What Do Cities Think Will Alleviate Poverty?

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City officials were presented with a list of poverty reduction strategies and asked which they believed would be most effective in their city not necessarily strategies being implemented. They werethen asked how much capacity their city currently has for implementing each strategy. Two strategies were viewed as both effective and within the city’s capacity to implement: 1) focusing on economic development to bring more businesses and jobs into the community (89% say effective; 89% say their city has capacity to implement) and 2) strengthening neighborhoods by making them safer, enhancing services, and improving infrastructure (86% and 88% respectively).

At the top of the list for perceived effectiveness (91%) was creating better lives for the next generation by improving schools and children’s lives, but only 57% feel this is within the city’s capacity. Eighty-eight percent of elected officials say improving the lives of people through access to social services, job training, and child care would be effective, but only 61% say they have capacity to implement this strategy.

Over half of city officials (53%) say their current approach to addressing poverty is through specific programs, such as social services, housing and transportation. And 35% say it is addressed through other institutions and organizations with little city government involvement. While only three percent say the city has a comprehensive strategic, municipal plan to address poverty, a much larger proportion (28%) says this would be the most effective approach for their city. (Report from the National League of Cities)

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How Grassroots Efforts Can Make Your Community Safer

Each district in the New Haven Police Department has a grassroots Management Team comprised of residents, business owners, and institutional and service representatives who are concerned about their community. A committee system reviews and recommends policies and implementation plans regarding public safety, youth issues, physical and infrastructure conditions, and other topics.

A high priority issue from the Teams is responding to high risk behaviors and the safety needs of city youth. The holistic concept of youth oriented policing evolved from its many interrelated components that include aspects of prevention and intervention, youth crime, truancy, juvenile probation, mentoring, recreation, education, and service.

Partnership and collaboration were key to making a visible change in the neighborhoods, schools, and at home. The Department won top honors in the National League of Cities Third Annual Excellence in Community Policing Awards competition (Community Policing in Action, 75,000-150,000 population category). A Report from the National League of Cities.

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An Innovative Way to Avoid Foreclosures in Your City or Town

The Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition (BHPC) is sponsoring a media campaign to convince homeowners threatened with foreclosure to call the national HOPE hotline (1-888-995-HOPE) and be connected directly to professional housing counselors who provide advice, contact a homeowner’s mortgage lender, and when necessary direct the homeowner to local housing counseling agencies for additional aid.

The service is free and confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Coalition has received federal funding via Baltimore City’s Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as local foundation funding, to increase publicity and education programs, and expand counseling and legal services. The toll-free HOPE hotline supplements Baltimore’s 311 Central Call Center, which also directs individuals to housing counselors and legal assistance.

In January 2008, the Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition, in partnership with a Prince George’s County coalition and the Maryland Housing Counselors Network, sponsored a Foreclosure Solutions Forum, where housing counselors, realtors, bankers, government officials, and advocates learned about sub-prime lending and foreclosure trends in Maryland and debated short and long-term solutions to the crisis. More information is available online at www.preservehomeownership.org.

The First City to Require Energy Efficient Buildings

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The Borough of West Chester, Pennsylvania, is the first municipality in the country where, by law, private commercial buildings must earn the Energy Star designation due to a new ordinance passed by the municipality’s Borough Council. The Energy Star program ensures that these buildings will be among the most energy efficient in the country. According to the new ordinance, a developer who is required to seek a “conditional use” approval for a project must design the building(s) to meet the energy performance goals of the Energy Star program. One year after operation, the building owner must assess energy use and apply for the Energy Star label. Savings from the program will be realized in greenhouse gas emission reductions and lower energy costs. (Report from the National League of Cities)

A Great Way To Assist Low Income Families

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For millions of low-income working families, the struggle to make ends meet is harder than it has to be. One way city officials can help low-income working families is by informing them of, and helping them to file for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

For eligible workers, the EITC offsets federal payroll taxes withheld from their pay. For the lowest-paid workers, the EITC refund amount may exceed their payroll taxes and put extra money in their pockets as an income supplement. Workers with two or more children can qualify for up to $3,888 an amount that can go a long way toward paying job-related expenses such as child care and transportation, utility bills, rent, and other costs of living.

