7 System Elements
What are the 7 System Elements?
The Seven System Elements are BECDD’s guideposts that comprise an integrated community development system. These elements were described during BECDD’s first year (2016), and validated through a national academic scan completed by LTU in 2017. They are described below.
1. System Governance
Equal partners keeping the system strong for all neighborhoods.
A structured and functioning coordination and oversight system with community development stakeholders as equal partners; collaboratively shepherding all the components of the system and assuring they are aligned.
Latest Updates
- On June 15, 2021, the CDAD Board and BECDD Steering Committee voted jointly to move the BECDD system-building work into CDAD as the host organization. The work will continue; the CDAD Board and Executive Director will oversee it in close collaboration with a newly-formed “System Building Committee” and with the existing “System Capitalization Task Force.” CDAD will also serve in an administrative capacity for the work, including serving as fiduciary.
- On July 27, 2021, the BECDD Steering Committee formally disbanded, although several Steering Committee members are expected to join the newly-forming “System Building Committee.”
- As part of this transition, CDAD and the System Building Committee will also determine roles and accountability among CDAD, the new System Building Committee and the system project implementation partner organizations – Data Driven Detroit/ JFM Consulting Group, CHN Housing Partners, CRCAA/C of C/ECN/UNI – who are the lead organizations for the BECDD-initiated projects described in this section.
- In 2019 the Steering Committee, with CDAD and NEW (a nonprofit consulting firm) envisioned a City Council District-by-District strategy as a way to facilitate community development support in all of Detroit’s City Council Districts based on some Guiding Principles from the 2018 “Defining Neighborhoods” Task Force. A great deal of information gathering was done on a District-by-District basis, culminating in the 2019 Summit. In early 2020 Districts Meetings were planned for each District to review the information with key neighborhood leaders, CDOs and GROs, to look at solutions for how to assure community development support in each Council District. In March of 2020 those meetings were paused due to COVID-19. The CDAD Board and System Building Committee will determine if its feasible to go forward with this strategy as the transition happens, and as we recover from the pandemic disruption.
2019 Task Force
2020–2021 Process Oversight: The BECDD Steering Committee (BSC) initially appointed a 6‑member Transition Team to do some initial work on the transition of BECDD from a separate initiative, to working inside CDAD. Currently, a Joint Workplan Committee consisting of 4 CDAD Board members and 4 Steering Committee members are working on the details of the transition on behalf of the Steering Committee, including the appointment of the “System Building Committee.” The current Steering Committee members are:
Community Development Organizations
- Christine Bell, Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
- Phyllis Edwards, Bridging Communities Inc.
- Donna Givens, Eastside Community Network
- Kenyetta Campbell, Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance
- Maria Salinas, Congress of Communities
Intermediaries/Support Organizations
- Shamyle Dobbs, Michigan Community Resources
- Donna Murray-Brown, Michigan Nonprofit Association
- Erica Raleigh, Data Driven Detroit
- Madhavi Reddy, CDAD
Philanthropy
- Kevin Ryan, Ford Foundation
Academia
- Mark Brucki, LTU
City Government
- Katy Trudeau, Detroit Planning & Development Department
2. Capacity Building & Certification
Effective, sustainable neighborhood-based organizations.
Centralized, coordinated access to training, technical assistance, coaching and peer learning to support CDOs and Grass Roots Organizations to play their roles in every neighborhood. CDO performance standards and support to maintain high performance. Capacity support to the intermediaries to assure effective delivery of capacity building services.
Latest Updates
- The group is now identifying CDO/GRO capacity needs and available TA providers, identifying gaps in service, and will be identifying a lead agency to assure an effective launch of the delivery system. In 2021 CDAD agreed to play the lead role in the “Community Development Capacity Building Delivery System,” with the strong support of the “Solidary Collective” created through Co.act (including MNA, MCR, Co.act and CDAD); and with Enterprise Detroit as a key partner for pooled funding and evaluation. In the pilot phase, expected to launch in 2022, CDAD will serve as the first point of intake, using methods developed through the Solidary Collective. The group is now working with a small group of CDOs to flesh out the details of the delivery system, including building out a pool of TA providers for the “specialty” work done by CDOs.
