Session: Diversity by Intent

March 30, 2:30 PM

Cynthia Breunlin
Village of Oak Park

Marcia Johnson
Greater Park Hill Community Inc

Community Diversity can remain elusive without deliberate interventions. Creating long-term stable integration in communities and neighborhoods takes intentional action on the part of the stake-holders. Whether from the vantage point of a grass roots community organization or from local government, there are some lessons to be shared. Two veteran communities which have worked at these issues over 25 years teamed up to illustrate specific interventions.

Park Hill, Denver shared, through the experiences of two community leaders, some of the winning programs which have kept Park Hill vibrant and thriving. They identified several strategies which have been key to success of Greater Park Hill Inc. These include:

• realtor cooperation in advertising early on for promotion to whites
• lay leadership of seven churches who were committed to welcoming new black residents, and allaying the fears of whites
• co-chair leadership from both the black and white community
• community policing to address safety issues
• forcing the withdrawal of a hazardous waste transfer site
• distribution of a free monthly community newspaper Greater Park Hill News by block captains to 440 residential blocks
• Cooperation among local organizations: the local NAACP chapter to fight discrimination; the social service agencies of Park Hill Health Station and the Northeast Women’s Center; the outreach for participation of the Northeast Park Hill Coalition; vigilance of the Denver Community Reinvestment Alliance and the rehab work of Northeast Denver Housing Center and Hope Communities
• Emphasis on education and achievement within the neighborhood school concept through the Summer Scholars program’s work with at-risk children

Major strengths have been: maintaining a vision of Park Hill with strong local leadership to combat external threats; drawing on a broad pool of talent and expertise committed over time, capacity to immediately mobilize 400+ block workers for feedback or action on a community issue
Major challenges: maintaining economic diversity as the community prospers; allocating resources for schools and services; promoting local schools; incorporating the Latino population into the full life of the community

CONTACT; Greater Park Hill Community Inc., 2823 Fairfax Street, Denver, CO 80207, Marcia Johnson, Ex. Director 303-388-0918

PUBLICATION: Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research; Racially and Ethnically Diverse Urban Neighborhoods, HUD Vol. 4, Number 2, 1998

Oak Park, Illinois has been a leader and a model in the work of creating and sustaining racial and ethnic diversity. From the vantage point of Village Hall, two staff members from Community Services highlighted the key components of community programs:

• The creation of partner agencies which further the mission of the Village but can act more quickly than government i.e. Residence Corporation to purchase and rehab troubled buildings; the Regional Housing Center to provide affirmative marketing of rental housing; and the Development Corporation to work on promotion and retention of small businesses
• Innovative incentive loans and grants, funded through housing bond issues, which promote racial diversity and re-investment in rental properties
• Equity Assurance to guarantee housing values if a re-sale price is reduced due to racial change of the neighborhood
• Security Improvement Grants which address Police surveys of building security i.e. locks, doors, windows, lighting, fencing, mailboxes, key card systems
• Single Family rehab with low interest loans and deferred payment loans for low and very low income residents
• First Time Home Buyer Programs to assist with down payments and lowered interest rate
• Consistent marketing of the community through tourism and economic development
• Community Relations Commission with Fair Housing Training of Realtors, and owners and managers or rental property with Enforcement of local housing ordinances
• Strong Code enforcement for building and property maintenance
• Community Interventionists to help solve neighbor to neighbor conflicts
• Utilization of CDBG grant monies to fund area not-for profits and infrastructure improvements
• Strong Planning and Historic Preservation reviews for development

Major Strengths: Major institutions support The Diversity Policy of the Village; strong schools; active park district; creative in-fill housing developments; variety of housing options throughout the life cycle, lively arts community, tourism destination

Major Challenges: Affordable Housing, citizen objections to new developments, Minority Achievement Gap, rising taxes, healthcare for aging and special needs populations

Participants viewed a multimedia presentation and left having assembled a "tool box" of useful community programs, which promote long-term diversity by deliberate intentions.

CONTACT: Village of Oak Park, Housing Programs Manager, Cynthia Breunlin breunlin@oak-park.us or 708-358-5411 OR Frank Pond at 708-358-5411 pond@oak-park.us

Author and Copyright Information

CONTACT;
Greater Park Hill Community Inc.,
2823 Fairfax Street, Denver, CO 80207,
Marcia Johnson,
Ex. Director 303-388-0918

CONTACT:
Village of Oak Park,
Housing Programs Manager,
Cynthia Breunlin
breunlin@oak-park.us
or
708-358-5411
OR
Frank Pond at 708-358-5411 pond@oak-park.us