Smart Communities

Hoffman: Continued

Today we continue our blog series on Hoffman, MN. As we reported last week, Hoffman is a town in east central Minnesota of less than a thousand people. The town was selected to participate in the Northwest Area Foundation's Horizons program to eradicate poverty. We will be following Hoffman through this program and beyond.

 In early December the Pew Partnership trained around 50 people representing 15 communities around Minnesota in our nationally recognized community leadership program, LeadershipPlenty (see article about South Dakota training). Four people from Hoffman are now licensed as trainers to offer the program in Hoffman. There was a meeting about the program just this week so things are off and running there. Hoffman (and every other rural community) knows that building the capacity of local leadership is critical. As a result of this program 25 more people in this community will have new skills to apply not only to poverty eradication but to a range of issues facing the community. So what are some of those issues facing communities like Hoffman? 

The Center for Rural Affairs just released a report concerning health issues facing rural areas. Among them obesity, lack of physical activity, and diet. While Hoffman has a different mission for now my guess is that a multitude of issues related to work force and personal well being will surface. We now know that poverty is not just an individual issue but a system's issue also. To get an idea of the kinds of issues Hoffman and other communities across the northwest will be addressing in the Horizons program, read this guide prepared by Everyday Democracy. You will be hearing directly from the folks in Hoffman in the coming weeks about their progress and their town. 

Comfort Economy: Where are the children?

According to news reports, not all business sectors are tanking. in fact companies like Netflix and Hershey's Chocolate are doing pretty well. People are still buying beer and coffee as well as fast food when they can. Americans are looking for things to lessen the sting of the bad economy. While they may not be willing or able to spring for the red convertible, they are willing to do the little things to keep their spirits up. I think this is an interesting phenomenon for many reasons. First, it suggests what we can't really live without. Second, it signals the need for people to be in control of something in their lives (they can affect their 401K but they can buy a candy bar). Third, it suggests to me a movement toward a clearer notion of what is important. 

So as you might guess I began to think about the comfort economy for our communities. What do we really need and want? I raise the question because it will be raised in other venues just wait and see. It will be raised under different names like budget priorities or effective programs. The transference of this concept of what we can't live without I hope will center around solid beginnings for children. That of course has ramifications for the well being of their parents but it really focuses attention on what children must have. So our community comfort economy has to have excellent daycare with universal access and first-rate public schools that meet the learning aspirations and needs of every child.

The message in this economic downturn is that we must keep our focus on these critical areas. These are not luxury items or extra expenses, they are the things that our economy and our communities cannot live without. Sure money is tight but there is always some to spend.

Science and Democracy: Connect, Discuss, and Decide

Dennis Overbye's op-ed in the New York Times earlier this week on the connection between science and democracy is a must read. He presents a powerful argument (is support of President Obama's emphasis on science in his inaugural speech) that science is critical to democratic practice and vice versa. Instead of extolling the virtues of certainty with scientific research he talks about the need to deliberate...even over the facts presented. We know how to do this well in the social science sector. We argue over this remedy or the next one. The current debate over the stimulus package is a good example. But for many of us science has been left to the experts. Overbye says that even science must be open to the civic conversation. I like this because it is high time that we had a broader, civic conversation--supported by facts and expert opinion--on such issues as global warming and stem cell research.  So many of our critical scientific issues are cast as moral issues first. Let's just all hear the same thing and then label the conversation. Free speech is paramount to our democracy. If I read Overbye correctly, scientific discovery and application requires that kind of freedom. I would also argue that experimentation or invention of any kind requires the freedom to think, speak, and discuss. The great inventions of our time were not one-shot deals from one scientist or inventor in a lab somewhere. Most--if not all--were the accumulation of knowledge. 

One of my favorite scientists is a fellow Alabamian, E.O. Wilson, a Harvard professor whose specialty is ants. Professor Wilson writes about a process called consilience in his book of the same name. While not even supporters of the term are without some criticism of the idea, it does present a way to think about science that makes a lot of sense. In layman's terms I would say that Professor Wilson is saying, "let's connect the dots," in our society. That is what the next few years requires of us. Whether it is science or community development, we must deliberate, search for new knowledge, and brings knowledge from other fields together to create a new whole for our country.

Communities and Institutions

I am teaching a planning course at the University of Virginia this semester, "Housing and Community Development." This is affording me yet another opportunity to examine what we have done in these areas and what needs to be done. The students are very bright and eager to get it right going forward. Many will enter the planning profession in a year or so or at least community work broadly defined and I want them to be ready. I thought David Brooks' column this morning spoke to the task ahead for my class and all the rest of us--balancing the respect and appreciation of invention and institutions. Although Brooks doesn't say it this way, there is a tension between the new and the old--always has been. In the case of community development, the challenge is to find what works and build on that. This is balanced against or complements some untested ideas that might work. As we grapple in my class with policies of the past and what really works, Brooks insights are very helpful. The liberal arts way of thinking that he describes helps us all think dispassionately about the subject that we are addressing. The appreciation of the "institution" of that field is what grounds us in the work that has gone before. As I read his column and reflected on our discussion of the missteps of community development for the last 40 years or so, I quickly identified the "institution" that we must respect and revere--the people working in community-based organizations day after day, year after year, to make things better where they live. This is what we must lift up and save. People have always been the backbone of communities. Investing in them and their efforts is the foundation we need to go forward.

A quote from one of our texts by Ronald Ferguson and William Dickens, Urban Problems and Community Development, explains what I mean: " Many people have dedicated their lives to improving conditions in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, and their dedication is among the causes of the successes that are evident." Citizen involvement is the "institution" that we must respect, nurture, and expand in this time and beyond.

