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Progress Dashboard

Where have we been?

Where have we been?

Where are we now?

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Phase 1 (2016)

We recruited stakeholders to analyze the problem, created a beginning set of system elements, and began considering a framework for a Detroit community development system.

Phase 2 (2017-2018)

We formed an Advisory Council, conducted extensive research resulting in a specific set of challenges and created Task Forces to respond to those challenges and develop test-projects for most of the elements.

Phase 3 (2019-2020)

Stakeholders will champion elements of the system, working closely with CDOs and GROs, by “test-piloting” project ideas:

  • Coordination of Capacity Building Services
  • Community Development Career Navigation Model
  • Neighborhood Vitality Success Framework
  • Neighborhood Voice and Advocacy Framework
  • At least two city-CDO funded partnerships

Simultaneously we will:

  • Activate the System Capitalization element
  • Establish a governance/oversight structure
  • Develop a process to resolve CDO coverage for all neighborhoods
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USNAP-BAC


When was it organized?

1987

Who is completing this survey? Name and role with organization:

Linda Smith, Executive Director

Choose one category that best fits your organization:

Community Development Organization (not sponsored by a church or agency or company)

Does your organization have paid staff?

Yes

If yes, how many?

5

What is the annual budget of your organization?

$500,000 (a little less)

Describe the streets or locations that define your organization’s overall focus area (north, south, east and/or west):

  • Van Dyke — W
  • The city limits — E
  • Charlevoix — S
  • I94 — N

Describe in detail the work your organization does, within the role categories below, along with the specific geographic area in which the work is done. Refer to the definitions below of the community development roles we are inquiring about. Include any partner organizations you work with, and how the work is funded or otherwise resourced. Use extra pages if necessary. If your organization doesn’t do work in one or more of the role categories, just skip that portion of the survey. Five Community Development Roles (Based on the Census Working Definition from Phase One of the Building the Engine of Community Development Process”):

Please Describe The Work Your Organization Does In Community Development:

Convening/Facilitating/Collaborations: General Description

  • We facilitate community residents to come together regarding issues.
  • We convene partners and stakeholders in the work that we do.
  • We collaborate with public and private stakeholders like ECN and Jefferson East.
  • We collaborate with LEAP/Mack Ave Commercial Corridor.
  • We’ve convened a public meeting to make sure the right stakeholders (community leaders) were at the table for a Huntington Bank opening in the area.
  • We’re working with Curis Enterprise regarding some far east side land.

Convening/Facilitating/Collaborations: Partner Organizations

  • ECN
  • Jefferson East
  • LEAP
  • Curis Enterprise

Convening/Facilitating/Collaborations: Funders

  • Funding from convening/facilitating and collaboration comes from our general operating support.  No one funds convening/facilitating/collaboration work. The work is not funded because as a convener you’re trying to identify what the project is and the funding for the project.

You have to make sure that the information that’s shared is not taken and used against the goal.

  • LEAP already has funding so partnering doesn’t affect USNAP-BAC directly.

Convening/Facilitating/Collaborations: Important Outcomes or Lessons

Outcomes:

  • Everyone leaves their own agenda at the door at our meetings.
  • We’re coming together for a common goal.
  • USNAP-BAC represents residents.
  • USNAP-BAC gets to be at the table to represent residents where otherwise there would be an empty seat.

Lessons:

  • We learn to trust because as a convener you share information.
  • You have to make sure that the information that’s shared is not taken and used against the goal.

Resident Engagement/Empowerment: General Description

  • With leaders of the organizations we work with, we try to insure that they’re equipped to be leaders.
  • When trainings are available, I let community leaders know.  As an organization, we’ve paid for them to go to trainings to get empowered.

Residents come together for crisis and, in those situations, you can get everyone to show up.

  • We meet with leaders on a regular basis to make sure that they’re well-informed on what’s going on in the city because the city initiates a lot of things.
  • We have leadership events for networking and sharing of information.
  • We have to interact with the residents because anything I bring before another organization or the city has to include the residents’ input.
  • We have a bi-weekly meeting.
  • We have residents on the board.

