Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Post

ThirdSpace Action Lab's and National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations' latest research (https://lnkd.in/gnJR8utp) has me thinking about community development in Cleveland, where so much of the funding (largely CDBG) emphasizes brick and mortar development carried out by a professionalized staff, possibly at the expense of resident-led initiatives, community organizing, and addressing upstream, systemic causes of disinvestment--not to mention how dependence on government funding potentially makes community-based development organizations beholden to elected officials rather than to residents. I'm not saying producing housing isn't important. Even the mild housing instability I experienced back when I couldn't live in the same house as my family caused stress that made it difficult to function. But solely focusing on direct interventions assisting individual households can come at the opportunity cost of addressing root causes over the long term. (See Systems Thinking for Social Change by David Peter Stroh et al.)

Released to public: Economic Development for the City of York, SC -- A few years back, I worked with Velma Love and the YEDC (in collaboration with the City of York) to do a strategic project to (1) garner community input on economic and community development, (2) write a summary and analysis of that input, (3) craft a Vision for the City of York (later adopted by council), and (4) create a “Playbook” of projects to be prioritized and further developed. Now you can see the analysis, the vision, and the playbook online here: https://lnkd.in/e-zRA3ft

The City of Bloomington's 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan is available for public review! Planned spending makes critical investments in housing, infrastructure, social services, and much more. This year's planned investments from CDBG funding include... -Nearly $400,000 in affordable housing preservation 🏠 -Over $80,000 for financial services, services for unhoused community members, and neighborhood revitalization 🏘 -Almost $100,000 in sidewalk improvements ♿ -Over $50,000 in public housing modernizations 🏗 - $16,000 in fair housing activities ⚖ -Over $30,000 for community planning 🗂 You can see the entire draft plan here: https://lnkd.in/gAGuuYxg

As U.S. population trends impact rural areas and small towns, what can be done to successfully adapt to these shifts? The St. Louis Fed Community Development team along with Delta Regional Authority and Southeast Missouri State University hosted a successful event, Investing in Rural Prosperity: Successful Approaches to Demographic Shifts. Community leaders and funders, policymakers, and practitioners came together to explore the impact of current demographic and socioeconomic changes in rural areas, and exchanged successful local and regional cross-sector initiatives that help ensure welcoming communities. Learn about the four key ingredients for recipes for success: https://ow.ly/5pUg50Qjn9f Read on about fostering economic growth in rural communities: https://ow.ly/KJ2F50Qjn9E

Healthy and sustainable communities with robust social networks are vital to supporting children and preventing potential out-of-home placements. Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a strengths-based approach that centers identifying and mobilizing existing community resources, skills, and services on a local level to meet individual needs. ABCD benefits communities and the people who are a part of them by building capacity, helping community members realize their own strengths and potential, and forming partnerships to achieve long-term change. In this webinar, panelists will discuss how communities can get started with ABCD and outline how ABCD can be used to support children outside of formal service systems and keep them in the least restrictive placements with their families and natural supports. In this webinar, panelists will discuss how communities can get started with ABCD and outline how ABCD can be used to support children outside of formal service systems and keep them in the least restrictive placements with their families and natural supports. Get registered: https://lnkd.in/ettNc5gj

👏 Sign up for this newsletter about economic and workforce development! Get the FACTs! 🔎 F - Funding A - Activities C - Community T - Tools

We have developed a collective vision for our future. Now it's your turn to have your say on the proposed direction of our Council! - GOAL 1: Community We are proposing to achieve a connected, inclusive, resilient and engaged community over the next 4-10 years. We want to do this by undertaking, facilitating and advocating for a range of projects detailed within our Draft Strategic Plan 2024-2034. These include, but are not limited to: · Develop a contemporary Community Development Plan to support our community to thrive; and · Develop and implement a Reconciliation Action Plan. Read our Draft Strategic Plan and have your say on our proposed goals, focus areas and projects at https://lnkd.in/gjiSMgkC

Unlike most rating systems that are prescriptive, #JustCommunities is a process and outcome-based certification, designed around five commitment areas (Belonging, Opportunity, Wellbeing, Mobility & Environment) and four implementation phases (Groundwork, Governance, Roadmap & Implementation) that are responsive to a community’s most pressing #priorities, #opportunities, and #challenges. Just Communities is the world’s most rigorous #equitable and #regenerative development framework designed to help resident leaders, community-based organizations, developers, and municipalities build a common vision, governing structure, and workplan to guide future growth and development over time. Partnership for Southern Equity

NACEDA's latest report, "Community Economic Development Organizations & Their Financial Health" offers a snapshot of the financial health of community development organizations (CDOs) nationwide. CDOs direct more than $25 billion in revenue annually towards facilitating affordable housing, boosting small businesses, and delivering vital services to communities that have experienced disinvestment. From small-scale to large, this informative study offers insights into the sector's financial landscape. Read the full report here: https://smpl.is/8m5b6

Terra's housing supports are highlighted in Children and Youth Services Review. ***Abstract Providing support to address the systemic barriers that teen families face is a logical step toward improving their health and well-being. One area where teen families face multiple obstacles is accessing safe, secure, affordable housing. This paper describes a unique, innovative model of supportive housing developed in combination with wraparound supports, provided to teen parents in Edmonton, Canada. ***Highlights • Supportive housing can be combined with wraparound supports for teen families. • Collaborative partnerships are key to offering teen families supportive housing. • Supportive housing needs to balance structure with trauma-informed responsivity. The research that goes behind these publications shines a bright light on the value of our work in the community. We are grateful for our Successful Families partners, Brentwood Community Development Group and the team of researchers and participants who made this publication possible. Full article: https://lnkd.in/gAcANzen