2019 Task Force
2021 Process Oversight The Capacity Building Delivery System Project, with its Implementation Team:
- CDAD, lead partner
- Enterprise Community Partners Detroit, fiduciary for pooled funding, evaluation
- Solidarity Collective, collaborators and consultants:
- Co.act
- Michigan Nonprofit Association
- Michigan Community Resources
3. System Capitalization
Sustainable resources for the entire system to thrive in our neighborhoods.
A long-term strategy to assure sustainable, equitable public and private resources for community development work in Detroit.
Latest Updates
- The System Capitalization Task Force conducted extensive research during 2019 on “community development capital in play;” and developed preliminary estimates on the cost of a fully-functioning community development system. That work led to the development of nine recommendations. The Task Force then pivoted and created a workplan to organize itself to assure implementation of the recommendations, and working with the BECDD Steering Committee on how the two will collaborate as the work transitions into CDAD.
- The System Capitalization Task Force also generated a “Funders Discussion Group” which has met several times and is focusing on the question of equity in community development funding.
- The Task Force is now sponsoring smaller-scale “Alignment Forums” — featuring leaders across the sector – to discuss and align among key elements of an equity-centered community development strategy.
- CDAD and BECDD have created a Joint CDBG Work Group to look at CDBG Reform
- A small, informal discussion group of lenders, a CDFI, a foundation, an intermediary and 3 CDOs is now at work designing a “collaborative financing system” to bring more deeply affordable single family homeownership to Detroit’s neighborhoods.
- Simultaneously, the joint BECDD-CEDAM Neighborhoods and Communities Coalition (NACC) has been meeting since November of 2018. A statewide model that mimics a similar program in 14 other states has been developed. The model incentivizes private donations to CDOs across Michigan, through a state tax credit. Legislation has been written, co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle have been recruited. Committee hearings are in the process of being scheduled. A statewide messaging strategy is now being developed.
- NACC and the BECDD System Capitalization Task Force are now looking at a more comprehensive and integrated strategy to push for more statewide resource for Community Development to include this legislation; but also to identify new source(s) of funding for the state’s Housing and CED Fund, and to coordinate and increase funding for local affordable housing across the state.
- A small workgroup of the Task Force is now looking at updated research and recommendations from all of the above work, to publish a Ten Year Sustainability Strategy for the Community Development Ecosystem, expected to be finalized in March of 2022.
2019 Task Force
2021 Process Oversight:
System Capitalization Task Force
- Bridging Communities, Inc
- CDAD
- CEDAM
- Central Detroit Christian CDC
- CHN Housing Partners, Detroit
- CommunityUp
- Eastside Community Network
- Erb Family Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation
- Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department
- Hudson Webber Foundation
- IFF
- Invest Detroit
- Kresge Foundation
- Mayor’s Office
- MEDC
- MSHDA
- New Economy Initiative
- Planning & Development Department
- Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
- Wayne County CRA Association
- Wayne Metro Community Action Agency
NACC Coalition
- Building Community Value
- CDAD
- Eastside Community Network
- Enterprise
- Mayor’s Office
- Michigan Nonprofit Association
- MSHDA
- U SNAP BAC
- Woodbridge NDC
- Wayne State University
4. Neighborhood Voice & Advocacy
Citywide process and structure to articulate and advocate neighborhood priorities from the ground up.
A system to build cross-sector relationships and trust within every neighborhood through “Neighborhood Action” tables, technical support to those tables, then citywide coordination of those tables to create an influential citywide neighborhood voice.
Latest Updates
- In 2019, CDAD conducted a pilot using the “Connected Communities” model, in two neighborhoods in Detroit. The results of the pilot are now being developed, with an eye toward applying lessons learned and expanding the model to other neighborhoods in Detroit.
2019 Task Force
2021 Process Oversight:
- CDAD, through the “Neighborhood Tables” project
5. Data & Evaluation
Measuring progress toward vital neighborhoods.
An agreed-on framework to define neighborhood success, with neighborhood-level data, and an “index” system to measure progress.
Latest Updates
- The Implementation Team of Data Driven Detroit /JFM Consulting Group have worked with the Task Force and focus groups to further refine the Neighborhood Vitality Indicators. They have obtained funding for a three-phase pilot in several Detroit neighborhoods. Indicators to measure youth equity and overall equity have been added.
