To: Cc: From:
Dr. Harris, Director of Planning of Planneapolis Katelyn Blackburn, Melanie Blake, Daryl Callaway, Dakota Desai, Elijah Faz, Rebecca LaVictoire, Joseph Laws, Ethan Mazzio, Daisy Munoz, Duy Nguyen, Erin Stanley, Georgex Tafoya, Amanda Van Buren, Yueyang Wu Emily Fitzsimmons
Date:
March 4, 2021
SUBJECT:Overview of the Southwest CDC of Philadelphia, PA Executive Summary Because the Planneapolis Planning Department is interested in encouraging community development corporations, or CDCs, in Planneapolis, this memo briefly summarizes CDCs in general and further presents a specific CDC in order to give an in-depth picture. The example CDC is the Southwest CDC of Philadelphia, PA, a city similar to Planneapolis in economic and demographic makeup. Generally, CDCs are community-based non-profits that have formed to compensate for government failures in the provision of basic services and quality of life improvements (Stoutland and Ferguson, “Community”). The Southwest CDC serves the Southwest neighborhood of Philadelphia in improving and maintaining residents’ quality of life. When the CDC was established in 1987, its focus was sustainability and household energy needs, but over the last three decades, the CDC’s mission has grown to include many projects in housing, economic development, education, and community organization as well. Based on the Southwest CDC’s leadership makeup, its partnerships, and its sources of funding, the Southwest CDC is accountable to residents of the Southwest neighborhood, the local and state government, as well as private entities. The CDC’s greatest strength lies in its operation: Considering the CDC’s extensive projects, relationships, and sources of funds, its employees and volunteers seem to be very knowledgeable and active. However, I found some critical pieces of information were missing from the picture, including financial reports and hiring processes (Hershberger-Esh). Overall, I recommend working with CDCs similar to the Southwest CDC. The Southwest CDC has been very successful in organizing and improving its neighborhood over several decades, and a similar organization in Planneapolis could help increase citizen power and participation. However, I strongly advise against the Planneapolis Planning Department from depending wholly on CDCs, no matter how effective they are. CDCs are meant to be partners with government and drivers of residents; they should not hold the entire responsibility of maintaining quality of life in a city. That is our responsibility, and we would be failing at our jobs if we forced the community to carry the bulk of that work. Context Project Summary As Planneapolis is considering fostering a CDC here in order help improve the quality of life of residents, this memo will delve into an example of a CDC in a similar city to illustrate the basic information provided above in depth. This memo will overview the history, activities, and operation of the Southwest CDC in Philadelphia, PA. Based on the information gathered about CDCs generally and the Southwest CDC in particular, the memo evaluates whether this would be an effective course of action for Planneapolis.
General Summary of CDCs The community development corporation originates amongst the social and civil rights movements of the 1960s; these initial CDCs often focused on ethnic and racial organizing, local economic development, and grassroots action against federal programs like urban renewal. In the following decades, the number of CDCs skyrocketed as government funding to social welfare disappeared: CDCs were picking up the slack for the government failure to provide quality of life services. Now there are about 3,000 CDCs located in the United States, but they are responsible for disseminating millions of dollars and basic services into communities (Stoutland and Ferguson, “Community”). In general, a CDC can be defined as a non-profit, community-based organization meant to assist and develop low-income people. Because CDCs are non-profit organizations, they typically work for struggling communities, where for-profit companies would not find attractive. Likewise, CDCs are more often committed to the current residents of a neighborhood; instead of gentrifying the area, the CDC will work more toward improving but preserving the neighborhood. In that vein, CDCs must be committed to long term effects in a community, such as continued housing affordability, infrastructure maintenance, and services. Typically, CDCs focus their efforts in housing development, rehabilitation, and aid, but community advocacy and organizing, and economic development are common missions as well. CDCs also integrate social services into all of these activities (Stoutland and Ferguson, “Community”). History of Southwest CDC Likely motivated by both threats of fossil-fuel induced climate change as well as fear of another oil crisis like that of 1979, community members in the Southwest area of Philadelphia, PA, established the Southwest CDC in 1987 with a sustainability focus. The CDC’s main goal at the time was to secure household energy needs, so its projects included utility assistance as well as energy conservation programs. However, Southwest CDC also established a system of block captains throughout the community to organize recycling programs (Hershberger-Esh). Over the following decade, Southwest CDC expanded its focus to include housing services by establishing itself as one of the city’s Neighborhood Advisory Committees. With this transition, the Southwest CDC became a level one organization – a professional entity that directly provides services to a community – and a liaison between the southwestern residents and the municipal government (Ferguson & Stoutland). Soon after, the CDC expanded further to include economic development programs through their Woodland Avenue Revitalization Project, which would improve the safety, aesthetics, and selection of businesses along the community’s major thoroughfare (Hershberger-Esh). The following year, the local after-school program closed, so the Southwest CDC responded to this community need by not only starting its own after-school childcare program with the local school but also establishing a summer camp for any children living in the neighborhood. Their New Start after-school program has since grown from thirty to eighty-three children. Lastly, Southwest CDC took up the mantle of publishing the neighborhood newspaper, the Southwest Globe Times, which had been printing since the 1940s; through the paper and other means, the Southwest CDC disseminates important information and resources to the
