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Perspective

We've learned this lesson at CitySquare.

Words and their selection really matter a lot!

For example,

. . .neighbor is better than client.

. . .concierge is better than case worker.

. . .investment is better than gift.

. . .return on investment is better than outcome.

. . .community development is better than charity.

. . .opportunity is better than delivering services.

. . .friendship is better than programming.

Enjoy this example of perspective. . . .

The discipline of waiting. . .

 

Do Nothing

It is so hard to sit and do nothing. And yet in many a case that is all one can do. Just listen. And do nothing.

Dorothy Day
Source: The Catholic Worker (November 1951)

Add your thoughts at inward/outward

Asset based community development

John McKnight: Low-income communities are not needy -- they have assets

Detail from a graphic record of a facilitated discussion in Vancouver, B.C., in which participants talked about what belonging and community mean. The artists included examples of local community development in the drawing. Illustration by Liz Etmanski and Aaron Johannes/Spectrum Consulting
  

People who want to help low-income communities should see them as “half-full glasses” -- places with strengths and capacities that can be built upon, says the co-developer of the asset-based community development strategy.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Most people and institutions that want to serve poor communities are focused on what the residents lack. “What are the needs?” is often the first question asked.

John McKnight says that approach has it backward.

“I knew from being a neighborhood organizer that you could never change people or neighborhoods with the basic proposition that what we need to do is fix them,” he said. “What made for change was communities that believed they had capacities, skills, abilities and could create power when they came together in a community.”

McKnight is co-director of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute (link is external)and professor emeritus of communications studies and education and social policy at Northwestern University.

He and his longtime colleague John Kretzmann created the asset-based community development (ABCD) strategy for community building. Together they wrote a basic guide to the approach called “Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets.”

Read more here.

Opportunity in Denver

For the past year CitySquare has been working in Denver! 

Thanks to an invitation from His Hands Christian Ministries, CitySquare has been connecting to the Denver community for almost a year. 

Johnny and Susie Davis founded this amazingly compassionate and welcoming non-profit organization in March 2008.  Since that time, His Hands has grown in reach, scope and capacity. 

Last year CitySquare and His Hands reached an agreement that promises to further expand the overall effectiveness of the Denver effort.  Now known as CitySquare Denver, the team operates a large food and clothing distribution center and more for low-income, working families, as well as for homeless persons. 

Last summer CitySquare's Food on the Move initiative served about 300 meals each day throughout the summer to Denver school children who qualified for the free and reduced meal program in public schools. 

Now CitySquare intends to launch a comprehensive program of community and human development that will, from the beginning, attempt to find ways to support already functional efforts on the ground in Denver.  As in Dallas, we will listen to "the poor," seek out partners already at work and innovate to achieve greater outcomes from our "customers," both neighbors in need and partners working alongside us.

Our first step is to find a Denver leader.  We are looking for a person who shares our mission of battling the causes and effects of poverty through service, advocacy and friendship.  We are looking for a mission-driven leader with an "entrepreneurial soul."

If you know anyone who would be interested in providing aggressive leadership to our Denver efforts, please let me know by email at ljames@CitySquare.org. I'll be pleased to share a job description.  I can't wait to visit with interested, potential leaders. 

Anniversary of Dr. King's terrible death

Alone or One?

No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels that he can live alone is sleeping through a revolution. The world in which we live is geographically one. The challenge that we face today is to make it one in terms of brotherhood…. Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood, and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Source: A Knock at Midnight

Add your thoughts at inward/outward

Explore my world!

Take a moment to explore my world!  

Click here.

Opportunity Center Update!

Great progress!

[CitySquare works with thousands of different people every year.  One area we're working to improve has to do with sharing compelling narratives regarding the progress of neighbors we know and with whom we work to construct a better, stronger community. What follows is just such a personal story of progress!  The reporter is Krystal Lotspeich, a member of our Neighbor Support Services team.   What follows are some of her notes about Tiffany.]

Tiffany was first introduced and referred to CitySquare by a neighbor in her apartment complex.  She first came to CitySquare to receive food assistance and she later requested to receive case management services.  

At intake Tiffany needed financial assistance, education/job training, employment, transportation, housing, clothing and a bed for her son.  She was on a fixed income-with barely enough money to get by and often struggled to meet her basic needs and had little to no support system.

Intensive Case Management involved working on setting and completing goals, assisting with updating resume, and providing hygiene and toiletries.  We found her a bed for her 9-year-old son from the Thrift Store, as well as clothing, and additional community resources. Referrals were made to community resources such as The Mayor's Back to School Fair which provided Tiffany with school supplies. Tiffany was able to get a current and valid ID from the Wilkinson Center.  Tiffany was also able to obtain financial assistance with her rent through community resources that were given to her.

Today, Tiffany is no longer financially stressed, has a strong support system, is stably housed and focused on her education.  

The first time I met with her the first thing she said was that she wanted a case manager to help her with setting and achieving goals.   Tiffany’s fixed income of $698, from her son’s SSI, made it difficult to meet her basic needs.  She was paying $600 for a one-bedroom apartment for her and her son, who at the time did not have his own bed.  

