OVERVIEW OF SOUTH LOS ANGELES TRANSIT EMPOWERMENT ZONE (SLATE-Z) March 2016

Transcription

1 OVERVIEW OF SOUTH LOS ANGELES TRANSIT EMPOWERMENT ZONE (SLATE-Z) March 2016 Contents HISTORY... 2 NEIGHBORHOODS AND DEMOGRAPHICS... 2 Figure 1. Map of the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z)...3 MISSION, GOALS, AND ACTIVITIES... 3 Figure 2. SLATE-Z Projects Organized by Type...4 PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE... 4 Figure 3. SLATE-Z Partnership Structure Diagram...4 LEAD AGENCY AND BACKBONE SUPPORT... 6 RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY... 6 EVALUATION STRATEGY... 7 WHY PROMISE ZONE DESIGNATION MATTERS

2 HISTORY In Fall 2014, the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) collaborative came together to develop an application for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development s second Promise Zone competition. The Round 2 application built upon and cemented a partnership among diverse community organizations, education institutions, government agencies, and elected leaders that had never materialized in South LA. Though a designation was not received, SLATE-Z preserved and grew even stronger expanding the roster of partners and focusing our goals, strategies, and activities. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro s presence at one of our meetings hosted by our Congressional representatives Karen Bass and Lucille Roybal-Allard in August 2015 further solidified the collaborative s resolve to pursue Promise Zone designation in the Third Round. From December 2015 to February 2016, SLATE-Z engaged in a planning process that resulted in the submission of a strengthened and refined Promise Zone proposal for Third Round of the competition. SLATE-Z is an historic and unprecedented partnership of over 50 public, private, and community-based organizations dedicated to moving residents to economic opportunity. The collaborative seeks to capitalize on opportunities brought by public transit and align and leverage the individual and collective assets of partners working in the area. NEIGHBORHOODS AND DEMOGRAPHICS SLATE-Z includes portions of the neighborhoods of Vernon-Central, South Park, Florence, Exposition Park, Vermont Square, Leimert Park, and a small portion of Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw. While some may debate the merits of a second Promise Zone in Los Angeles given that there s already a designation and only 11 urban Promise Zones in the country to date it is important to note that SLATE-Z is has one of the highest rates of poverty among the nation s urban centers % of our 197,539 residents live below the federal poverty line Over half (53%) of children in SLATE-Z live in poverty more than twice the rate in LA County (25.3%) Though our employment rate of 88.2% seems high compared to other impoverished urban neighborhoods o 44.5% of workers in SLATE-Z live below 150% of the federal poverty level despite their employment status (as compared 17.8% countywide) o Workforce participation is low - only 58.2% of 18 to 64 year olds (compared to 64.9% in the county) indicating that many have given up the search for work due to deep-seated barriers o 17% of South LA residents are undocumented immigrants who are not counted in government data (as compared to 10% of the county s population) Overall violent crime in SLATE-Z increased 21.4% between 2014 and 2015 (compared to 20.2% increase in the City of LA overall) o More specifically, gang-related violent crime rose 56.9% between 2014 and 2015 (compared to 20.3% increase in such crimes in the City overall) (Source: 2011 American Communities Survey, 2013 American Communities Survey, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department). SLATE-Z would like to thank the USC Program on Environmental and Regional Equity (USC PERE) for data analysis to support the development of our Promise Zone application. 2

3 Figure 1. Map of the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) MISSION, GOALS, AND ACTIVITIES The mission of SLATE-Z is to revitalize South Los Angeles by moving residents to economic opportunity. The collaborative s work is organized into five goals: 1. Move residents to living wage jobs 2. Increase economic activity by investing in businesses, entrepreneurs, and community-oriented infrastructure 3. Increase student attainment of certificates, degrees, and preparation for careers by guaranteeing post-secondary career pathway enrollment and support 4. Reduce violent crime through effective prevention, intervention, reentry, and community engagement 5. Improve community infrastructure by increasing the safety, affordability, and use of public transit Each goal is advanced by strategic collective impact projects designed and executed by implementation partners. See SLATE-Z s Goals and Activities summarized on page 8 for projects that partners have prioritized for the next five years ( ). The projects are either joint advocacy campaigns or coordinated service delivery projects in order to move residents into economic opportunity along the following pathways: 1. From working poverty to living wage jobs 2. For entrepreneurs and business leaders to be given access to new growth opportunities 3. From high school to college completion for living wage careers 4. From gangs and reentry to education and careers, and 5. Moving residents to, from and within the community on public transit 3