residents. Since then, the Southwest CDC has focused on expanding its services under these foci that have grown over the previous years: housing assistance, childcare, sustainability and energy, economic development, and community organization (Hershberger-Esh). Major Activities by the Southwest CDC Neighborhood Energy Center Though Southwest CDC has greatly expanded its mission to improve quality of life holistically, the organization still maintains projects from its original mission of sustainability and energy needs. The Southwest calls itself a Neighborhood Energy Center as it Promotes energy conservation, recycling, litter pick-up, and water quality conservation Provides utility assistance and connects residents to outside resources, including the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHEAP) AND Utility Emergency Service Fund (UESF) Maintains six “Soak It Up” sites in the Southwest area in partnership with the city Identified local brownfields in partnership with a Temple University Graduate Studio and is now encouraging property owners to clean their land Cataloged illegal and legal backyard junkyards in the area and is currently working on solutions to reduce their negative effects on the neighborhood Established the Southwest Advisory Board in partnership with the US Green Building Council to raise awareness of and create solutions for environmental issues; the board consists of community members (Hershberger-Esh) Housing Counseling and Assistance Like many CDCs, the Southwest CDC assists people in the area with housing issues, including tenants, homeowners, and first-time home buyers. In fact, the Southwest CDC is a HUD Certified Counseling Agency, so its housing counselors are very knowledgeable in realty financing, law, and assistance resources. Some of the Southwest CDC’s housing services include: Foreclosure prevention Home utility assistance Home purchase and tenant counseling Classes for budgeting and credit repair Counseling for tax liens and property tax or mortgage default or delinquency Counseling for deed related issues Anti-predatory lending resources Assistance with the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) General housing education (Hershberger-Esh) Economic Development Additionally, the Southwest CDC has many projects to assist local businesses and promote economic development in the area, which is important since many of the residents are low- to moderate-income. The CDC’s overarching project name for economic development is the Woodland Avenue Revitalization Project (WARP), which focuses on improving the safety, aesthetic, and business diversity and resiliency in the southwest commercial corridor; projects include: Employment services
Helping businesses apply for grants and microloans, update their storefronts, and enroll in UnLitterUs Regular litter cleaning, street cleaning, and vandalism removal since 2007 New neighborhood decorations and trash cans, street trees, removal of unused street infrastructure, and painting old benches with murals Providing technical assistance to businesses Obtaining undeveloped land from the city for affordable senior housing (HershbergerEsh)
Education and Childcare One of the most important aspects of community development and individual growth is education, but many in low-income areas struggle with access to even the most basic childcare. After the local after school program closed in 1999, the Southwest CDC responded to this community need by starting its own after school program at the local elementary school; additionally, the CDC hosts a summer camp for all youth in the area. Specific elements of these programs include: Anti-drug, alcohol, gambling, and violence education Tutoring and project-based learning Recreational activities, games, arts and crafts, dancing, and field trips Family Nights (Hershberger-Esh) Community Organization As a low-income neighborhood with a high Black population, community organization is an essential component to the Southwest neighborhood well-being. Many minority neighborhoods throughout history, especially Black neighborhoods, have been severely mistreated by government and policy, and this has caused generational trauma, poverty, and health issues in these populations. Therefore, the Southwest CDC role as a community organizer and liaison between the local government and residents is critical because this ensures that the Southwest residents have access to information from the city and that their voices are heard. In this vein, the Southwest CDC is a Neighborhood Action Committee funded by the state Division of Housing and Community Development; these committees are meant to ensure citizen participation in neighborhoods with a majority population of low- to moderate-income residents. Additionally, the Southwest CDC has established its own advisory committee, the Neighborhood Action Subcommittee, whose members are elected by the community. Lastly, the Southwest CDC publishes a longtime community newspaper called the Southwest Globe Times to help disseminate information and promote positive stories to their residents, many of which are written my local residents (Hershberger-Esh). Operation of the Southwest CDC Mission and Action Southwest CDC’s current mission states that the organization works to improve the quality of life in Southwest Philadelphia. Although the CDC’s target population – southwest Philadelphia households, particularly families – has remained the same since it began in 1987; however, its activities and operations have expanded considerably to include a variety of qualityof-life issues and many more stakeholders (Hershberger-Esh).