After rent was paid, she barely had enough to get by.  Tiffany had bigger dreams and goals but was often too overwhelmed with just trying to make it day-by-day that she didn’t even know where to begin or how to achieve success with all the barriers she faced.  

Through consistent and continuous intensive case management we were able to break down her goals, identify her barriers and empower her to work towards change, achieve success and accomplish her goals- one goal at a time.  She is resourceful, a great problem solver and a go getter.  She is determined and optimistic, resilient and ready for change.  In addition, she has found a positive support system through her church. 

Tiffany has a goal of continuing her education so she can find better employment.  She now has an updated customized resume.  She enrolled in the Lawyers Assistance school of Dallas in Aug. 2012 and graduated in February this year.  She plans on furthering her education and will start working on her associates degree in August 2013.  She dreams of getting her Bachelors in Sociology.  

She has moved into a safer and more affordable apartment.  Tiffany’s son is now receiving counseling services and she is looking into receiving mental health services as well.  She is stably housed, no longer financially stressed and is really able to focus on her dreams.  Tiffany still meets with her case manager in person and over the phone so she can continue to work on goals and provide updates on her success.  

UPDATE:  I received an email from Tiffany recently stating that she is now employed as a Legal Assistant at The Almasri Marzwanian Law Group in north Dallas.  She reports that for once in her life she is “happy and stress free.”  She further said “Who would have ever thought I would go from the Food Pantry to Corporate America in nine months.”  She says that CitySquare was a MAJOR part of this positive change in her life and she is happy to tell her story.   

Opportunity Center coming together!

Ups and Downs

No doubt, ups and downs intersect life for everyone.

This past week, rather typical in many respects,  brought with it a feeling not unlike a roller coaster ride!

Monday a.m.:  As I attempt to navigate through the traffic jam at Haskell and Gaston into the drive through lane at Starbucks, I notice a car trying to make a left turn across on-coming traffic into the same lane I seek.  I held up my entry and waved the car in ahead of me.  We exchanged waves and I followed into the order lane.  When I reached the window to pay for my coffee, the attendant says to me, "No charge.  She paid for your coffee! Thanks for stopping in!"  Nice surprise and payback, certainly not expected.  But the kindness made me want to buy someone else a cup of coffee!

Monday p.m.:  My friend, Ms. Nonis Alexander has left me 4 messages in a frantic attempt to get in touch with me by phone.  Ms. Alexander, a long time food pantry volunteer and adopted "mother" to most of us, checks in with me on a regular basis, but this is unusual.  She is unrelenting in getting me to call her back, which I do.

"Larry, I been talking to a woman at the pantry who says you been giving people money who are drug dealers," she begins.  "I know you never see bad in people, but [and here she mentions a specific person who she believes in s drug dealer] is not a good guy.  I don't want you to end up missing because of your being around people like that!"  I reassure her that I haven't been giving drug dealers money and that I am aware of the concern we should have about the person she mentioned.  Still, I'm blown away by how determined she is to "get my back."

Tuesday noon:  I have a great meeting with leadership from The Hills church in Tarrant County.  They express real interest in providing funding for one of the Cottages that we plan to build in a  development for some of the hardest to house homeless persons in Dallas County.  We have a good laugh about how much Dallas needs Fort Worth!

Tuesday p.m.:  I participate in a conference call with representatives from the firm handling the New Markets Tax Credit allocation for the Opportunity Center.  Very positive call with the appearance that our application proposal will be well received.  The result will be almost $3MM for our project.

Wednesday a.m.:  I pick up a voice mail message from the pastor of a Dallas church that has decided not to fund the construction of one of the Cottages in our planned housing development for the hardest of the hard core homeless.

Wednesday p.m.:  I pick up another voice mail message, this one from a United Way staff person informing me that our United Way grant proposal for Community Health Services would not be approved for a site visit.  Not the news I was looking for!

So the journey flows.  At times we're on the mountain top. At times our faces are pressed into the hard pathway on the valley floor!

Our best efforts require staying power.

It's about that simple.

Progress continues for good of the city!

Here are the latest photos of the Opportunity Center!

 Progress is fun to watch!

Opportunity Center Update!

Check out the video below to get a feel for CitySquare's new Opportunity Center!

We're on course to open in late spring 2013.

Equally important is the "feel" you'll get of the surrounding neighborhood. The second video spotlights "the Porch" at the corner and the service station whose owners have been so kind to all of us and to our homeless friends and neighbors.

 

Facts. . .

The Dallas Business Journal published a report on the work of the Community Health Needs Assessment Task Force in this week's edition (June 1-7, 2012, page 11).

Here are some of the facts:

--26% of adults under age 65 and 26.4% of children from low-income families in North Texas lack health insurance.

--In 2011 the population in North  Texas was 4.6 million and is expected to swell to 5 million by 2016.

--From 2000 to 2010, Texas population grew 20% compared to 9.7% nationally.