4 Figure 2. SLATE-Z Projects Organized by Type The SLATE-Z plan seeks to capitalize on timely and compelling revitalization opportunities related to transitoriented development along 3 light rail lines (Blue and Expo Lines, plus the coming Crenshaw Line). PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURE SLATE-Z is a robust intersectoral collaborative made up of public agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, elected leaders, business associations, residents, and broad-based public support. These partners have come together in a new spirit of collaboration, coordination and cooperation for the betterment of the SLATE-Z community. The structure to support this commitment is shown in the diagram and explained below. Figure 3. SLATE-Z Partnership Structure Diagram 4

5 a. Implementation Partners are member organizations that participate in action planning and carry out the day-to-day work and activities of the SLATE-Z plan. They are organized into five Work Groups to support each of SLATE-Z s goals. Implementation Partners are expected to join at least one of the five Work Groups, participate in activities towards shared goals, and track & report data on shared metrics. As of Promise Zone application submission on February 23, 2016, there are 53 Implementation Partners representing 15 City departments and offices, 2 County agencies, 4 post-secondary institutions, 11 high schools, a network of health clinics with 3 sites inside SLATE-Z, 3 broad community-based coalitions, a diverse roster of 26 non-profit partners, the Area Chamber of Commerce, a Labor association representing 48 local unions and district councils in 14 Trades, 7 job coordination centers, and 4 small business incubators. These partners signed a preliminary MOU for the Promise Zone application. Over 2016, a more formal MOU based on this document will be developed to solidify roles, working relationships, and reporting requirements. b. Each of the five Work Groups is convened by two Leads who convene meetings, support communication & data sharing across Partners in their Work Group, identify & coordinate pursuit of resources towards projects, and serve as a liaison with elected officials & public agencies. Work Groups are co-led by a government agency and an educational institution or community-based organization (with one important exception): 1. Jobs: Larry Frank (Los Angeles Trade Technical College) and Robert Sainz (LA City Economic & Workforce Development Department) 2. Economic Activity: Nolan Rollins (Los Angeles Urban League) and Alma Salazar (LA Area Chamber of Commerce) 3. Education: Leticia Barajas (Los Angeles Trade Technical College) and Veronica Melvin (LA s Promise) 4. Reducing Crime: Mark Wilson (Coalition for Responsible Community Development) and Anne Tremblay (Mayor s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development); and 5. Transit: Beth Steckler (Move LA) and Miriam Long (LA County Metropolitan Transit Authority) The exception is that in Work Group 2, the Chamber of Commerce is co-leading this work in lieu of a government agency due to the critical role of business leadership for success in this particular area. Work Groups meet at least once every other month. At least 3-4 times a year, Work Groups will intentionally engage residents in their meetings to provide direct resident input on SLATE-Z s work relevant to their issue area. c. The Steering Committee is the governance body of SLATE-Z which oversees the collaborative. Its role is to set strategic direction; promote collaboration, coordination & collaboration across sectors & agencies to cut through bureaucracies and seemingly intractable problems; identify synergies across the five SLATE-Z goals and address inter-related issues & policies; build a culture of learning & evaluation within the collaborative and help develop data sharing practices; provide a vision for SLATE-Z communication including development & sharing of scorecards & reports; and build relationships with funders to help attract & secure resources in support of SLATE-Z goals & activities. The Steering Committee meets at least quarterly and consists of 15 members: Los Angeles Trade Technical College President or designee (Lead Agency) City of LA Mayor s representative 10 Work Group Leads Resident Engagement Lead Agency representative (Community Coalition) Resident Advisory Committee representative (TBD) An additional Implementation Partner (CDTech) 5

