who helped each of us find our own special place in the field.  And —above all— let us recommit ourselves to mentoring the young professionals who will usher community development into its next era.

Working Together for Maximum Impact: NeighborWorks Rural Initiative

David Dangler,
NeighborWorks America,
director of Rural Initiatives

 The NeighborWorks Rural Initiative in 2012 is a far cry from the dozen or so rural groups who came together in the early days of the NeighborWorks network. Now there are 91 organizations participating in the Rural Initiative – and they include many of the network’s most productive members. In 2011, Rural Initiative members made direct investments into their combined communities of over $1.574 billion in 45 different states. When we drill down into the statistics, we find the Rural Initiative members are consistently in the top 25 producers in the NeighborWorks America network. This is supported by the data below, taken from a recent report on the NeighborWorks America Network entitled "It Takes a Network." All data is for 2011.

These high production figures become even more impressive when measured against the relative size and population density of many of the communities being served. For example, Wyoming Housing Network (WHN) runs a statewide program which created more new homebuyers in 2011 than any other NeighborWorks chartered network member. That in itself is impressive, but the story is larger than that. For many of the rural communities WHN served, their new homebuyers represented a significant percent of the total market activity. To illustrate, let’s use a purely fictional town we’ll call Antelope Falls, Wyoming which represents real towns I’ve seen throughout our rural network. There may have been only 10 total first time homebuyers in Antelope Falls in 2011, and of that 6 people were buyers educated by WHN – meaning WHN’s work affected 60% of the total market. In many urban environments the total number of homebuyers educated might be larger, but the percentage impact on the market is often smaller.

Another key element of the Rural Initiative network’s success has been collaboration across markets and lines of business. For example, we’ve been working closely with CFED and the  Ford Foundation to create asset-building opportunities with factory built housing in rural and urban environments.  These efforts have supported two of the most innovative and impactful social enterprises in the community development field ROC USA and Next Step. ROC USA helps residents purchase their manufactured home parks from absentee owners, and Next Step helps to replace substandard manufactured homes with Energy Star rated factory built homes. To succeed, both ROC USA and Next Step rely upon the NeighborWorks network for key lines of business – community building and organizing, home ownership education and training, rental property development and management and affordable lending.

Members of the NeighborWorks Rural Initiative, Rural LISC
and RCAC at the June conference in Visalia, California

Another key program component, which our partners have come to rely upon, is the rigor of the NeighborWorks standards for evaluating lines of business and organizational health.  Our member organizations are assessed regularly and measured against their peers and industry standards.  In addition, NeighborWorks Rural Initiative members share best practices with one another at events like this year’s June rural conference in Visalia, California. At this event, we not only collaborated within our own network, but also with two other major rural networks – Rural LISC and the Rural Communities Assistance Corporation (RCAC).

Looking ahead, we’re excited about expanding our asset-building strategies to include rural rental housing and a range of green applications that will be good for both built and natural environments. I’ll be writing more about these efforts in future blogs so stay tuned. You can subscribe by entering your email in the right side of this page.

Collaboration and Innovation for Green Housing Success

By Leila Finucane Edmonds
NeighborWorks America, Director
National Initiatives and Applied Research

Community Housing Partners (CHP) in Christiansburg, Virginia has served low wealth and low-income communities for over 30 years with striking results. CHP has almost 6,000 rental homes in its portfolio, a NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center and a LEED Silver corporate headquarters. It’s a great example of diversified, resilient and mission-focused organization that has built its strength on being collaborative, open to early innovations and adaptive to conditions in its local markets.

I recently spent two days with CHP Executive Director Janaka Casper and his team. Also on the trip were Michelle Winters, NeighborWorks America Green Strategies senior manager, and David Dangler, NeighborWorks America Rural Initiatives director. Our goal was to learn more about their successes, and, in particular, their New River Center for Energy Research and Training. The center is one of only a small number of Department of Energy Legacy Weatherization Training Centers, and the first to be accredited by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council for energy efficiency training. CHP has trained more than 30,000 people at the center for jobs like retrofit installers, energy auditors, quality control inspection – so I wanted an on-the-ground view of operations. 

Grandma's House

Touring the facilities, we were able to see demonstrations on uniquely designed pressure houses, how to perform blower door tests on multi-family buildings and model homes for hands-on-training – a manufactured home and “Grandma’s House,” a model frame house.   Overall, I was impressed by CHP’s integrated use of technology in their training programs, their commitment to sustainable practices and the talent and breadth of their leadership team. 

