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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRachel Rockwell - NCJC0 NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS EXPANSION: OUR NEXT 50 YEARS Strengthening Families, Building Neighborhoods, Creating Community a A STATEMENT OF INTEREST FOR THE CITY OF IOWA CITY INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOR UNDERESTIMATED BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS 00 CN �• Lead Organization: The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County PO Box 2491 Iowa City, IA 52244 Project Site Information Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center 2651 Roberts Rd Iowa City, IA Leading Staff Member: Rachel Rockwell Executive Director 319-354-2886 rash el-rockwel I(&n ci c. ora Monday, May 1st, 2023 Funding Organization's Contact: Redmond Jones Deputy City Manager City of Iowa City red mo n d-J o nesP iowa-city. ora Dear Redmond, City of Iowa City Staff and Council, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC) have opened doors to "new Iowans" for 50 years. From a small 3-bedroom apartment to two community centers serving our neighbors, we have become key connectors of vital knowledge and resources for Iowa City's most low-income, low resource neighborhoods. The families we encounter daily are resilient and simply need an extra boost of support from their neighbors. Through our neighborhood centers, NCJC works in tandem with newcomers to navigate this community with more ease. Together, we are strengthening families, building stronger neighborhoods and creating real community. My name is Rachel Rockwell, and I am the Executive Director at the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC). As we move into the next 50 years, we are focused on how NCJC will expand its high -quality programs and services to support more disadvantaged youth and families living within Iowa City and nearby communities. If you ask anyone who knows me well, they will tell you my passion for and dedication to youth development is only rivaled by my enthusiasm and expertise around culturally inclusive business development. In 2006, I was trained as a professional business development coach and for E-Myth Business Development (httnc//www.emvrh rnm/huainecc-rnarhinn-annrnarh). Since that time, I've provided small business development consultancy to over 70 small business owners in the U.S., Jamaica, Aruba, and Tanzania.I have also engaged with grass -roots community efforts, universities, nongovernmental organizations, governmental agencies, youth groups, women's groups, small business owners, and artisans to develop their entrepreneurial capacity in the U.S., Jamaica, and Tanzania . I find joy in working with people from all different cultural backgrounds to implement and achieve desired outcomes through business planning, strategic planning, and implementation of business systems and best practices. While in East Africa, I developed a syllabus for and cofacilitated an Entrepreneurial Development Course at The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, designed and coordinated a Business Plan Competition, and developed and led a 10-week business development class for Tanzanian women. In Jamaica, I worked to build capacity within the Social Development Commission branch of the government for their staff to support entrepreneurship in youth and community groups. Without a doubt, this breadth of business development experience influenced the NCJC Hiring Committee in choosing me to lead the organization. I am excited for the opportunity to advance our existing community centers, youth and adult programming, NCJC staff, volunteers and community partnerships in order to continue this development work in Iowa City. We are submitting a statement of interest in the City of Iowa City's Inclusive Economic Development Support for Underestimated Businesses and Entrepreneurs to create a culturally centered business experience for the Iowa City Community. We urgently request that the City's grant proposal team considers granting Neighborhood Centers $500,000 to: 1. Transform the physical space at 2651 Roberts Road, Iowa City for the creation of a multicultural business hub, youth entrepreneurial and community center through funding construction, remodeling, furniture and equipment, technology, and associated soft cost. and 2. Implement Business Support Programs including youth entrepreneurship, micro - enterprise, start-up, and small business development courses and workshops, technical assistance, and a city-wide business plan competition. � ,cy�ry�� 11 P a g e 45®R` _9 Who We Are The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County began as a grassroots effort to connect the secluded westside Iowa City families to much needed resources and more access to their greater community. The effort provided youth with more positive alternative afterschool activities sparked by issues of youth vandalism and delinquency. For 50 years, NCJC staff, volunteers and community members have worked hand -in - hand with neighboring residents to strengthen their own systems, build upon their existing neighborhoods and create genuine community. While we focus programmatically on our neighboring residents, we equally focus and reflect internally on the makeup of our staff, volunteers and board of directors. Over the years, we have discovered the importance of having staff and involving partners that reflect the racial and ethnic makeup of the families and youth we serve. NCJC operates in four main areas: Early Childhood Education, Youth Development, Family Support and Community Engagements programs. Since inception, we have welcomed "New Iowans" - predominantly immigrant and refugee families settling in Iowa and American families arriving from major cities surrounding Iowa - into our Centers and programs. We are and have always been adaptive and accommodating towards the different groups of people arriving at our doors - i.e., southeast Asian, Central and South American, Central and East African, African American, and more. As new youth and families enter our programs, we have made a point to hire from within the groups we serve. For instance, currently many of the residents living near our Pheasant Ridge Center are Sudanese. Therefore, many of the children we serve are Sudanese and many of our staff are Sudanese. Currently, we have five family