Asset-Based Community Development A Framework for Building Communities from the Inside Out

Neighborhood needs map UnemploymentHomelessness Broken FamiliesSlum Housing Graffiti Illiteracy Child Abuse Mental Disability Crime Welfare Recipients Dropouts Drugs Gangs

Consequences of needs map Local residents internalize “deficiencies” Local relationships are destroyed Funds are directed to professional helpers, not residents Leaders magnify and exploit deficiencies Failure is rewarded Dependency is perpetuated

Neighborhood assets map BusinessesSchools ChurchesBlock Clubs Seniors Youth Income Artists Volunteer Groups Cultural Groups Colleges Hospitals Parks Citizen Associations Individual Gifts Local Institutions

Successful community building Citizen-led Asset-based Relationship-driven Internally-focused Comprehensive

Community-building paradigm Old –Focus on deficits –More services –Problem response –Focus on individuals –Maintenance –See people as clients –Fix people –Programs are the answer –Emphasis on agencies –Charity orientation New –Focus on assets –Fewer services –Opportunity identification –Focus on community –Development –See people as citizens –Develop potential –People are the answer –Emphasis on associations –Investment orientation

Community assets Individuals Associations Institutions

Individuals assets Talents Skills Creativity Culture Sense of history Time Enthusiasm Relationship & networks Income “Every living person has some gift or capacity of value to others. A strong community is a place that recognizes those gifts and ensures that they are given.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

Associational assets Councils Block clubs Church groups Sports teams Business groups Political groups Service clubs Exercise groups Arts organizations “The basic community organization for empowering individuals and mobilizing their capacities is the association. An association is a group of citizens working together. An association is an amplifier of the gifts, talents and skills of individual community members.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

Local institutional assets Parks Libraries Schools Colleges Hospitals Churches Social service agencies Police “ Every community hosts some combination of more formal, public, private and non-profit institutions. Since these institutions represent significant concentrations of resources, local neighborhoods have begun to capture them for community- building purposes.” − Building Communities from the Inside Out, Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993

ABCD Principles Organizing Organizations Community Building Tools Citizen-Led Asset Based Relationship Centered Internally Focused Investment Oriented Comprehensive Membership Supported Democratic / Open Driven by Principles Growth Oriented Action Oriented Collaborative Empowered Independent of Institutional Control Self-Sustaining Individual Development Accounts Neighborhood Develop. Trusts Asset I.D. and Mobilization Grants for Blocks Community-School Partnerships Land Trusts Neighborhood Newspapers Neighborhood Networks Community Resource Centers From AB (Asset Based) to CD (Community Development)

Mobilizing community assets Individuals Associations Local Institutions External Institutions

Thank you! Community Building Institute 3800 Victory Parkway Cincinnati, Ohio