Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Working to Make Rochester Neighborhoods Healthy Places to Live Neighborhood Health Status Improvement Grantees HOPE Health Outcomes through Participation, Education, and Empowerment PALS Puentes a la Salud — Bridges to Wellness COACH Coaching, Organizing, and Accessing Community Health Supported by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation 1

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. 2 What We Will Do Today Explore what it means to do asset-based community development (ABCD). Understand why the Greater Rochester Health Foundation is supporting your project to use the ABCD approach to create healthy neighborhoods. Meet the other neighborhood grantees and hear about the work they are doing. Work with your own neighbors to plan projects with healthy neighborhood objectives.

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. The ABCD Approach Asset-based community development PRINCIPLES: Asset-based (built on positives, strengths, opportunities), Relationship driven (centered on the people in the neighborhood working together), and Locally focused (place based). Asset-based community development PRACTICES: Asset mapping (finding all the good things), and Asset mobilizing (doing something with the good things). 3

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. The Choice of Perspective... People and Communities have needs and deficiencies People and Communities have ideas, skills, and talents 4

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Negative Assessment Lead PoisoningDropouts Unemployment GangsIlliteracy Truancy Broken FamiliesSlum Housing Welfare Recipients Child Abuse Crime Grafitti Mental Disability 5

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What’s Wrong With This View? From the Outside: Agencies and institutions may see residents as part of the problem and not trust them to contribute to solutions. Outside investments may go to professionals with certain kinds of expertise, not to residents with local knowledge. Residents may be excluded from decision making and end up with programs and services that represent other people’s idea, not their own. 6

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What’s Wrong With This View? From the Inside: The community may start to see itself negatively. Residents may withdraw and become isolated from their neighbors. Community members may feel hopeless and defeated, unable to have a positive impact on issues. Residents may stop trusting the agencies and institutions that should be working with them. 7

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Positive Assessment: Asset Map Local INSTITUTIONS Citizens’ Associations Gifts of INDIVIDUALS Youth Cultural Groups Community Colleges Labeled People Artists Libraries Block Clubs Schools Business Churches/ Houses of Worship Income Older Adults Parks Hospitals 8

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What’s Right About This View? The community embraces a more positive self-image. The community displays a “can do” attitude. Residents are validated as worthwhile, capable people. Residents see possibilities and not just problems. People see themselves as the potential producers of their own well being. The community feels more confident and powerful. Residents see that they are not alone, that there are partners for them in community work. 9

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Gifts of Individuals 10

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Power of Local Associations 11

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Supportive Capacity of Institutions 12

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What’s Really Different? Instead of seeing problems, we focus on opportunity. Instead of listening only to outside experts, we listen to neighborhood residents. Credibility and power come from relationships, not credentials. “Leader” describes every involved person, not just a few. We move from serving people to empowering people. Everyone can contribute, and everyone’s contribution is important. 13

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Setting the Community Table 14

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Setting the Community Table 15

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Does All of This Have to Do With Healthy Neighborhoods? 16

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Determinants of a Healthy Community Social Relationships – how much time we spend with friends, family, community... Physical Environment – where we live, the quality of the housing, streets, and parks, what’s in the air... Economic Environment – availability of jobs, level of income of residents, commercial and retail opportunities... Personal Behaviors – what we eat, how much we drink, whether we smoke, whether we exercise... Access to medical care – can we get help when we need it... 17

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Determinants of a Safe Community Residents who know each other. Residents who act together in public. Residents who work with the institutions charged with helping keep communities safe. In other words: collective efficacy, or the ability to work together to achieve a vision. 18

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. How Do Those Things Happen? 1.Residents know about and build on the community’s assets, capacities, skills, and opportunities. 2.Community building efforts seek broad-based participation, value collaboration, and welcomes everyone’s contribution. 3.Residents know each other, trust each other, and work together to build their vision while focused on positives. 4.Community builders take ownership, leadership, and pride in the work they are doing. 5.Residents advocate for both healthy individual behavior AND the policy changes that will support healthy living. 19

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. The Role of Neighborhood Residents Problem solvers Change makers Partners Leaders The folks with the ideas, skills, and capacities to make their community a healthier place to live Community Connectors! 20

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Let’s Think Assets

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Six Types of Community Assets 1.Talents and skills of local people. 2.Associations, and the network of relationships they represent. 3.Institutions, agencies, and professional entities. ____________________________________________________ 4.Infrastructure and physical assets: Land, property, buildings, equipment. 5.Economic assets: Productive work of individuals, consumer spending power. Local economy, local business assets. 6.Cultural assets. Actors Context 22

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Which Individuals are Assets? Everyone is an asset; everyone can contribute. Youth. Older adults. Artists. Entrepreneurs. Disabled people. Ex-offenders. Unemployed people. 23

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Associations Will You Find? Block clubs Charitable groups Civic groups Cultural groups Environmental groups Animal groups Fitness groups Hobby groups Mutual support groups Political organizations Religious groups 24

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Associational Assets The individual capacities of members. The power of relationships. Shared interests. Common goals. Local connections and relationships. Leadership potential. Energy. Local knowledge. Commitment. 25

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Institutions Will You Find? Libraries. Public schools. Law enforcement. Fire departments. Hospitals. Social service agencies. Non-profit organizations. For-profit organizations. 26

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Institutional Assets Facilities and equipment. Materials. Purchasing power. Employment capacity. Training and development capacity. Employees. Financial resources. Political clout. Good connections. Mandated responsibility for community good. 27

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Economic Assets Will You Find? Businesses and merchants. Consumer expenditures. Chamber of commerce. Business associations. Banks/credit unions. Foundations/philanthropic organizations. Community Development Corporations. For-profit corporations. 28

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Infrastructure/Physical Space Assets Will You Find? Gardens Parks Playgrounds Parking lots Bike paths Streets/roads Walking paths Fishing spots Buildings Vacant land Housing/vacant houses 29

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Cultural Assets Will You Find? Personal and community history. Food, cooking, and eating traditions. Ways of being, ways of doing. Interesting community characters. Stories about the neighborhood. Memories of a better time. How people are valued, how families work. Traditions newcomers bring when they arrive. 30

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. What Do You Do With These Assets? 1.What do we want to do? –What are our goals? –What is our vision for a healthier community? 2.What do we have here that we can start with? –What are our assets and capacities? –Who is willing to participate? 3.Who else should be involved? –What kinds of support will residents need? –Which organizations and institutions can we partner with? –Who else needs to know about what we’re working on? 31

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Keeping a Positive Attitude Asking is important; you find out a lot more when you ask. Surface questions are a starting place; you find out more by digging deeper. Listening all the time is important; file information away for future use. An asset map is usually a “living” thing; new assets can be added as the community transforms. This is a relationship-driven process; it takes time. ABCD is a not a “one off” activity; it needs to be a habit. 32

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Three Rochester Examples HOPE project PALS project COACH project 33

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. The Community Connector Role InstitutionsPhysical Local EconomyIndividuals AssociationsCulture Community Connector Inventory community assets. Connect the community assets to each other. Support community groups as they learn about and connect to the assets around them. 34

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Meet residents from other neighborhoods and learn more about their work 35

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Working session with residents from your own neighborhood 36

Deborah Puntenney, Ph.D. Final Questions and Comments 37