support workers who - combined speak 7 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swahili, Lingala, and Arabic - support our immigrant and refugee families in navigating the greater Iowa City community. By definition, NCJC is itself an underestimated business with BIPOC professionals at the helm. In 2022, NCJC hired its first Black Executive Director and Black Associate Director furthering an initiative to form a leadership team that reflects our families and youth. Concurrently, two-thirds of NCJC's management team is Black and at least 75% of all staff are racially non -white. Our Board of Directors have recently elected a Black board president and have added two new Black board members - one of which grew up in the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood. We know that this type of representation and the opportunity we have before us is extremely rare. We intend to do everything in our power to address existing barriers and implement neighborhood -level systems to better meet the needs of those experiencing poverty Q4_+ 21 Page ®� and increase opportunities for BIPOC community members to achieve economic success. We thank you for your consideration in funding this initiative. Sincerely, Rachel Rockwell M, I "m "M � Executive Director Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County 31 Page 15ef � Through this project NCJC will create a culturally centered business experience for the Iowa City community through the design and construction of a Neighborhood -Level Multicultural Business Hub at 2651 Roberts Road, Iowa City. In partnership with the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association and the University of Iowa , Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, NCJC will utilize creative placemaking practices to engage historically underrepresented groups, such as low- income families, young people, renters, communities of color, recent immigrants, and speakers of English as a second language through processes that center around creative, artist -led activities and compensation to residents. This will strategically shape the physical and social character of the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center in order to spur economic development, promote enduring social change and improve the physical environment of the neighborhood and Center. NCJC will: Develop its .3 acres of unused land on our 1-acre plot of land to construct a 3-season indoor/outdoor roundhouse market and community gathering space that will support up to 20 vendors at a time at zero or very low cost for use of the space. • Contract with local BIPOC architect and Wonderful Westside Neighborhood resident David Houston. to design an outdoor market building and community gathering space. • Reconfigure our security systems, inside doors and locks, and install necessary barriers to areas where the public should not have access (licensed childcare rooms, admin offices) so that our existing center space can be more easily accessible to underrepresented business owners and groups after regular business hours and in the winter months when the outdoor market space is closed. • Host weekend markets in the spring, summer and fall in the newly constructed roundhouse market building and newly redesigned outdoor space. • Invite local artists, educators and business owners to access the space at no or very low cost during non -market days for yoga, dance or art classes, workshops and meetings. • Partner with Bashir Fadl of The Kindsv Foundation to host a minimum of 4 business development workshops/year and 4 five -week business development cohorts in 2024 and 2025. Workshops will focus on developing financial literacy, business plans/proposals, organizational leadership, marketing and other topics as identified at the neighborhood level. 41 Page • Partner with Brownpreneurs and host a free in-depth, three-day, youth entrepreneurship summit in 2024 �or up to 50 youth. *rkshops will teach aspiring Commented [CDI]: is there a number missing here? youth the fundamentals of how to start, grow and maintain a successful business. • Host a city-wide Business Plan Competition with scholarships awarded to winners to support start-up and business growth for BIPOC youth and adults in 2025 and 2026. • Expand our existing youth employment and Leadership programs (Y.E.S. and Y.E.L.L.) to each include an additional 4-weeks of programing focused on youth entrepreneurship. Employ a masters -level intern from the Tippe College of Business to provide financial literacy outreach and technical assistance to BIPOC community members in business and act as a liaison between local financial institutions and underestimated business owners (especially immigrant and refugee populations) helping to navigate the complexities and overcome barriers to obtaining funding for small businesses in an inclusive and equitable manner. • Develop a sustainability plan that looks to grow this initiative in 2026 and beyond, leveraging its successes to attract new funding from private, local, state, and federal sources and potentially mobilize to form a Westside Self - Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID). 51 Page 15fe Our Case: Rebuildina Social Caoital in the Wake of Social Distancina The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated many far- reaching negative public health, social, educational, and economic discrepancies in our most vulnerable communities, where wage-earning, health, and wellbeing have been strained for years. School closures, social distancing, and confinement during the peak of the pandemic have cut people off from their networks of E: OZ. support and the community resources many rely on to keep families connected and sustained. This has caused Asignificant and ongoing damage to our community and social structures. More specifically, the current and _ = aftereffects of this damage has affected our community's most marginalized individuals disproportionately. The Wonderful Westside Neighborhood, where the proposed project will take place has been as hard hit as anywhere else in Iowa City. Census data shows that residents near our Pheasant Ridge near Center have a population of 1,411 with 53% of its population living in poverty. Youth under age 18 make up a whopping 36.4%. 