What Are The Current Financial & Housing Conditions?

Transcription

1 Sharswood/Blumberg Choice Neighborhoods Community Supportive Services Roundtable Thursday, October 9, 2014 (6pm-8pm) Girard College Library Upper School Library S College Ave - Philadelphia, PA Personal Transformation & Meaningful Engagement People do not live here they only exist in the community Resourceful residents use external sources to sustain their families Need approaches to help others -- Help change mentality provides resources Lack of education for jobs available work to improve education of residents Work to make sure residents are in good standing now and residents can come back What do we have in our communities? Visually seeing progress and transformation in the community 2. Individual & Family Needs: (Includes Senior Services) What we can do with the members of the community (their input)? o Take notes o Pass out cards and collect at end Talk openly about fears and hopes for this community development How to get them there: o Go to doors ask each other (1 rep) from each house to attend Go out to neighborhood w/ bullhorn announcing meeting and purpose can also go to senior center, PTA meetings, churches Community bus (transport elderly and those without vehicle) to come to meetings o in the eveing so parents can attend Need a place for individuals and families besides sitting on the stoop o Inside the new healthcare center being built there will be an YMCA (great start) Need jobs/ job training our seniors could use computer training Need space to create entrepreneurship! o How can family start and own their own business? Safety for individual family needs and seniors Programs for multi-generation families many grandparents are raising their own kids No respect for elders anymore We need CDC to work in the community Housing homeownership for families Some seniors have lived in this community all their lives how can they own a home? (who or where can they go to get an understandning of those resources offered. How can we reach them to get the information to them in a way they understand? The people of this community don t need to be spoken to as a politician talk to them from your heart. 1

2 o o They are not concerned with your background or what degree you have. They are concerned about your heart willl you help them all the way Don t stereotype or judge them 3. Legal and Financial Support Services We need to focus on financial and legal education Current issues: foundation for our generations to come What programs not working?: CDC, closer, legal services offices within a community location Short term actions: o Attend a PHA financial counciling session o Provide the legal service follow up to help their desired need Everything takes time to start with a beginning we will continue the process o More well-rounded independent families Success will look like - families that are financially ready to cope with the change for our day shown to go forward. Come out for their own beneft their financial Priorities: Authority willing to do the services to actually tell you what the law is and how to correct it correctly. Credit reductions Provide legal services Score retired executive Financial: legal xxxx representation We need an onsite legal service team. Broad/ 15th & Erie legal services office are too far. Although legal and financial has to go hand in hand. We need a CDC to help create a transition. We need to make time in our schedule. Goal: This is how we will achieve carreer planning to become a thriving, prosperous selfreliant community Families that are financially ready 4. Health & Wellness Providers leave too soon Poor people = poor health care How to healthier life Understand medicine better Learn about more holistic ways to treat illness not just medicine Understand signs/ symptoms House calls Word of mouth local channels schools Community benefit agreement 2

3 5. Employment & Skills Development What is the problem? Lack of advanced education (High School Ed) need elevated training Lack of awareness of services Need specific skills development Lack of elementary ed (don t have GED) - There is correlation btewen education and employment No jobs in immediate neighborhood. No part time jobs in youth during the school year What are short-term implementable solutions? No part time jobs in youth during the school year Awareness campaign w/ identified the available existing resources Bring in mobile GED classes OIC willing to offer GED within community at Sharswood walking distance What are long-term solutions? Maintain attention to keep them engaged Once get GED then get job (i.e. employer patrnerships, education partnerships Building a career path framework = a time commitment o GED, Tech traning, job o GED, Assocatiates, Bachelor Job Adult learning model benefit of how does it apply today Not just academic but trade More incentives advocate to policy makers excitement about going to school Phila Youth Network Career Tech Ed in this like a red onion Interest in early childhood education o Age appropriate trade/ skills/ deveopmen t Educaiton: not for everyone o Entrepreneurship training (hope and vision) o Passion, dreams (not working) an option for returning citizens What will success look like? o Benefit from services o Graduations o Employment licenses o Higher employer rate o Awareness of health, sex ed to decrease # of childbirths Develop metrics o Credentials (industry) i.e. SafeServ, GED o ED level advancements, TABE o More closer to employment o Step by step process Look at demographics and how many people service at one time Include human services and peer mentorship w/ academic 3

4 6. Education 7. Housing Services Rental Housing: Short term goals: Information/ educaiton to residents Tenant rights Housing code violations/ City of Philadelphia L&I o Pest control Rental payment assistance/ rebates Utility and weatherization assitance Listings for existing rentalinventory in Sharswood Review land bank opportunties Long term goals: The Action Plan Residents to remain in the Sharswood Community/ Marketing Local non-profit monitoring rentalhousing standards & rights Developing affordable rental inventory Developing accessible housing for residents Homeownership: Short term goals: Information/ educaiton to residents Home financing options Mortgage foreclosure Sheriff sale real estate/ water sewage taxes Property insurance Property real estate taxes Home improvements/ repairs Zoning issues Utility and weatherization assitance Real estate rebates Long term goals: The Action Plan Residents to remain in the Sharswood Community/ Marketing Local non-profit RCO monitoring developer/ zoning activity Develop affordable housing units Real estate development education to residents and community individual families Local developer/ contractors LEED platinum house Advocacy group Purchase rehab Common community Green space 4

5 8. Community Safety Problem: Intruders in the building selling drugs contributing to crime No protection from getting into the building Priorities: Safe walking routes to school in evening and mornings Peace Park different mood/ atmosphere feels like a safe space o Need more polices/ survellaince o Green space can improve perception of safety Teaching neighborhood youth real skills i.e. be able to fix their own homes/ trade schools Broken window syndrome improves neighborhood safety and sustainability Afterschool activities Increased lighting/ greening on streets Neighborhood watch reconnect the community Community events bring people together around food Philly Urban County Peace Park just happened o Panel discussions, speaker, workshops, kids corner, music, food not bombs What is working: Peace Park Project HOME Wellness Center Athletic Center & MLK Rec Center o Don t lock the gates, no rules crime happens there o Boxing program o Resident town council can monitor the playground, recreation center What is not working: o Need a playground o Maintenance of site o Part time jobs for neigborhood residents to work at Peace Park? o Domestic violence high #s of reporting from this zip Short term Actions: o Cameras and survellaince to prevent crime and dumping o Lighting o Green space (Peace Park) to improve perception of safety o Safe corridors/ safe walk to school o Footbeats (officers on bike) o Trade School/ After school programs to teach kids o Skills to maintain homes (potential apprenticeships) o Resources and awareness for domestic volience in the neigborhood 5

6 o o Community policing Maintenance of sites 6