Neighborhoods 2020: How do we know what services neighborhood organizations provide?

On October 24, 2016, NCR proposed allocating $50,000 to partner with NCEC and neighborhood organizations to host a series of discussion on the future role of neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis. The first question to be answered was "What are the unique services provided by neighborhood organizations to residents and the City?"

"What are the unique services provided by neighborhood organizations to residents and the City?"

This is the first and most critical question that should be answered by the Neighborhoods 2020 Roadmap. Without a clear and cogent answer to this question, you really cannot begin to address the other questions that should be answered by the Roadmap.

With three independent, large and robust sets of data available, the Roadmap should really be able to answer this question much more fully and completely than it does. The answer provided by the Roadmap are trite at best, making it difficult to asses the proposed "options" for structure at the end of the document.

The three data sets have been collected over different periods of time, and in somewhat different contexts, but all provide excellent resources to help answer this question:

• PlanNet. The PlanNet database has been used to monitor and report on NRP expenditures from the beginning of the NRP in 1991. PlanNet reflects how neighborhood organizations, through resident based planning, have chosen to prioritize use of NRP funds. While most funds were required by law to go to housing, neighborhood organizations had a lot of latitude to determine how to allocate and direct use of funds.
• CPP Annual Reports. For several years, NCR has required neighborhood organizations to provide annual reports on their activities.
• The Summary of Findings from the 2017 Neighborhood Cafe's, hosted by neighborhood organizations in parternship with the NCEC and NCR last year, specifically with the intent of answering this very question. More than 500 people participated in these meetings, using a small group discussion format, to discuss their hopes and expectations for neighborhood organizations in the future.

The "recommendation" of the Roadmap start on page 4. The Roadmap states "in looking at the Draft Summary of Findings report, the following themes had the most comments and ideas and were weighted highest. Specific action items have been included below." However, the "themes" from the Summary of Findings are buried as almost fine print in the Roadmap in cursory follow up to Questions 1, 2 and 3:

Question #1 – What Services, Opportunities and Information should Neighborhood organizations Provide? Improve the Social and Physical Environment of the Neighborhood – Neighborhood Programs for Safety, Youth Development, and Housing Issues. Beautification, Immigrant Services, Respond to Local Issues.

Question #2 – What are the characteristics of an Effective Neighborhood Organization? Clear Mission and Vision / Leadership – Effective Goal Setting, Leadership Development, Honesty, Transparency, Trustworthiness

Question #3 – How can Neighborhood organizations Empower Engagement? Increase Opportunities to Volunteer to Make a Better Place – More Diversity across ages (Youth, Childcare, Incentives, Cultural Awareness).

In short, the Roadmap fails to provide a clear and cogent explanation of services that neighborhood organization provide. Without a clear explanation of what it is you are trying to accomplish, this is essentially a roadmap to nowhere.

Over the next few posts, I will explore more what the Summary of Findings, plus PlanNet and CPP annual reports can tell us about the unique services provided by neighborhood organizations to residents and the City.