PACDC FY 2008 Program Plan
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2008

I. POLICY & ADVOCACY

Our Goal: Through our policy and advocacy work, we strive to create a more supportive environment for community development activities and to enable our members to more effectively meet the needs of lower income residents and advance neighborhood revitalization. We will accomplish this by:

By Advancing a Vision of Neighborhood Change

We will build on the Campaign for Vibrant and Safe Neighborhoods, PACDC’s collaborative effort to develop a housing and community development policy blueprint which articulates a shared vision and goals side-by-side with real-world solutions to achieving them. This document has guided our efforts to gain key stakeholder support, and inject important community development issues into the political dialogue. We will continue to utilize the Campaign to advance immediate and longer-term policy reforms and resource development in Philadelphia, with a focus on institutionalizing our gains and building support within the new Administration and City Council.

By Advancing an Ambitious Policy & Advocacy Agenda

We will develop and advocate for policies and strategies, increased resources, and broader systems change in the following areas:

Housing Development & Preservation
We will focus on the implementation and expansion of the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund to support the development of new affordable homes, home repair and homelessness prevention. We will also promote other measures that will foster equitable development and mixed-income communities, such as a citywide inclusionary housing policy and appropriate property tax relief measures.

Neighborhood Economic Development
We will continue our efforts to strengthen the City’s neighborhood commercial corridors by promoting effective and responsive implementation of the ReStore Philadelphia Corridors Initiative, particularly efforts to ensure pedestrian-friendly lighting and effective implementation of the CDC Acquisition Pool to support strategic property acquisition in a timely manner. We will also focus on the expansion of flexible funding sources to sustain CDC neighborhood economic development work, such as the City’s CDC Tax Credit Program.

Acquisition/Disposition & Pre-Development
We will continue our efforts to “cut the red tape”, by promoting policies that reduce barriers to acquiring property, utilization of city-owned property to facilitate appropriate development, and updating the city’s zoning code to increase predictability for developers, homeowners and neighborhoods in the context of sound planning.

Providing a Leadership Voice in Regional & Statewide Advocacy
We will continue to advocate for regional and statewide policies that channel public and private capital into urban revitalization efforts. We will focus our efforts on supporting the campaign to create a statewide Housing Trust Fund.

By Monitoring and Analyzing Key Policy Changes

In addition to the policy areas listed above that are of particular interest to us and our members, we will continue to monitor, analyze, and report to our members on all key policy issues that affect the work of our local CDCs and their neighborhoods.

Who will lead these efforts?

Our policy and advocacy work will be led by our Policy Committee, our Executive Director, and our Policy Coordinator, and supported by our Director of Programs, and a consultant.

II. MEMBER SERVICES

Our Goal: Through our member services work we strive to build the capacity of CDCs through resource and information delivery, a sharing of ideas and practices among CDCs, technical assistance, and promotion of the community development industry. We will accomplish this by:

By Strengthening our Member Services

This year we will develop a strategy for providing a range of new and expanded member services. Our Member Services Committee will help us to find the right mix of services and resources and will help us ensure that our member programs correspond with the overall vision and strategy of our Strategic Plan. Planned member services include:

Information Clearinghouse
We will continue to collect and disseminate information on community development resources and opportunities through our web site, our monthly Members Only Update, and other technology–driven information dissemination tools to ensure timely access to key information. We will also continue to provide information referrals and promote job opportunities in the field.

Data Collection, Analysis & GIS Mapping Assistance
We will continue to provide a range of technical assistance that responds to CDC needs including assistance with neighborhood data collection and property inventory using our upgraded Pocket Neighborhood Inventory System. We will also expand our data analysis and GIS mapping services to help CDCs make more informed decisions about how to manage neighborhood change and to inform our policy work.

Peer to Peer Assistance and Networking Opportunities
We will facilitate peer to peer learning among members, as well as increase the number and quality of workshops and information sessions on effective strategies and key issues facing CDCs and their neighborhoods. We will also provide opportunities for CDCs to network with colleagues and other stakeholders and resource providers in the community development field by sponsoring meetings and events.

By Advancing the Local Community Development Industry Through Expanded Marketing and Communications

Our new quarterly e-newsletter, Connecting the Blocks, and our annual wall calendar will continue to serve as our primary vehicles for promoting the work of CDCs and best practices in Philadelphia. Our Campaign for Vibrant and Safe Neighborhoods will also serve this purpose and will help us shape our efforts to effectively market the industry to educate the public and key decision makers about local neighborhood revitalization issues and the important role CDCs play in the process. Lastly, we will explore ways to document and publicize CDC impact.

Who will lead these efforts?

Our member services work will be led by our Member Services Committee and our Director of Programs, and supported by our Director of Information and Technology, our Administrative Services Manager, our Executive Director, and a consultant.

Last modified: 08/28/07