- Testing the Instrument will happen in three Phases: Phase One is complete. Phase Two launched in fall of 2021, in Council District #7. Phase Three will test the instrument citywide.
2019 Task Force
2021 Process Oversight:
The “Neighborhood Vitality Index” project, with support of the Neighborhood Vitality Pilot Project Task Force and the Implementation Team of Data Driven Detroit and the JFM Group:
- CDAD
- Detroit Future City
- Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation
- Doing Development Differently in Detroit
- Enterprise Community Partners Detroit
- Hope Village Revitalization
- HRD
- Hudson Webber Foundation
- Invest Detroit
- New Detroit
- Nortown CDC
- U SNAP BAC
- Woodbridge NDC
6. Education & Career Pipeline
Creating an equitable and professional community development pipeline of Detroit leaders.
A number of project-based programs and easily accessible education tracks, fellowships and placements, for youth ages 11–24, resident leaders and aspiring and current community development practitioners; to generate a robust pipeline of community development practitioners and leaders of all ages, especially those of color from Detroit .
Latest Updates
- Four CDOs (Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance, Congress of Communities, Eastside Community Network and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives) have been leading the Youth in Community Development consortium with BECDD staff support. Focused on youth ages 11–24, they are now working to create “pilot” partnerships with DPSCD through community development dual enrollments, high school paid internships, and teaching an original community development curriculum at the Middle and High School levels.
- The SEMCLP community college “Community Leadership: curricula, and other certificate tracks has been lifted up for placement at UM Dearborn.
- A CDO Competency Framework has been created.
- The youth development work of seven CDOS has been documented to show commonalities and uniquenesses among communities.
- Simultaneously, two universities (Wayne State University and Lawrence Technological University) have created community development-related certificate tracks for 2021 launch.
- We are working with Americorp on a potential partnership to award academic credit for Americorp placements in CDOs.
- We are working with Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation and DPSCD on a community development-related “work-based learning” partnership with High School, College and Out of School youth, to provide stipends for placements at CDOs.
- The long-range goal is to create a Community Development Talent Portal that can serve multiple users including prospective practitioners, community development employers, higher-education institutions and others.
- A lead agency to coordinate these various partnerships and the portal, once developed, is being identified.
2019 Task Force
2021 Process Oversight - The Leadership Pipeline Project with support of the Youth in Community Development Consortium, led by the Implementation Team of Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance, Congress of Communities, Eastside Community Network and Urban Neighborhood Initiatives.
Youth in Community Development Consortium
- CDAD
- Challenge Detroit
- Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation
- Detroit Public Schools Community District
- Grow Detroit’s Young Talent
- Lawrence Technological University
- Macomb County Community College
- SEMCLP
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Michigan Dearborn
- University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- Urban Land Institute
- Wayne State University (WSU)
- WSU College of Education
- WSU Urban Studies
- Youth Development Resource Center
7. City Engagement
City government joining forces with neighborhood-based organizations.
City government support for community development through the recognition of CDOs as critical partners, the provision of city funding for the work, and ongoing partnerships with CDOs to help fulfill the city’s master plan and other neighborhood plans.
Latest Updates
- CHN Housing Partners has stepped into a leadership role, convening a workgroup a workgroup including eight CDOs, that came together initially in 2019 through Detroit Future City’s Housing Compact. With the City’s Housing & Revitalization Department and the Detroit Land Bank Authority, and some philanthropy and lending partners, this group is now designing a Single Family Housing Rehab Partnership with the eight neighborhoods represented by the CDOs. CHN is also simultaneously working with other key financing partners (CDFIs, Philanthropy and various conventional and non-profit lenders) to create a collaborative financing model to facilitate the 8 CDOs, with CHN engagement, rehabbing over 200 homes in the first five years.
2019 Task Force
At least one CITY-CDO PILOT PARTNERSHIP — REBUILDING HOME TOGETHER ‑development and testing:
Implementation team:
- Workgroup of 8 CDOs
- Bridging Communities, Inc.,
- Central Detroit Christian CDC,
- Eastside Community Network,
- Genesis HOPE CDC,
- Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation,
- Joy Southfield CDC,
- Osborn Neighborhood Alliance,
- U SNAP BAC
- DLBA
- HRD
- Cinnaire
- CHN Housing Partners