place matters

Presented by the Community Building Institute

Liz Blume, AICP & Beth Nagy, Ed.D.

The CBI team

•Community planning & organizing•Public policy•Non-profit & government administration•Geographic Information Systems•Journalism•Social Work•Community relations

Who We Are

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The CBI Approach

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Collaborative action: residents, institutions, agencies, and businesses Asset-Based Community Development

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Asset-Based Community Development

Jody Kretzman and John McKnightAsset Based Community Development Institute

Northwestern University

Focus on what’s workingComprehensiveResident-driven

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place matters is:• A place-based investment pilot • A Comprehensive Community Initiative in three

neighborhoods; Avondale, Covington and Price Hill• A funders’ collaborative of major regional

philanthropic and business investors;• An ongoing partnership between the funders’ and

neighborhoods;

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Comprehensive Community Initiatives (CCIs) are:

Strategy-level initiatives to bring about measurable community change;

Initiatives that bring together evidence-based human services and proven community development strategies in an integrated pattern of work;

Community change based on cooperation among resident-led civic groups, social service agencies, community development entities, faith-based organizations, schools, the police, and businesses and units of government active in the community.

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place matters NeighborhoodsAvondale, Neighborhood in the Uptown area of Cincinnati

long been majority African-American with many large institutions (universities, hospitals, Zoo);

Covington, Kentucky, historic Ohio River city, county seat of Kenton County, encompassing a variety of relatively small neighborhoods ranging from affluent to very low-income, that has lost population over the last few decades;

Price Hill, historic neighborhood undergoing rapid demographic change, with working class Catholic families (many of German stock) being replaced by African-Americans, Hispanics and Appalachians – comprised of distinct “sub-neighborhoods.”

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place matters Investors

• United Way• Greater Cincinnati Foundation• SC Ministry Foundation• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)• NeighborWorks America • PNC Bank• Chase Bank• US Bank

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Community Capacity Building: the Five Levers of Change

1. Ensure resident involvement2. Create collaboration among stakeholders3. Implement best practices; focus resources on

what works4. Promote public policy change5. Create and support sustainable structures

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Focusing on Organizational Capacity Building

– Establish meaningful community partnerships

– Leverage financial resources– Develop, coordinate and evaluate

programs of scale

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Community Partnerships• Strong Neighborhood Support Organizations

– Conveners and facilitators– Center for Great Neighborhoods in Covington– Santa Maria and Price Hill Will in Price Hill

• Collaborative Networks– Achieve multiple outcomes over time as issues and needs change– Youth and Housing Collaboratives in Price Hill

• Organizational Partners– Optimize resources– City of Covington and Covington School District

• Program Partners– Create and administer programs– Center for Closing the Health Gap and Every Child Succeeds

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Financial Leveraging

• $3 million– LISC investment in neighborhoods

• $1.6 million– Outside investment (leveraged funds) in

neighborhoods

• $9.7 million– Total investment

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Program Development• Price Hill

– Comprehensive housing strategy– Early childhood and parent support networks– Prosperity center development

• Covington– Neighborhood mini-grants program– Housing development (new construction) – Community schools

• Avondale– Health initiative– Early childhood and youth support networks– Employment network

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Key Measures to Track Neighborhood Impact

• Housing– Foreclosures– Construction activity– Median home values

• Youth Development– Kindergarten Readiness– Elementary Math & Reading

Proficiency – School performance index– Community Learning Centers

• Financial Stability– Median income– Economically Disadvantaged

Children– EITC filings

• Community Engagement– Partnerships– Resident involvement– Safety Statistics

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How We Are Doing

Covington • Covington Police Department reports a 15% reduction in crime over a 5 year

period• This includes a significant collaboration between the Police and the

community and much more aggressive reporting of criminal activity

Avondale• KRA-L scores at Rockdale have improved from 13.9 in 2006 to 15.7 in 2008

Price Hill• The number of foreclosures has declined by 26% since 2006 while it continues

to rise in many other neighborhoods (as reported by WIN)• KRA-L scores at Whittier/Rees E Price, Roberts increased over one full point

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Lessons Learned

• Alignment with regional initiatives makes local work more impactful

• Community Impact Agenda, Strive, Vision 2015, Community Learning Centers/Community Schools, Agenda 360, Greater Cincinnati Workforce Network, UW Financial Stability Network, NSP Program

• The collaborative work of Neighborhood Support Organizations is critical

• Plan for meaningful and long-term evaluation• The significant value of embedded funders

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Develop Your Community’s CCI The goal of this activity is to provide you with

a practical CCI approach to consider for your community. You develop the model, we provide the peer review and together we discuss the assets and challenges of this approach.

Volunteers needed…

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Activity Framework• Describe your neighborhood (10-15 mins)– Demographics, physical environment, political atmosphere,

community assets and achievements

• Define the Vision (10-15 mins)– What do we want for our neighborhood?

• Decide the Partners (10-15 mins)– Who needs to be a part of this process?

• Formulate the Strategies (10-15 mins)– What is needed to move toward our vision?

• Present your plans and discuss the strengths and challenges of a CCI approach in your neighborhood

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Contact Us!

place matters

www.place-matters.org

The Community Building Institute (CBI)www.xavier.edu/cbiLiz Blume blume@xavier.edu Beth Nagy nagyb@xavier.edu

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