Unfortunately, up to 20 percent of working families eligible for the EITC (and an even larger proportion of families moving from welfare to work) do not claim their EITC on their federal income tax return, or do't file a return at all. (Report from National League of Cities)

The Fed's new program for struggling homeowners

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HOPE for Homeowners Program

The HOPE for Homeowners program allows homeowners who have difficulty paying their mortgages to refinance into FHA-insured mortgages. For borrowers who refinance under HOPE for Homeowners, lenders will be required to “write down” the size of the mortgage to a maximum of 90 percent of the home’s new appraised value. The program will offer 30-year fixed rate mortgages. This program is a good option for homeowners whose home values have fallen below their loan amount. The FHA will insure up to $300 billion in new loans. The program will last through September 30, 2011.

Contact Information: HOPE NOW Alliance: 1 (888) 995-HOPE; or FHA: 1 (800) CALL-FHA; or www.fha.gov

Start a Sustainable Development Roundtable, Detroit Did.

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The Detroit/Wayne County Roundtable on Sustainable Development focuses on integrating environmental and economic growth concerns. Forty representatives from neighborhood organizations, environmental groups, lending institutions, businesses, governments, and charitable and religious groups comprise the Roundtable. Its ten-member board is co-chaired by designees of the mayor and county executive. The six operating principles of the Roundtable are: diversify membership, promote the concept of sustainability, build consensus, support existing efforts, combine the resources of the group's diverse stakeholders, and set up regional cooperation and communication. Much of the Roundtable's efforts address the redevelopment and marketing of brownfield sites, and the condemnation of such sites. The group reviews state environmental regulations pertaining to hazardous site mitigation as well. Several major redevelopment projects have been launched, including a stadium, airport, and casino. (A report from the National League of Cities)

A Great Idea for Sustainable Communities

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Lake Jackson, Texas, has begun replacing its light-duty and heavy-duty diesel trucks with vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).The City currently has 15 light-duty pick-up trucks, two rear-loader refuse trucks for residential garbage collection, and one roll-off refuse truck for commercial garbage collection. In addition, the city has a CNG forklift. For the light-duty trucks, the city pays approximately $4,000 more than it would for diesel trucks. The City has, however, received some small rebates from the Department of Energy to help cover the cost. The city pays an incremental cost of $55,000 to $60,000 for new CNG vs. new diesel heavy-duty refuse trucks. A federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant covers 20 percent of the incremental cost. It is estimated that the total fuel cost savings will be $130,000 in 2009. The city has also expanded its CNG program to include three CNG Honda Civics, which are operated by the state health inspectors. (Report from the National League of Cities)

A Good Community Leader/Elected Official Prepares Their City for the Worst: Pandemic Influenza

Planning for pandemic influenza is a health issue that involves all levels of government.Officials need to prepare for and collaborate on efforts to minimize andrecover from a potential influenza pandemic. Local governments especially, need to set priorities for maintaining public safety and other essential public services; support local health agencies in providing information to the public and; when necessary, close public buildings and assist in establishing alternative

caresites for the delivery of health care to the public. Local officials need to realize that during a pandemic, they

will be on their own. The federal government has made it quite clear that it will be in no position to offer substantial

help to states and cities during a pandemic flu crisis. Plans, drills, resources and personnel allocation must take this

into consideration. A pandemic would be triggered by three conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention: (1) a new flu virus subtype must emerge for which humans have little or no immunity; (2) the virus must infect humans and cause illness; and (3) the virus must spread easily and continuously among humans.

Scott Peck's Idea of Community Building

"Community building" also refers to a group process developed by Dr. M. Scott Peck. This practice brings together individuals to go through the four basic psychological stages that typify the formation of a cohesive group that has established trust and a deep sense of connection.

As described in his book "The Different Drum", these four stages are known as "pseudo-community", "Chaos", "Emptiness" and "Community". Individuals within the group may be at different stages at different times, and may move back and forth through the stages.

According to Peck, moving into "organisation", forming rules for the group, disrupts the process and prevents community.

Pseudo community is where people are guarded but polite, talking of less important things and giving little away about themselves. Chaos is conflict. In Emptiness, participants "empty" themselves of their requirements and desires for the process and the other participants, enabling them to reach Community, in which they appreciate the process and other participants, and themselves.