Serve America: A New Chance at a Critical Time

Senators Kennedy and Hatch have introduced the Serve America Act that would put more Americans in places where they are needed. Not unlike the CCC this act would reach across ages and socio-economic groups to unleash talent and the will to serve to America's communities--rural and urban. This is a moment in time for our country. People feel hope again when the world around them looks pretty grim. Young people are back in the political fold because of President Obama. And the needs have never been greater. This bill would strengthen the volunteer efforts of past presidents and ramp it up a level. While I do not think volunteer efforts can take the place of government I do believe that a holistic system of development is needed to make inroads into our most systemic problems. What is needed is a legion of citizens joined with smart, strategic federal and local policies to ensure that we find solutions not just apply band-aids.

Hoffman: Where Aspirations Meet Responsibility

Today we begin an ongoing series on how one small town is weathering the storm of the economy and the changes in rural America. Hoffman is one of the communities chosen to participate in the Northwest Area Foundation's Horizons program--a poverty reduction effort. To start us off today, a little bit about Hoffman in their own words:

The city of Hoffman is located in West Central Minnesota. It was founded in 1886 when the rail-line came through this area of Minnesota and was incorporated as a city in 1891. Hoffman is often referred to as the area where the hardwood forests end and the western prairies begin. Two rivers run near Hoffman; the Chippewa to the east and the Pomme-de-Terre River to the west. There are many beautiful lakes in the surrounding area making it a serene and pristine area in which to live. The population of Hoffman is 672.

The community is primarily white (98%). There are 274 households with half of those married couples living together. The average age is 45 and 21 percent of residents are under the age of 18. The median income for a household was $29,464 and for a family $42,955. About 1.9% of families and 10.6% of the population are below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

A basic criteria for selection for the Horizons program is at least 10 percent poverty. In addition communities must commit themselves to four phases: at least 30 people attending a Study Circles on poverty; at least 20 people must participate in a community-based leadership program; they must initiate a visioning process; and they must implement an idea to reduce poverty. Now this doesn't seem like a large task on its face but getting 30 people to attend sessions in a town of less than 700 can be challenging. Likewise getting 20 people to commit 30 to 40 hours for leadership training isn't so easy. Well that is what we want to know. Why did Hoffman get involved in Horizons? What has motivated people to take an active role in the community? And what do they expect to accomplish?

Every Friday for the next few weeks, we will hear how Hoffman is doing?  

Let's Start with Responsibility

Before we leave the heady feeling of this week, let's talk about the speech. As you will read, some observers were looking for a speech for the ages. One like Lincoln's second or Kennedy's that are still quoted. Granted President Obama has a the gift of oratory but this was not a time for flourishes and sound bites. He wanted to communicate the seriousness of our situation, send a message to our friends and foes, and set a tone that it is time to grow up and take responsibility for the things that matter. In short, he said to us that we must get our house in order. In some ways that was his first press conference. I liked the speech and I like the tone that has followed. It is not a time to be glum but it is a time to be a grown-up. He acted like one and so should we. We have kidded ourselves for years that money grows on trees and we can have it all. We can certainly have a lot...and have...but eventually the piper has to be paid. Our new president wants to insure that the future for our children resembles the past in some ways: security, sustainability, and yes a commitment to others. Even corporate America has joined this bandwagon. Starbucks is offering free coffee if you agree to five hours of community service. Sign me up for that agenda.

Pomp and Responsibility

Well the day was great but it is now time for work to begin...and we have lots to do. While all of President Obama's speech was stirring, perhaps the part I liked best was when he said that we have the same skills and abilities that we had a year ago. While the sands are definitely shifting under our feet we must resolve to move through this crisis not be swallowed by it. This was a great reminder. We didn't get dumber as a nation because the stock market went down (we just feel dumber). No, we are a nation of smart cookies that have to put our shoulder to the wheel and work, create, and invent out of this. As communities we need to be trying new things not just holding on to what we have. We need to be honing our skills in technology and science (even people like me), and we need to be reaching out to those in need in new ways. It is time to act responsibly and be responsible in the decisions we make. So where shall we start?

A New Day

Rarely in our history has the dawning of a new day been so new. The Obama administration has been labeled, "Change We Can Believe In," and I think change will come. The real change, however, began when people got involved again--voting, working on campaigns, discussing the future. A foundation for change was created then. Because of the proximity of the inauguration to the King Birthday Celebration, there is some talk about those who didn't live to see this day. Of course Dr. King leads the list but we could also add many, many others who faced great danger and even death to create the changes we have today. While I am sorry that so many could not live to see this day, I understand that life is about doing what you can where you are. Today when Mr. Obama takes the oath of office he will be standing on the shoulders of thousands of people who went before him. Some names are known but most are unknown. The change we seek is really about providing shoulders and ideas for future generations that make for a better America and world. We might not see it in its entirety but we must imagine a new America. God give us shoulders big enough for the challenge.

What a Dream!

Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If you remember there were states and people who didn't think this birthday celebration aka federal holiday was such a good idea just a few years ago. Tomorrow's inauguration of the first African American president adds even more significance to today. What is particularly important to remember, in addition to Dr. King's life and legacy for the strength of our democracy, is what his dream really was about. He didn't say he dreamed that we would have an African American president. His dream was that all the children of this country not be judged by the color of their skin. His dream had more to do with being in the race than just winning. Having said all that he would be thrilled that the dream has been fulfilled in this way with this person. But we must all be committed to realizing the dream--making sure that the starting line and the preparation is the same for all. That will mean redoubling our efforts in education, it will mean a authentic effort to sustain families, and it will mean assuring that those birth to three have the care they need. The list is longer than this of course but let's realize these dreams for now and for good.