--The most prevalent age group in North Texas is 35 to 54 (27.6%) followed by age 0 to 14 (20.2%).

--44% are "New Americans" born outside the US or children of the foreign born; of these 46% are undocumented.

--More than 230 languages are spoken in the North Texas area.

--In Dallas County, 29.6% of children under 18 and 15.8% of adults live below the federal poverty level.

Reactions?

Rain not slowing us down!

This video was shot last Thursday morning after the all night rain. Sun reappeared and the guys from ConReal hit it again with water pumps and big Cats!

Oh, and congratulations Dan Hopkins and Happy Birthday!  You are now officially as old as rocks!

Dallas Business Journal spotlights new "Opportunity Center"

CitySquare celebrates construction launch
Dallas Business Journal by Bill Hethcock, Staff Writer
Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 1:31pm CST

Construction is under way on the $12.5 million CitySquare Opportunity Center at the southeast corner of Interstate 30 and Malcolm X Blvd. in Dallas.

Public officials including Mayor Mike Rawlings and other project supporters will get a bus tour of the site at a breakfast Thursday to celebrate the start of construction.

The 52,000-square-foot campus will include a food distribution center; a teaching and production kitchen; a wellness center; and a large employment training center that will house new offices for Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas and CitySquare’s WorkPaths employment training department. The center also will house the AmeriCorps headquarters/offices and a staging area for a summer and after-school lunch program funded by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The services are all under one roof with easy access by Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

The opportunity center, scheduled to open in 2013, will serve low-income residents of East and South Dallas. The center has been a dream of CitySquare’s President and CEO Larry James, a longtime leader in efforts to end poverty in the heart of Dallas.

"The opportunity center will create both enhanced synergy among a vital group of nonprofit partners and convenience of access for the neighbors who come to us seeking to take positive, proactive steps toward a better, more stable life for themselves and their families," James said.

About half of the $12.5 million in development funds for the facility has already been raised, and a public fund-raising campaign is under way.

Omniplan provided the architectural design and Con-Real serves as general contractor for the Opportunity Center.

Bill covers health care, law, education and nonprofits.

Community and conflict

Years ago, when I was a very young minister, I had a conversation with a much older minister friend.  During our visit, my older colleague counseled me that "there was never a reason or a justification for creating division in a church."  On the surface that sounds like good, sound, common sense advice. 

However, the subject of our discussion that day was racism. 

I had described how I was challenging racist attitudes inside my congregation in Shreveport, Louisiana (1973-1975) and how my sermons created tension and some discord among the members of the church.  My friend's response was to counsel me to avoid any subject that might lead to division, including racism. 

I disagreed with him strongly at the time. 

I've heard that same advice applied to any number of issues many times since those early days of my ministry. 

I heard them again just a couple of weeks ago here in Dallas. 

On this occasion the subject had to do with how a community provides adequate housing resources for the poorest among our neighbors.  Our discussion related to where such housing could be/should be located.  The problems of site selection for housing developments for the formerly homeless always come up whenever a project is suggested or being planned.  Usually such projects face stiff opposition from neighborhood groups no matter where they are located. 

My friend, a minister in Dallas, shared with me that he and his church were all about "building community."  He told me that a plan they had developed for housing the homeless met with a great deal of opposition in the community where they intended to build it.  Once they were aware of the opposition, they "backed off" out of their "commitment to building community."  Frankly, I'm not sure what the church's responsibility should be in "building community" among those who oppose basic human rights among the poorest of our fellow citizens.  But, that's what he said. 

Of course, my question had to do with who speaks for the unorganized, extremely poor who live in our city without the benefit of housing or, even more importantly, voice.

What about the community enjoyed by or denied the poorest among us?  What about battling the self-interested, well-housed on behalf of and alongside the marginalized, ill-housed out of compassion and a well-developed sense of fairness, equity and justice?

It's the same question I began with almost forty years ago now.  The particular subject matter of my conversations change, but the call to stand with those who are isolated and so easily dismissed remains the same, at least to my way of thinking.

Is a community organized and standing against the weak, the minority and the excluded one that I need to regard with deference, let alone respect?  I don't think so.  If you stand against basic human rights, I'm no longer obligated to support your claims no matter who doesn't like it or what part of the community descents. 

How do you see it?

Farmin' in the hood. . .sustainable, urban communities

Ingredients for community development, renewal

Across the past four decades I've given considerable thought to the entire process of community development both in groups of people and in physical locations within urban geographies. 

I'm certainly no expert.  But, of course, I have a few ideas after all this time. 

While I haven't had extensive, formal, academic training on the subject; I do have an understanding about the essentials or the ingredients necessary for community development and renewal to occur. 

Here's a brief list of essentials:

Interdependent individuals who form a group.

Willing workers who pursue a common mission.

Alignment of existing community assets.

Leveraging of additional, needed, outside resources for the work.

Youthful exuberance no matter what the age of those involved!

Of course, there are other essential factors to bring to the process, but, in my view, nothing happens without these five building blocks of community development.

CitySquare engages neighbors