Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation
Report date
January 2019
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
First, our Frogtown Rondo Action Network (FRAN) and Power of One Plus One (PO1+1) resident leadership training helped our residents to learn organizing techniques, leadership skills, how to develop community benefits agreements, learned how to interface with both community leaders and political officials at all levels.
Second, by engaging our resident leaders in various social justice and community events, residents could get directly involved, gather information on other important community activities, and having the resident leaders do interviews and surveys (one-on-ones) with other community residents helped them begin to both build relationships and create their own broader community networks.
Thirdly, at the submital of our grant request, we had conducted approximately 193 surveys, with the help of our current resident leaders, we are now at over 500. We now can have a deeper analysis of barriers to stable and affordable housing not only in Frogtown Rondo but in other areas of the of St. Paul low-income, people of color, and disenfranchised people that new construction cannot solve. with this information, we hope will help move us to the top issue (s) to strategize around
Key lessons learned
1. It is important to build relationships of people with each other and for people to build relationships with organizations and our public officials. in these relationships gaining trust is key to keep the work centered, focused, and moving towards goals and accomplishments.
We do not consider the lessons learned as failures but what we have learned is that there is a failure to not do enough of one and two.
We do not consider the lessons learned as failures but what we have learned is that there is a failure to not do enough of one and two.
2. Resident voices are important in decision making and they must be respected as being 'experts' in solving community issues.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
The elements inclusive and resourceful have been most important processes in our work. Inclusive, We engage community members in creating change, This grassroot empowerment effort increases our residents’ collective identification, understanding, and action to address issues impacting their quality of life. We then can maintain a core commitment to inspiring long-term civic engagement, producing a sustainable and regenerative base of grassroots leaders for fostering community led policy action and social change.
Resourceful, the residents not only realize they are its own community assets but utilize the already existing community assets. We, therefore can continue to expand our residents' to build a collective voice and empowerment by a) increasing civic engagement on community identified issues, b) cultivating local leadership, c) increasing community capacity and points of influence, and d) developing an actionable agenda to advance community priorities and outcomes, with a focus on housing affordability and stability.
Resourceful, the residents not only realize they are its own community assets but utilize the already existing community assets. We, therefore can continue to expand our residents' to build a collective voice and empowerment by a) increasing civic engagement on community identified issues, b) cultivating local leadership, c) increasing community capacity and points of influence, and d) developing an actionable agenda to advance community priorities and outcomes, with a focus on housing affordability and stability.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
Our increased focus on housing began with dialogue with fellow advocates, community groups, and engaged residents on how the Green Line may
affect housing affordability. FRAN’s indepth civic engagement reinforced housing as a foremost community issue. We begin FRAN’s problem solving process by training and guiding local resident leaders in engaging peers in patient discussions and surveys on their challenges and priorities related to housing and other issues. Other key elements was doing community base research; the input from 500 plus surveys from residents and community members, building relationships by spending time out in the community, having conversations and listening to folks, and taking time doing community one on ones. Finally, The Power of One Plus One (PO1+1) resident leadership training has motivated and created leaders in increased civic engagement. Youth resident leaders built their confidence and used advocacy and organizing to educate community people on the high occurrence of homelessness for youth in the community.
affect housing affordability. FRAN’s indepth civic engagement reinforced housing as a foremost community issue. We begin FRAN’s problem solving process by training and guiding local resident leaders in engaging peers in patient discussions and surveys on their challenges and priorities related to housing and other issues. Other key elements was doing community base research; the input from 500 plus surveys from residents and community members, building relationships by spending time out in the community, having conversations and listening to folks, and taking time doing community one on ones. Finally, The Power of One Plus One (PO1+1) resident leadership training has motivated and created leaders in increased civic engagement. Youth resident leaders built their confidence and used advocacy and organizing to educate community people on the high occurrence of homelessness for youth in the community.
Understanding the problem
Through event outreach, partnership development, and an initial survey, we refined our own baseline understanding of community priorities,
which narrowed our focus to affordable housing, living wage jobs, and youth development. In the process, we guided engaged residents to
several wins (e.g. increasing access to local recreation centers). We also wove our resident leadership program into FRAN, using FRAN’s process to
hone residents skills while creating a peer-to-peer model that expanded and propelled civic engagement. FRAN has now completed over 500 community surveys to gain more participation and focus related to housing issues, rigorously building a base for action and ensuring its specific priorities reflect those of our community.
Through FRAN and the PO1+1, we engage as many disadvantaged/housing challenged residents as we can. Again, FRAN’s guiding principle is that residents are the true experts on local issues, so we do not undertake any action without leadership, guidance, and participation from our community.
which narrowed our focus to affordable housing, living wage jobs, and youth development. In the process, we guided engaged residents to
several wins (e.g. increasing access to local recreation centers). We also wove our resident leadership program into FRAN, using FRAN’s process to
hone residents skills while creating a peer-to-peer model that expanded and propelled civic engagement. FRAN has now completed over 500 community surveys to gain more participation and focus related to housing issues, rigorously building a base for action and ensuring its specific priorities reflect those of our community.
Through FRAN and the PO1+1, we engage as many disadvantaged/housing challenged residents as we can. Again, FRAN’s guiding principle is that residents are the true experts on local issues, so we do not undertake any action without leadership, guidance, and participation from our community.
If you could do it all over again...
That it is going to take a lot more time to achieve our goals. The housing issues we are facing did not happen overnight and that overnight they will not be solved. However, using the community based research completed, we can decide on addressing a focused area by using an inclusive approach and collective decision making process that can lead to positive change which will have a large impact on improving housing stability for disenfranchised people.
it would be important because as a result of FRAN’s patient approach to community engagement, we imagine a community in which typically disenfranchised or disengaged residents will instead be a) sufficiently informed of the political process and b) empowered to influence the direction of housing policy and development to serve their needs and protect them from severe cost burdens, discrimination, and displacement. While the policy actions will be determined through a bottom up process over the next year, they will all have a specific and common focus on stabilizing communities in greatest need and improving their outcomes. On an individual level, we imagine this process making the difference in low income communities.
it would be important because as a result of FRAN’s patient approach to community engagement, we imagine a community in which typically disenfranchised or disengaged residents will instead be a) sufficiently informed of the political process and b) empowered to influence the direction of housing policy and development to serve their needs and protect them from severe cost burdens, discrimination, and displacement. While the policy actions will be determined through a bottom up process over the next year, they will all have a specific and common focus on stabilizing communities in greatest need and improving their outcomes. On an individual level, we imagine this process making the difference in low income communities.
One last thought
We are thankful for the funding that was given by the Bush Foundation for us to broaden our work, for being understanding in looking at the fear of failure, and for the additional capacity building resources that was provided.