Resident Engagement/Empowerment: Partner Organizations

  • Morningside Neighborhood Association (most of work is done in Morningside)
  • MECCA
  • Mack Ashland Block Club

Resident Engagement/Empowerment: Funders

Our resident engagement/empowerment work comes out of our general funds.

Resident Engagement/Empowerment: Important Outcomes or Lessons

Outcomes :

We identify leaders, empower them and educate them so that they can grow.

Lessons:

  • The same two or three people show up for meetings and most of the time they’re from the senior population.
  • Residents come together for crisis and, in those situations, you can get everyone to show up.
  • Economic Development: General Description
  • We used to build homes, but due to foreclosure, abandoned homes and blight we’re looking at what that looks like now.
  • We got a grant to do urban farming on Barham Street. We will have youth involved.
  • We reached out to block clubs and residents about the home repair program.  We got 400 applications for 45 slots of home repair.

Economic Development: Partner Organizations

  • JP Morgan Chase

There’s not enough funding; the demand is greater than the supply.

  • Councilman Spivey
  • Morningside Neighborhood Association
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Center for Community Progress
  • Building Detroit
  • LivingLAB
  • MCR
  • 5/3rd Bank
  • Bowtie Development Company
  • Nova Development
  • Southwest Solutions
  • Chemical Bank
  • Economic Development: Funders
  • Kresge
  • Community Foundation

Economic Development: Important Outcomes or Lessons

Outcomes:

  • We rehabbed 155 vacant structures.
  • We constructed 130+ units of affordable rental and single family homes.
  • We facilitated over 1,500 minor home repairs over the years.

Lessons:

  • There’s not enough funding; the demand is greater than the supply.
  • There is just a small window for us to help.  For example, we could only fulfill 45 of the 400 applications for minor home repairs.

Resident Support: General Description

  • We do a homebuyer, financial capability and foreclosure education.

When residents are better educated, they are able to stay in their homes and to make better decisions regarding their family.

  • We are a MSHDA counseling agency.

Resident Support: Partner Organizations

  • MSHDA
  • PNC Bank
  • Chemical Bank
  • Huntington Bank
  • Flagstar
  • Bank of America
  • JP Morgan Chase Bank
  • Detroit Land Bank
  • LISC
  • Level One

Resident Support: Funders

  • The banks
  • MSHDA

Resident Support: Important Outcomes or Lessons

Outcomes:

Residents are educated about home ownership.

Lessons:

When residents are better educated, they are able to stay in their homes and to make better decisions regarding their family.


Community Planning and Advocacy: General Description

Community planning:

We don’t have specific funding for advocacy, but funding may come as a result of our advocacy.

  • We have a plan to do urban farming.
  • We’re getting ready to go through a strategic plan.

Advocacy:

  • We advocate for housing.
  • I serve on boards and committees to make sure the residents’ voices are at the table.
  • I’m the co-chair of the Blight Task Force, which does all the work around blight.
  • We advocate for anything to do with community development.

Community Planning and Advocacy: Partner Organizations

  • Blight Task Force
  • City of Detroit
  • Committees that look at the housing market
  • Preservation Task Force for the City of Detroit
  • CEDAM
  • Detroit Future City
  • Community Planning and Advocacy: Funders
  • We don’t have specific funding for advocacy, but funding may come as a result of our advocacy.
  • Kresge (community planning and urban farms)

Community Planning and Advocacy: Important Outcomes or Lessons

Outcomes:

We’ve helped to bring more assets into the community.

Lessons:

We have to empower the community.


Convening/Facilitating/Collaborations: Frequency Rank

5

Resident Engagement/Empowerment: Frequency Rank

5

Economic Development: Frequency Rank

3

Resident Support: Frequency Rank

5

Community Planning and Advocacy: Frequency Rank

5

Do we have your permission to publish this information?

Yes


Can you please point us to other organizations in Detroit — especially in your immediate neighborhood — that are doing community development work? (Organization name, contact name, email, phone)

  • Morningside Neighborhood Association
  • MECCA
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Jefferson East

This information is current as of 5/22/2017


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