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CommUNITY 2000: Building Community in a Nation of Neighborhoods

Successful Strategies: The National Partners

Most groups utilizing this Menu are neither interested in nor equipped to implement tension reduction strategies on a national scale. Nonetheless, CommUNITY 2000's national partners (the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund and the National Fair Housing Alliance) were effective in two areas essential for any successful effort, no matter its size or scope. These areas are (1) building coalitions and (2) disseminating information.

Coalitions
Three times during the first phase of the CommUNITY 2000 project, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund convened meetings of the local and national partners in Washington, D.C., and brought in experts in both the civil rights and fair housing arenas to exchange ideas. LCCREF also brought together the Advisory Board members for much the same purpose, on two separate occasions. Furthermore, LCCREF staff was regularly in contact with the local partners throughout the course of the project, providing technical support and national perspective.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund was firmly invested in the idea that developing relationships, networks and coalitions among those with a vested interest in fair housing and civil rights issues would serve as a powerful force for generating ideas and empowering all involved. This proven strategy can be applied to any group seeking to affect change, whether the beleaguered tenants in a public housing unit or a collection of statewide law enforcement agencies.

Information
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund is at the forefront among civil rights groups in its use of technology to advance social change. By developing a comprehensive web site (www.community2000online.org) for the CommUNITY 2000 project, LCCREF was able to disseminate resources and training materials immediately to a wide audience. The web site also gave communities, civil rights groups, fair housing organizations and all parties interested in the CommUNITY 2000 agenda the ability to interact quickly and effectively.

LCCREF's strategy of creating an enticing, highly interactive Internet site was one adopted by the local partners, and with great success. An Internet presence quickly is becoming mandatory for all organizations and with good reason. It is an effective, relatively inexpensive communications tool.

In addition, LCCREF created local tag lines for public service announcements developed with the Ad Council, which generated approximately $145,000 in free air time.

LCCREF also examined the civil rights/fair housing climate in 10 cities that were not CommUNITY 2000 partners. The goal was twofold:

  1. Assess how effectively fair housing groups around the country reacted when faced with housing-related community tensions.

  2. Learn the extent to which these groups formed coalitions or partnerships to address community tensions.

LCCREF called the process and the report that the staff ultimately produced an "environmental scan."

Of the 10 cities studied, the scan determined that the fair housing center in Cincinnati, Ohio — Housing Opportunities Made Easy (HOME) — was the only one leading efforts to prevent and respond to community tensions. Most fair housing centers merely referred complaints to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for investigation, and did little to help the victim or educate the community.

HOME, led by Executive Director Karla Irvine, undertakes a successful four-part strategy each time a victim of housing discrimination files a complaint:

  1. Visit the victim

  2. Alert the media, with the victim's permission

  3. Contact the police

  4. Contact advocates who will speak on behalf of the victim and the community

The National Fair Housing Alliance

Coalitions
The name alone says it all. The National Fair Housing Alliance is, first and foremost, a coalition — the hub of a wheel that counts as its spokes more than 80 fair housing centers across the nation. The Alliance not only advocates for its member organizations, it also keeps them apprised of the latest news and information concerning fair housing issues and civil rights issues related to fair housing.

For any group interested in furthering the community tension reduction agenda, the National Fair Housing Alliance is an invaluable resource. It will put organizations or individuals in touch with their nearest fair housing center or provide strategies and support if that center is unresponsive. Check out NFHA's web site at www.nationalfairhousing.com.

Information
One of the National Fair Housing Alliance's primary achievements over the course of the CommUNITY 2000 project was the creation and dissemination of its manual, "Fight Hate: A Prevention and Response Guide for America's Neighborhoods," and its checklist, "Fight Hate: A Rapid Response Strategy."

Both are full-color, user-friendly booklets. The "Prevention and Response Guide" offers concrete, stepby- step instructions for preventing and responding to neighborhood tensions. It explains the connection between fair housing tensions and hate crimes, clarifies legal rights and responsibilities, outlines effective community responses and describes ways to help victims of hate crimes. The "Rapid Response Strategy" is a thorough checklist for developing community responses to tensions and possible hate crimes.

For anyone wondering, "Where do we start?" these manuals provide the answer. They are available from NFHA. The organization's number and address are listed following the Menu of Strategies.