Neighborhood Progress Inc. shares 2013-16 Strategic Plan with Cleveland City Council

In today's Community and Economic Development Committee of Cleveland City Council Neighborhood Progress Inc. provided a presentation on their 2013-2016 Strategic Plan titled Toward a New Vision of Community Development.

A copy of their summary document can be viewed below.

For ease of reading, here is a brief summary of their plan:

Mission:  To foster communities of choice and opportunity throughout Cleveland

Vision:  Cleveland's neighborhoods are attractive, vibrant communities where people from all incomes, races and generations thrive, prosper, and choose to live, learn, work, invest and play.

Strategic Framework (see their graphic and details below).

1. Placemaking
2. Human Development
3. Community Development Coporation (CDC) Services & System

Ten Core Values & Guiding Principals:
(My summary descriptions are in parentheses)

1. The central role of cities, neighborhoods, and place (place-based strategies).
2. Equity fo all people (community development justice to include economic, educational social, and health resources and development). 
3. Resident participation and empowerment.
4. Importance of high capacity CDCs.
5. Broad-based collaboration and partnerships.
6. Transparent and informed decision making.
7. Stable, quality, healthy housing as a platform.
8. Re-imagining a more sustainable Cleveland.
9. Educational attainment as an essential element of community building.
10. Accessibility to quality retail, services, recreation, employment, and multi-modal options.

Four Goals:

1. An aligned, efficient and results-driven community development network is achieved and serves as a national model.
• Strategies (summary): right sizing, shared services, greater efficiencies and better results, coordinated shared measurements and evaluations, uniform operating standards, (NPI) expand service delivery to CDCs citywide.
2. More Clevelanders are living in vibrant neighborhoods.
• Strategies (summary): strengthen housing markets, support better land utilization, include urban amenities, improve neighborhood attraction and community pride, community supported commercial efforts, better integrated transit options, healthier food options.
3. Opportunities are increased for more Cleveland residents to have the education, skills, knowledge, and experience to thrive at home, work, and in the community.
• better align education with community development, foster grassroots community leadership and engage and empower community members, foster wealth-building for low and moderate income residents and employment skill attainment to help access jobs.
4. Neighborhood Progress has built on and strengthened its leadership, partner, convening, and operational roles.
• demonstrate and provide leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship among CDCs and between community development and other sectors, forge partnerships and leverage resources to benefit neighborhoods, convene CDCs and partners around issues and innovative programming to benefit neighborhoods, update NPI staff structure and capacity to effectively deliver on all organizational goals. 

Stay tuned for more information as to the discussion with council as well as other resources to add to the general discussion regarding the future of community development in Cleveland.

Councilman Zone and I both discussed the challenges and success our communities have had with implementing a new community development model with the opening of the Stockyard, Clark Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office.  Councilman Zone made mention of the lengthy community process and the leap of faith the community made in transitioning to the new model.  I made mention of the critical importance to engage and support very localized engagement (block, street and civic organizations as well as our local business community).

In brief, NPI's new plan introduces to their scope key issues facing Cleveland's neighborhoods such as education, health and workforce development.  This is a clear stated goal as well as underscoring the importance of community involvement and engagement.

Neighborhood Progress Inc.Strategic Plan 2013-2016, Toward a New Vision of Community Development by Brian Cummins

Additional Resources:

• City of Cleveland Block Grant Program
• City of Cleveland  -  2012 Consolidated Plan Budget City Council Hearing (PDF)
• Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition - Neighborhood Solutions Summit (PDF)
• 2012 Annual Report - Stockyard, Clark-Fulton & Brooklyn Centre Community Development Office
• Re-Thinking the Future of Cleveland’s Neighborhood Developers: Interim Report
  by, Norman Krumholz, Professor and Kathryn W. Hexter, Director Center for Community Planning and Development Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Cleveland State University, 3.2012
• Shaker Square Area Development members vote down proposed merger with buckeyeby, Lee Chilcote, 3.1.2012