In terms of its core goal to improve quality of life in the area, the Southwest CDC does so through: Connecting households and businesses to grants and loan resources Education (sustainability promotion, business workshops, anti-drug programs) Childcare (after-school programs and summer camps) Beautifying and maintaining their commercial corridor Providing assistance to struggling households (utilities assistance, housing assistance) Community power and organizing (Hershberger-Esh) Relationships and Accountability As a consensus-oriented organization, the Southwest CDC appears maintains positive relationship with both the community and the local government. First, Southwest CDC plays a critical role as liaison between residents and government by passing information and resources from the municipal government to residents as well as advocating for the community in municipal decision-making. Likewise, Southwest CDC helps organize members of the community when planning decisions involve the neighborhood. Additionally, the CDC often acts in partnership with the local government to provide services, complete projects, and receive public funding (Hershberger-Esh). It is difficult to tell as there is not very much third-party sources about the Southwest CDC, but, based on the evidence found, the organization is accountable to local residents. As a level one CDC, the Southwest CDC deals directly with those in the community, so it would be very difficult to avoid community dissent. Additionally, the two most important leaders in the Southwest CDC are both long-term residents of the area, and as established members of the community, these two women would not only know the true needs of the area but also get harangued if the CDC was operating against the community. Lastly, Southwest CDC maintains a Neighborhood Action Subcommittee that consists of people in the community elected into office by the community; this subcommittee acts as an advisory group to the CDC (Hershberger-Esh). Notably, however, the Southwest CDC is not only accountable to the community; it is also accountable to the government not only because Southwest CDC often carries out projects in partnership with the local government but also because Southwest CDC receives funds from the local and state governments. Likewise, Southwest CDC receives funding from a variety of local and global private entities as well as a slew of government agencies, such as the Chubb Group, Beneficial Bank, Colonial Electric, the Dollar General Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon, and Wells Fargo. Therefore, the Southwest CDC is accountable to these private companies and foundations as well (Hershberger-Esh). Strengths and Weaknesses Overall, the Southwest CDC seems like a well-operated organization with a worthy mission. In fact, I consider its operation to be its greatest strength. Based on the variety of projects and relationships the CDC maintains as well as their seemingly thorough knowledge of grants, the Southwest CDC appears to know how to work the system to best help their residents and connect them to resources. Additionally, Southwest CDC has self-established an excellent online presence through an easy-to-use website, a Facebook page, and their own community
newspaper, which is available digitally as well as in print. Lastly, as the CDC has grown over the past decades, it has expanded to include a variety of projects, including economic development, social services, housing assistance, education, and community organization; this well-rounded approach meets issues of quality of life well. However, the number of projects maintained at once could potentially be a weakness as well, for this strategy may be watering down the CDC’s efficacy. Notably, although the Southwest CDC has established its own online presence, I found almost no information about them from third-party sources; therefore, I was unable to find any criticisms of the CDC or similar indications of issues within the organization. This lack of information is my most prevalent concern. In particular, I could not find financial documents on their website to show their flows of funding. Likewise, I could not determine whether the Southwest CDC pays their employees proper wages for the area or if these employees are chosen from the community or hired externally. Recommendations Based on the information found, I recommend that the Planneapolis Planning Department should encourage CDCs like the Southwest CDC in our city. The Southwest CDC is well-operated and a helpful mission; partnering with CDCs like Southwest CDC would be helpful to our own department’s operations and reach. Additionally, community-grown CDCs like the Southwest CDC would help empower residents and connect the planning department to local neighborhoods. Notably, however, it would be unethical for us to wholly depend on potential CDCs to maintain and improve quality of life in Planneapolis. The planning department must still carry the bulk of the responsibility for community development and city management; it would be unfair and unethical to cast that responsibility to CDCs and individuals in the community.
References Hershberger-Esh, Chris. Southwest CDC. Southwest CDC, 2021, https://southwestcdc.org/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2021. Stoutland, Sara, and Ronald Ferguson. “Community Development Corporations: Mission Strategy, and Accomplishments.” Urban Problems and Community Development, edited by R. Ferguson and W. Dickens, Brookings Institution Press, 1999. Stoutland, Sara, and Ronald Ferguson. “Reconceiving the Community Development Field.” Urban Problems and Community Development, edited by R. Ferguson and W. Dickens, Brookings Institution Press, 1999, pp. 33-68. PDF.