Community Development
What is community development?
Community development is a method by which social workers assist residents to plan, design, and carry out economic, political, and social projects by means of community development corporations.
What is the role of citizen participation in CDCs?
Citizen participation provides social and political legitimacy, increases residents’ commitment to projects, and ensures that community development efforts are rooted in the needs and desires of the community.
What is community economic development (CED)?
CED is a method of counteracting community deterioration through the development of community-oriented for-profit mechanisms and social enterprises that increase local economic capacity for sustainable growth.
What is community political development (CPD)?
CPD is the process of giving communities a visible presence in the halls of power, ensuring that they are included in policy decisions that affect their well-being and advocating for economic justice.
What is community social development (CSD)?
CSD is the process by which community members form groups to enhance the social betterment of their communities, focusing on diversity, sustainability, mutual benefit, education, and decision-making.
What are the main goals of community development?
The main goals include understanding the forces that cause poverty and dependency, mobilizing community strengths, eradicating powerlessness, and developing new services and social programs for community well-being.
How do CDCs fund their projects?
CDCs fund their projects through a mix of government funding, private-sector partnerships, foundations, and development intermediaries. They also manage funds astutely to maximize efficiency and impact.
What is the community investment approach in CED?
The community investment approach involves financing that creates resources and opportunities for economically disadvantaged people, providing access to credit, equity, and capital for small businesses and vital community services.
What is the community organizing approach in CPD?
The community organizing approach integrates CED and community organizing to advance shared goals of community building and economic redistribution, empowering members to challenge government decisions and demand fair treatment.
What is the community social investment approach?
The community social investment approach involves building community-based financial capital and investing in social and human capital for the long term, including financial institutions like community development banks and credit unions.
What is a community development corporation (CDC)?
A CDC is a neighborhood-based, nonprofit organization with a board composed of at least one-third community residents, aimed at reconstructing the physical, economic, and social environment in their targeted area or neighborhood.
What is the significance of housing construction and development in CDCs?
Housing construction and development are significant because they provide affordable housing options, improve living conditions, and stimulate local economies by creating jobs and attracting investment.
How does the partnership approach work in CED?
The partnership approach involves equal collaboration between communities, private-sector corporations, and public-sector agencies, ensuring that all parties have equal power in decision-making and benefit from the outcomes.
Describe consensus community organizing.
Consensus community organizing builds cooperative relationships among community leaders, businesses, and government to improve communities, focusing on common goals and mutual benefit rather than confrontation.
How does the social development model work?
The social development model emphasizes self-help, building individual capacity, fostering relationships, developing plans, and implementing social programs such as job training and education projects.
What are some typical programs and services provided by CDCs?
CDCs provide affordable housing, commercial property development, small business loans, financial institutions, job creation, and community improvement programs.
Describe the concept of multiple reinforcement in CDC funding.
Multiple reinforcement refers to the strategy where CDCs use funding to create interconnected projects that support each other, ensuring that income generated from one project can be reinvested into other community initiatives.
How are community developers involved in the community investment approach?
Community developers look at public dollars already being spent in the neighborhood and devise strategies to shift their uses towards investment approaches, transferring both resources and real authority to the neighborhood.
What is a community benefits agreement (CBA)?
A CBA is a contract between community groups and a business to provide economic development to a local community, ensuring that development projects include benefits like living-wage jobs, affordable housing, and neighborhood services.
How do community development corporations (CDCs) utilize self-help groups to enhance community social development?
CDCs utilize self-help groups to enhance community social development by fostering mutual aid and reciprocal support among community members. These groups promote non-elite, non-hierarchical peer power, where being helped means also being a helper. Self-help groups enable individuals to share experiences, provide emotional support, and work together to solve common problems. This approach builds trust, strengthens social networks, and empowers community members to take collective action, thereby enhancing the overall social fabric of the community. programs.
How do CDCs differ from private businesses?
CDCs are nonprofit organizations focused on community benefit rather than profit. They reinvest surplus income back into the community, provide innovative alternatives to private businesses, and emphasize community control and empowerment.
How do CDCs utilize the concept of multiple reinforcement to maximize their impact on community development?
Multiple reinforcement refers to the strategy where CDCs use funding to create interconnected projects that support each other. By ensuring that income generated from one project can be reinvested into other community initiatives, CDCs create a self-sustaining cycle of development and improvement.
How does community investing work?
Community investing utilizes investor capital to finance or guarantee loans to individuals and organizations historically denied access to capital. These loans support housing, small business creation, education, and personal development.
How do CBAs provide mutual benefit and accountability?
CBAs ensure that both businesses and communities benefit from development projects. They hold developers accountable for their promises and ensure that public subsidies do not increase poverty, linking the middle class with lower-income communities.
How do CDCs contribute to community-building?
CDCs contribute to community-building by developing leadership, creating groups, and implementing projects that enhance the social infrastructure, such as community centers, health programs, and facilities for vulnerable populations.