6 These initial Steering Committee members were chosen for their work on the Promise Zone Application Planning Committee from December 2015 through February Steering Committee meetings shall be open to Implementation Partners and residents. In 2016, SLATE-Z will develop bylaws to define terms and selection process for Steering Committee members and Work Group Leads. d. The Resident Advisory Committee will be a diverse array of SLATE-Z residents representative of the community and with experience as job seekers, local business leaders, students, opportunity youth, individuals returning to the community from incarceration, and others. This body will be formed by the Resident Engagement Lead Agency (Community Coalition) in 2016, and will be drawn from participants in SLATE-Z programs & organizing efforts as well as public outreach. The body will meet quarterly to help plan & inform SLATE-Z activities, provide feedback on SLATE-Z s impact, help set priorities, assist with grassroots resident engagement, and exchange progress reports with the Work Groups & Steering Committee. The Resident Advisory Committee shall determine in the first year its own process for selection of members and its representative to the Steering Committee. The presence of a member of the Resident Advisory Committee on the Steering Committee ensures that there will be integration of resident feedback and priorities into the strategic development and governance of SLATE-Z s work. e. The Elected Officials Advisory Committee will include local, state, and federal government representatives of the SLATE-Z area. Convened by the Mayor s Office, the Committee will meet twice per year to coordinate on government budget allocations, policy reform, and other legislative or regulatory matters related to SLATE-Z s work that is overseen by different jurisdictions. The Mayor s representative holds a seat on SLATE- Z s Steering Committee to allow for integration between the governing body and the Elected Officials Advisory Committee. LEAD AGENCY AND BACKBONE SUPPORT Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) the oldest public two-year college in the Los Angeles Community College District serves as the lead agency for SLATE-Z and houses backbone staff. Serving more than 23,000 students each year, LATTC is a recognized leader in workforce education. The college has also successfully managed well over $45 million in state, federal, and private foundation grants since 2007 to develop, implement, and evaluate a number of evidence-based programs and innovations. Since 2013, LATTC has been led by President Larry B. Frank. In his former role as a deputy mayor for the City of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013, Frank oversaw community development, Public Works, the City s entire workforce development programs, and the system of 98 neighborhood councils. President Frank s strong sense of commitment to the community catapulted LATTC to significantly increased levels of visibility and leadership; he was approached by elected officials representing the community to lead SLATE-Z as the lead convener. LATTC is the perfect hub for SLATE-Z because the college s mission aligns with broad-based collective impact strategies to address the needs of the local and regional economy, its focus on career technical education and career pathway development in LA s highest projected growth industries, its long history of collaboration with workforce, and its historical and current role as convener and leader of collective impact work. LATTC and LA s Promise oversee the SLATE-Z Director, supported by a two-year grant from the Disney Foundation, to provide forward momentum towards SLATE-Z s mission by organizing partners and facilitating the design and execution of collective impact projects. RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY In preparation for the Promise Zone application planning process, more than 50 SLATE-Z partners who have regular contact with residents through its programs and organizing sought input and brought this 6

7 information into coalition conversations. After partners agreed on strategies and activities, direct resident input was sought in early February through presentations at meetings & events, door-to-door contact, and digital media. This included a survey, completed by several hundred residents in just a couple of weeks, in both Spanish and English that allowed residents to rank SLATE-Z s planned activities in order of importance. This resident outreach effort in early February 2016 was led by CDTech and Community Coalition and involved elected officials and other community-based organizations. Moving forward, SLATE-Z s lead resident engagement agency will be Community Coalition, a non-profit organization that brings more than 25 years of consistent experience in resident engagement efforts in South LA successfully leading toward change on similar issues. To ensure that resident engagement is broad yet substantive moving forward, Community Coalition will work with SLATE-Z partners to shape resident engagement efforts that will be intentionally designed to be inclusive of the community including monolingual Spanish speakers, Black & Latino residents, youth, families, students, immigrants, and others. Residents will also provide leadership in SLATE-Z through the Resident Advisory Committee, which will meet quarterly to provide input and help set strategic priorities, assist with outreach, review reports on SLATE- Z s impact and progress, provide feedback, and recommend modifications. One Resident Advisory Committee member will serve on the Steering Committee, providing resident leadership directly in governance of SLATE-Z. In addition, planning and advocacy projects conducted by partners will directly engage residents and seek their input & leadership. EVALUATION STRATEGY As a collective impact collaborative, all partners will share data and information informally and formally to set goals, track progress, and evaluate our efforts. LATTC, as the SLATE-Z lead, will work with research departments at the University of Southern California to measure progress and analyze impact including the Center for Urban Education (CUE), Program on Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE), and the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation (Price CSI). SLATE-Z will report progress annually in a scorecard on its 5 programmatic areas, which will be developed using a combination of data reported by partners, public data, and possibly survey data for individual evaluation studies where funding is available. The scorecard will be designed in 2016 as the partnership develops data sharing agreements and further refines its activities and metrics. WHY PROMISE ZONE DESIGNATION MATTERS As one of the largest cities in the nation, Los Angeles has access to capital; however, the issues within SLATE-Z are deep-rooted and require substantial financial investments specifically in South LA to address the needs highlighted earlier (in Neighborhoods & Demographics). While SLATE-Z partners bring their commitment, expertise, and organizational resources to coordinate, collaborate, and innovate financial support is needed to accelerate economic revitalization efforts and launch new collective evidence-based programs outlined in the Promise Zone plan. Existing Promise Zone designees have successfully attracted increased federal investment and leveraged such funding to attract additional monetary support for their projects. If designated a Promise Zone, SLATE-Z will resonate with donors in an even more powerful way as a high-need area served by a strong intersectoral collaborative. In addition to preferential access to federal funding streams, this will allow partners to be better positioned to raise funding from other sources to expand their capacity. Promise Zone designation also brings HUD s technical assistance, which will only strengthen local efforts and SLATE-Z s collective ability to serve the community. 7

8 For more information and updates, visit: 8