NAHRO’s Small Cities Initiative promotes partnerships at
the local level between housing agencies and community development
professionals
in order to maximize resources
and meet the needs of smaller, non-entitlement communities.
THE NEED
Since 1953, NAHRO has been the place where
public housing and community development officials come together,
a unique forum in the housing
and community development arena. Fifty years ago, the needs of
urban and rural America were quite different and suburbs were
more common in the minds of planners than the landscape of the
country.
Today, community re/development is not just an issue for urban
communities, but also one for small communities nationwide.
As a result, partnerships between local housing agencies and community
development agencies are even more critical than they were in 1953.
The continuing challenge of meeting local needs, combined with
the diversification of funding streams and devolution, today creates
a more complex reality. With more and more funds being controlled
at the state level, small communities must join together in order
to have their own needs heard and addressed. With few staff on
hand, they are often challenged to find the solutions that have
eluded larger communities with more human and financial capital.
NAHRO RESPONDS
Recognizing the challenge of addressing the needs
of smaller communities, NAHRO has begun implementing a three-phase
approach to be instituted
over the next three years. This approach is designed to enhance
relationships among stakeholders at the local level; improve
general knowledge of funding streams outside the purview of
a particular agency; and increase opportunities for partnerships
resulting in long-term benefits for the local community.
Phase One: Information Sharing
NAHRO will be providing Initiative presentations at thirteen Regional
and Chapter conference during 2003, bringing together local housing
agencies and their community development peers. These sessions
will focus on the challenges facing non-entitlement communities,
and highlight practices that have been successful in gaining
access to funding in that geographic area. These special sessions
will bring together participants and funders to discuss partnerships
and approaches to seeking funds. NAHRO is also working to identify
peer mentors, communities that have successfully addressed the
challenges facing participants, to share their stories and approaches
in these sessions.
Participants will leave these sessions with
both written and human resources to assist them in thinking about
the possibilities and
immediate next steps. They will also be provided with information
about Phases 2 & 3 of the Initiative.
Phase Two: Capacity Building
One of the key challenges that small communities face is they may
only need to do any one type of project one time, meaning it is
often not time-efficient to learn the intricacies of a process
that is unlikely to need repeating. To begin to addressing this
challenge, NAHRO plans to provide both written and human resources
to communities expressing interest in creating and maximizing these
partnerships. In areas not addressed in Phase One, NAHRO will identify--with
the assistance of local leadership and other key players-- small
communities that have experienced success in these arenas, and
will make mentoring teams from these communities available to interested
participants. In addition, NAHRO will utilize its resources to
develop and deliver materials that address specific project types,
such as mixed-use development, and how they work on a smaller scale.
These resources will provide smaller communities with baseline
information to use in moving forward with their local planning
process.
Phase Three: Mentoring
For communities interested in seriously pursuing opportunities
through this Initiative, NAHRO will use mentoring teams and other
experts to provide direct technical assistance on a community-level
basis. This effort will provide a community with direct access
to persons who have succeeded in what they are trying to accomplish,
and, it is hoped, would result in planning that considers all
resources within the community and leverages them for maximum
benefit.
Given the depth of resources at this level, communities interested
in engaging assistance will complete an application process requiring
active participation of both the housing and community development
agencies. Once approved, a community would receive on-site assistance
from a mentoring team to bring all key stakeholders together to
fully develop and initiate a specific project. The mentoring team
would remain in contact with the community throughout the process,
and would be available for consultation as the project moves forward.
In this way communities can have consistent access to individuals
experienced in the process and in problem-solving to achieve results.
THE OUTCOME
Over the course of the next three years, this effort will touch
hundreds of small communities across the country, providing a new
and needed resource. Through partnerships at the national and local
level, NAHRO will bring together funders and practitioners to work
together, establishing new avenues and opportunities to meet the
needs of communities.
M e m b e r s L
i n k s:
News:
- May
12,
2003:
SMALL
CITIES INITIATIVE SESSION will be held on Monday,
May 19, 2003 from
2:00 pm to 3:45 pm as part of the MassNAHRO conference in
North Falmouth, Massachusetts. Additional information about
the Conference itself is available at http://www.massnahro.org - Information
Sheet - Agenda
- April 16, 2003:
at the Pacific Northwest
Regional Council Conference
Spokane, Washington
April 28, 2003
2:15 - 5:00 pm - Information
Sheet - Agenda
- April 11, 2003:
at the Iowa Chapter Conference
Davenport, Iowa
April
25, 2003
9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.- Information
Sheet - Agenda
- April 4, 2003:
Chicago, Illinois
NAHRO North Central Regional Council Conference
April 14, 2003
9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - Information
Sheet - Agenda
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