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About the Conference – What, Purpose, When, Where What: In partnership with the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute (NJPPRI) at Rutgers University, Public Service Gas and Electric Company (PSE&G) sponsored a conference titled, Building Communities and People: The Role of Innovative Community Development Strategies. A Policy Leadership Awards Reception, hosted by NJPPRI, followed the Conference.
Purpose: Through the work of community and faith-based organizations, the revitalization of low-income communities has grown in strength and impact throughout New Jersey, as well as nationally. The conference was designed to educate those interested in community development about the important challenges and opportunities facing such efforts in the state of New Jersey. Some of the best examples of community development efforts and the support base necessary to accomplish these goals were presented to participants.
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Background & Rationale PSE&G has been involved in community and economic development throughout New Jersey for decades. Our efforts in Newark and other urban cities have established the company as a leader in corporate involvement, not only from a charitable perspective, but also from an innovative business perspective. These efforts, while helping to improve communities, have come with many challenges and lessons – chief among them are: developing leadership, mobilizing stakeholders, building trust, managing patience. We have also learned the value of innovative ideas and the roles they play in improving existing efforts.
To further broaden our impact, last year we began to examine our existing community development efforts. We enlisted the help of the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute, (NJPPRI) located at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in New Brunswick at Rutgers University, to scan the field and benchmark our efforts with those occurring across the country. Results show that as a utility or major corporation, our efforts are unique and we have a carved a special “niche” in leading community development to revitalize urban neighborhoods. That niche is often referred to as “Anchor Institution Based Development.”
While we are pleased to be considered a national leader, the scan revealed opportunities for the New Jersey development community to further examine and debate emerging, innovative development trends. Along with the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute, PSE&G developed this conference to provide a forum for key stakeholders in the private, public and nonprofit development sectors to do the following: 1) to look at local, regional and national examples of superior community development projects, 2) to present information to improve efforts in our state and, 3) to learn how to create new partnerships that benefit challenged communities. We accomplished these goals.
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Welcome & Opening Addresses The Presidents
- Ralph Izzo – President and COO, PSE&G
- Richard L. McCormick – President, Rutgers – The State University
Both of these leaders spoke about their organizations’ efforts and support to community development efforts as “anchors” in the community.
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Description of Forums Forum #1 – Building Partners & Mobilizing Stakeholders
The panel provided a variety of perspectives to those interested in forwarding the community development process. They also presented examples of building stakeholders and partners from their rich experience. It was recognized that communities are diverse and all have different dimensions such as size, asset endowment, and social capital. Community-based development organizations, residents and other stakeholders have to work with these variations to accomplish their goal. The varying strategies employed by the experts on this panel showed that despite the fact that there are significant challenges in each community, these leaders and their organizations are able to use innovative strategies that lead to positive outcomes. Aside from any given strategy, the underlying force for success is to build support among the stakeholders and partners with communication, community organization and a long-range vision.
Moderator: Roland Anglin – NJPPRI
Marty Johnson (Executive Director – Isles, Inc.) – In the city of Trenton, Marty has worked with a number of partners from the public sector, as well as the philanthropic and general community. He has had a great deal of success in maintaining and building relationships both in the state and on a national level. The founding president of Isles, Marty addressed building stakeholder support for their regional community development sustainability strategies.
Bridget Phifer (Executive Director - Parkside Community and Business in Partnership) – In the city of Camden, Bridget has developed the organization’s budget tenfold within a four-year period. As housing efforts have expanded and homeownership education, marketing and neighborhood planning programs have been created, Bridget’s staff of one has increased to six. Partnerships with various sectors have been critical to this organization’s success.
Ray Ocasio (Executive Director - La Casa de Don Pedro) – In the City of Newark, Ray has formed successful community development partnerships – especially with the private sector and he shared his views about these partnerships. He pointed out when building these partnerships, a special set of challenges often comes with them. Not only must there be community support for development projects, but the private sector must concur as well. Oftentimes the latter may have a different set of goals and possible outcomes than the community development organization.
Diane Johnson (Director of the Newark Field Office - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) – HUD enforces the nation’s fair housing laws and is committed to increasing homeownership, creating affordable housing opportunities for low income Americans, and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and others with AIDS. Diane talked about successful community and economic development partnerships with HUD that increased home ownership in New Jersey
Carla Lerman (Executive Director - Newark Episcopal Community Development) - Carla could have discussed various partnership types and relationships; however, she addressed the special role of faith-inspired institutions attempting to pursue community development.