During our visit, I heard moving stories about what CHP has accomplished, including that of CHP’s first multi-family project, a housing complex for seniors.  Back in 1980s, school consolidation was common in rural areas – and Pembroke, Virginia was no exception. When the local elementary school closed, one of the planning district commissions, which act as development consultants for local government, invited CHP to help redevelop the property. CHP successfully applied to convert the property into affordable senior housing and named the complex for Sam Robinson, a former principal of the original school.

S.A. Robinson building. The entrance still reads "Pembroke School"

CHP converted the 660 square foot classrooms into apartments of a similar size. CHP also worked to retain the character of the building. For example, CHP made chalkboards into tables where people could place their keys.  “Green housing” wasn’t much discussed in the 1980s, but CHP was conscious of energy efficiency – all windows were double glazed to more effectively regulate indoor temperature.

Residents of S.A. Robinson

The project was finished in 1987 and it is now a major resource for this small community. It provides 27 apartments for seniors making 80 percent or below federal area median income. Some of the early residents turned out to be graduates from the school. Janaka is most proud of CHP’s long-term ownership. Residents feel at home and nearly every door is decorated with crafts that express a personal sense of belonging.

On the drive back, my team and I spoke about further exploring and highlighting connections between our green program for NeighborWorks network members and our affiliates serving rural communities. Our goal is for two thirds of the NeighborWorks America network to adopt sustainable and energy efficient practices across their operations. With this visit, we are gaining a new understanding of the energy efficiency and weatherization work already underway in local markets and regions. Now, we look forward to collaborating with the network creatively to expand and share that knowledge.

Environmental Justice and Community Education at NOAH

By Sara Varela 
NeighborWorks America
Community Building and Organizing
communications specialist

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) in East Boston, MA. The visit was part of a Community Building and Organizing Peer to Peer connection, a program we run to encourage our network members to visit and learn from each other. I was there as an observer. The visiting organization was San Juan Neighborhood Housing Services (San Juan NHS) from Puerto Rico. It was wonderful to meet and reconnect with the staff from both organizations

The agenda was so packed with content that, in one day, I learned more than I ever thought possible. We started our day with an interactive process where Kim Foltz, director of Community Building and Environment demonstrated how to engage a group using popular education techniques.

Members of the Chelsea Creek Action Group Youth crew
helped residents of all ages build new raised-bed gardens,
increasing access to affordable, healthy food in East Boston.

Popular education is a process which aims to empower people who feel marginalized socially and politically to take control of their own learning and to effect social change. Popular education indicates a collective effort in which a high degree of participation is expected from everybody. It was great to learn about this training tool as we actually saw it in action. Then Kim went on to engage the group in talking about environmental justice.

According to the EPA, environmental justice is “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” NOAH, takes this to heart. Their website states: "Community Building and Environment Department (CBE) works with community members to improve the environment, enhance the quality of life, and develop the leadership skills of residents in East Boston and beyond."

Staff from NOAH and San Juan NHS work together in a
hands-on activity prior to visiting the local neighborhood.

As I participated in this interactive session I couldn’t help thinking I was lucky to work in a place where I get to learn about these concepts, meet people who work making our world a better place, and see the results first hand.

Our morning sessions were followed by a walk around the neighborhood and lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch we had a tour of the different places where NOAH engages community residents and youth. This organization really puts the concept of popular education and environmental justice to work; they engage residents to identify and become part of the solution for their environmental topics. We met a youth leader who encourages youth and neighborhood children to engage in the local community garden, and involves children in summer activities; we visited the Chelsea Creek, and learned about the community’s effort to improve environmental conditions in this part of the neighborhood, and we learned about all the great youth activities this organization supports.

It was an excellent day to be outside, visiting the neighborhood and seeing how a group from East Boston exchanges ideas with a group from Puerto Rico. And, as if that weren’t enough, the whole day was ran in Spanish! The staffs at NOAH are bilingual, and bicultural and excellent at their job of engaging people.

I am a fan of social media and online tools, but there is nothing better than meeting the people I work with in person. Three cheers for the community building and organizing peer to peer visits! Read about them or share your stories via Twitter @SaraVarelaCBO #peertopeer.