Carl Babb at the “transformation” confab.
New Haven is home to nearly 400 not-for-profits generating $700 million in annual revenue. Throw in Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital, and the revenue grows to $7 billion.
Yet the city still struggles to make progress on the issues these groups address: jobs, education, crime and poverty.
More than 60 people immersed in the city’s not-for-profit world broke bread and began talking about how to work together to make better use of all that money and the resources they generate — including a new batch of poverty-targeting money coming into New Haven.
The conversation took place Tuesday night at Immanuel Baptist Church at Chapel and Day streets. The impetus for having the conversation was the city’s mad dash to pull together an application to become a federally designated “Promise Zone,” a process that in recent months has brought together not-for-profit people from around town. The Harp administration is looking to make that process a vehicle to chart a broader “transformation” in the way New Haven’s sprawling not-for-profits tackle the city’s hard-core social challenges — whether or not the Promise Zone designation comes through.
“This is not about a grant,” said consultant Jim Farnam (pictured), an organizer of the Promise Zone process and a former city development official. “It’s about a plan to transform the city.”
New Haven scrambled in November to apply to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to designate much of New Haven (most neighborhoods outside Westville, East Rock, and downtown) a “Promise Zone.” HUD is designating those zones in 15 cities by 2016. Winning cities get a leg up in qualifying for 35 federal grant programs; AmeriCorps volunteers; tax incentives to lure businesses (assuming Congress OKs the money); and “help in addressing federal regulatory or other barriers.”
Livable City Initiative Inc. Director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo, at rights.
Unlike with previous federal anti-poverty assistance programs — including the “Enterprise Zone” and “Empowerment Zone” designations the city won in the 1990s — there is no specific money attached to being designated a “Promise Zone. It does make available tax breaks to businesses and requires that those participating work together and innovate.
New Haven is being considered by HUD in the second round of applications; designations are expected to be announced in the spring.
But the city is not waiting on the announcement to get the ball rolling.
Markeshia Ricks Photo
City Community Service Administrator Martha Okafor (pictured) said New Haven has 367 not-for-profit organizations working on the city’s toughest issues. Meanwhile, 43 percent of students read below basic levels; 44 percent of students are chronically absent from school; nearly 50 percent of residents meet the threshold for poverty or are low-income; and at least 14 percent are unemployed. While crime is down in New Haven, it still exceeds average statewide levels.
Okafor said her boss, Mayor Toni Harp, believes that given the wealth of resources in New Haven, “we should be provoked to do something different.” She said everyone was brought together Tuesday night to define that “something different.”
“Whatever we have been doing, we haven’t moved the needle,” she said. “We’re asking what else should we do so that we can begin to move this needle.”
Clifford Beers Clinic Executive Director Alice Forrester guides participants in a group exercise.
Tuesday night, participants in the meeting were challenged by two scenarios based on the real experiences of New Haven families. Both scenarios featured working mothers juggling multiple responsibilities that were stalling their ability to advance at work.
The participants’ task: Look at the resources of their individual organizations and determine how they might help; then remove the barriers of what an individual organization can do and collectively create some solutions.
Andy Orefice with Yale-New Haven Hospital (pictured) and his group determined that it might be nice to have software that helps with case management across organizations. (Groups collaborating on an ending-homeless challenge in New Haven succeeded with that strategy.)
Earle Lobo (pictured) and his group decided that agencies need to collaborate on a comprehensive assessment of New Haven families
Amos Smith, president and CEO of the Community Action Agency of New Haven, and his group homed in on the fact that there are virtually no services for helping a 26-year-old African-American man who is dealing with depression, unemployed and caring for a chronically ill child, which was part of one of the scenarios.
“The only system designed to address this person is the criminal justice system,” Smith said.
Sherman Malone (pictured) of the New Haven Family Alliance said that a barrier that the city might want to try to work on is the “fee for service” model that so many organizations employ. She said if you’re of a certain age, and not poor enough, there are no services for you that won’t cost something out of pocket.
“People are turned away so often from some sort of resource before they’ve ever listened to the problem,” she said.
Farnam said the next step will be to develop three or four working groups to meet through April to strategize on creating jobs; increasing economic activity; improving educational opportunities; reducing serious or violent crime; building community health and social cohesion; and improving housing and the physical environment.
ALL TALK, NO ACTION.
Yale Corp. could easily place us on the fed.list but they dont give a damn about our poverty and never will until the city steps on their neck.
I gave a speech 2 weeks ago at city hall by invitation that only 15 people heard, presenting a housing solution for the over 1000 homeless folks.
Elections next year, so expect more dog and pony shows.