Forum #2 – The Fuel that Makes the Engines Work: The Infrastructure
The panel provided an overview of the intermediaries that support the programs and organizations that comprise the community economic development field nationally and in New Jersey. The overview covered specific programs and long-range trends that can influence the productivity and support of the field.
Moderator: Richard Roper – The Roper Group
Tim Touhey (Director - Fannie Mae Local Partnership Office, New Jersey) - Tim provided the perspective of national housing financial intermediary. There are national and local trends that impact increased levels of housing production and asset building, and Tim presented some of these trends within the New Jersey context.
Paige Carlson-Heim (Associate Director - Housing and Community Development Network) - There are many new trends in building capacity of community-based organizations. The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey has been in the forefront of adapting new capacity building trends for their constituents. Paige talked about these activities.
Peter Kasabach (Chief of Policy and Community Development - Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency) - HMFA has a number of programs to help communities start and complete community economic development activities. Peter talked about these programs.
Denise Mason (Vice President of Community Development - Wachovia Corporation) - There have been a number of merger/ acquisitions in the banking industry over the past few years. Denise discussed the trend and the impact it has had in the community economic development field in New Jersey.
Gerard Joab (Executive Director - Greater Newark/Jersey City Local Improvement Support Corporation) - Gerard provided an overview of LISC programs, but also a view of trends in urban New Jersey. He gave a perspective on one of the most pressing issues facing community development in New Jersey: the decreasing availability of land (for development) in urban areas.
Forum #3 – The Role of Anchor Institutions
Anchor institutions such as universities, hospitals, banks and other institutions are now recognized as important components of community economic revitalization. The panel reviewed the challenges and opportunities to “anchor lead” community development. The panelists presented case studies using national and New Jersey examples.
Moderator: Gwendolyn Harris – New Jersey Urban Development Project
George Hampton (Vice President of Urban and Community Development - University of Medicine and Dentistry) - George talked about the role UMDNJ continues to play in the revitalization of Newark and Camden.
Al Koeppe (President - Newark Alliance) – Al talked about the private sector and its role in anchoring community economic development. Also, Al discussed his leadership role as President at PSE&G with the South Ward Urban Initiative.
Armand Carrier (Director, Office of University Partnerships - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) - Armand talked about the federal role in sponsoring community/university development partnerships across the country.
Dr. Stephanie Bush-Baskette, Esq. (Director, Joseph C. Cornwall Center of Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University) – Stephanie talked about the role an institute devoted to applied regional studies can play in community economic development.
Keynote Speaker: During lunch, participants heard a powerful message from Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake, Senior Pastor of Greater Allen Cathedral, President of Wilberforce University, a former New York Congressman, and a pioneer in the field of community development. Dr. Flake is a trailblazer in the field of faith-based community and economic development. He told a compelling story of his masterful and strategic journey in building a comprehensive community through his leadership and that of Greater Allen Cathedral.
Attendees: The 250 participants included the following: community development practitioners, community residents, faith-based organizations, investors, public policy makers, corporate leaders, elected officials, business owners, nonprofit agencies, and others in the field of economic development.
The topics that were generated from the Conference were:
- The development of neighborhoods as the central focus of community development is reaching its limit here in New Jersey due to capital and industry locating outside of urban areas. The discussion centered on public policies and strategies that promote housing mobility strategies while recognizing that place-based community economic development strategies will always be needed.
- Homeownership is a key strategy for individual and community wealth building, but that effort and direction should not limit the recognition that, for some, rental housing is a better and a more reasonable option. Performance measurement is important for accountability to funders and stakeholders, but community development practitioners must find ways of defining and measuring progress and impact. Not to define measurement and impact leaves practitioners at the mercy of those who do not know the field as well as those working in community-based development organizations.
- Funders should find ways to streamline the application and reporting process to alleviate the administrative burden on community development organizations.
- Lastly, the conference highlighted the need for increased dialogue and understanding of the role that the anchor institutions (corporations, hospitals, higher education institutions) and other private-sector entities can play in community-economic development planning and projects in partnership with communities.
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