Increasing the Resiliency of Community Development Corporations in the Portland, Oregon Area: A Path Forward Shannon Wilson 15 June 2013 Capstone Project Dr. Matthew Jones, Advisor Photo Credit: Carleton Hart Architecture and Community Partners for Affordable Housing

Project Background  Community Development Corporations (CDCS) began in 1960s  Non-profit organizations; grassroots beginnings  Roughly 4,600 CDCs in the U.S.; 10 CDCs in the Portland area  Main goal: to eliminate neighborhood blight and develop affordable housing for low-income individuals, families and seniors  CDCs have been supported by a diversity of funding sources, key housing policies, and strong leaders

Project Purpose To provide “the next right answer” to the question: What changes need to be made with regard to funding, policy, and leadership development to increase the resiliency of CDCs in Portland and better position them to meet the need for affordable housing in our region?

Project Process  Qualitative research design  Interviewed ten leaders in the Portland community development industry in April and May, 2013  Compared responses to questions to identify trends; compared trends to those found in literature review  Used SWOT analysis and three different lenses for approaching the challenges facing Portland area CDCs  Recommendations for resiliency were grouped into three challenges areas – funding, policy and leadership

Project Outcomes Five recommendations addressing the three challenge areas – funding, policy and leadership: 1.Establish the Quarterback of Community Development in Portland 2.CDCs Collaborate with each other on individual housing projects 3.Focus on preservation of existing housing stock 4.Engage small grassroots CDCs in advocacy work 5.Develop emergency and general succession plans

Project Significance “Decent, safe, and affordable housing, and the stability it offers, helps us to build better lives and stronger communities (Oregon Housing Alliance, 2013).” There is strength in the diversity of CDCs in the Portland area Potential for partnerships that leverage that diversity and increase resiliency of CDCs Low-income individuals, families and older adults in the Portland area are better served

Project and EMPA Program Implications  Furthered my understanding of how to be an efficient, effective, and ethical leader  Used interviews to build relationships with current key leaders  Recognized that the resiliency of a community or an organization begins at the personal level of those engaged in its work I am a leader.

Acknowledge- ments Thank you!  The ten community development leaders who let me interview them  Executive Director, Sheila Greenlaw-Fink  Advisor, Dr. Matthew Jones  The balance of the EMPA professors, and program staff  My family  Fellow cohort members