78.3%identify as Black, African American or two or more races according to the American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2017-2021. More than a third are foreign -born with a majority primarily from Sudan. ® � MPM1W I.tlsS 9.,f 1.411 25 .. ..............1 .... ......-... .. r 23% 89b 36% 53% Resilience hubs like Neighborhood Centers play vital roles for healthy, vibrant communities. They provide opportunities for residents to access essential services, and provide a space to interact, socialize, and grow with their Neighbors. They are common ground areas that are focused on inclusivity, while fostering a culture of health and wellbeing in the communities they serve. r� The Centers have always been more than just 37% building structures but hosts for strong community .. building. Beautifying and increasing functionality within these spaces will create a renewed and joyous atmosphere as we invite our neighbors and the wider community back into our Centers. We will continue to rebuild past connections through neighbor -led �°N'�D 6 1 P a g e councils, block parties, community gatherings (ex. Movie nights, potlucks, community partner events, family/teen nights, game nights, cultural events etc), informal clubs (business club, garden club, book club, etc). Our community partners experiences, such as Table to Table, Iowa City Community School District, Mobile Health Clinic, Iowa Children's Museum, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Christ The King Church, Johnson County Public Health, United Action for Youth and more, would be enhanced by our spatial updates. Leveraging resources from local, state, and national sources allows NCJC the ability to offer a consistent and stable neighborhood presence that provides a balanced mixture of care and programming that educate, build community, and teach new skills. Funds will increase our Pheasant Ridge Center's capacity for economic development activities, allow residents to benefit from the utilization of currently unused land, and ultimately improving community health and economic empowerment to support residents' financial well-being and improve health outcomes. (Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development Early Childhood (RAPID -EC) Household Survey Project and the Center for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oregon, 2020) 15� 71 Page ®R` _9 i Engineering & Design Services Construction Pheasant Ridge Security Enhancements Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Business Development Facilitation (BIPOC contractors) NCJC Staff -Salaries & Wages a Youth Program Staff a Volunteerand Community Engagement Coordinator Translation/Interpretation Services U of I Business/Finance Master's Level Internship Marketing Equipment/Materials Other/Indirect Costs/Administration Total Costs Government Grant Funds City of Iowa City/ARPA Economic Development Other Grant Funds Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities Grant Project Expenses $25,000 $200,000 $15,000 $60,000 $5,000 $75,000 $30,000 $28,000 $40,000 $60500 $665,000 Proposed Project Committed? Funding Sources (Y/N) $545,000 N AARP Community Grant $15,000 Other(NCIC donations, sponsorships & fundraising) $50,000 In -Kind NCJC Other Indirect Costs/Administration $30,000 Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Business Development Facilitation (volunteers) $20,000 Total Revenues $665,000 Totals Difference am $0.00 1 81 Page Phase Activities Timeframe Draw -down estimate Design & Develop detailed proposal for land usage, 05.2023-10.2023 50K Development outdoor market building, economic development activities and partnerships. Begin Internship to assist with planning and partnership development Activate Secure initial funding, contracts, deposits 11.2023 — 02.2024 50K agreements & partner M.O.U's, train NGC youth staff. Construction Launch and complete construction of outdoor 03.2024 — 06.2024 150K market building, adjacent outdoor space/gardens and accessibility and indoor security en ancements Engage Engage underestimated business vendors, the 07.2024- ongoing 100K Westside Neighborhood, youth and the broader community in weekly market opportunities, community gatherings, technical assistance, business club participation, entrepreneurial development cohorts and workshops. Assess Review data, outcomes and relationships for 07.2025 -ongoing 100K programmatic improvements and opportunities Sustain Identity and secure funding necessary to sustain 07,2025 — 07.2026 45K and expand economic development activities 91 Page 45 ®R` _9 The Neighborhood Centers has an extensive history of managing grant funds of over 50 years. We manage our diverse grants portfolio at city, county, state and federal levels. In addition to undesignated funding through the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties, we have administered and managed funding through the following: City Funds: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants (SJRE) County Funds: Johnson County Social Services Decategorization Funds (Decat) Juvenile Justice -Youth Development Funds OJYD) Early Childhood Iowa - Family Support Funds (ECI) Early Childhood Iowa - School -Ready Funds (ECI) Department of Human Services Funds (DHS) State Funds: Department of Education - Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program Department of Education - 21st Century Funds Department of Education - Shared Visions Head Start - Even Start Grants Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Americorps - Americorps VISTA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) National Grants: General Mills Kohls Cares for Kids Foundation Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation No Kid Hungry 101 Pa ge 15�e July 2022 - Dec 2022 Neighborhood Centers has dedicated staff time and resources towards surveys, research, planning and implementation of best practices to address lack of connection, sense of belonging, safety, and cycles of poverty and violence that impact NCJC staff, families, neighborhoods, and the broader community. As a result NCJC has redesigned it's organizational structure, raised wages for all of it's hourly staff by 20% and have been actively inviting neighbors, old and new partner organizations, and the broader community into our centers to help us celebrate and provide guidance and support for the direction of NCJC as we embark upon our next 50 years of service to the community. The City of Iowa City granted NCJC $29,600 to update and improve furnishings, technology, decor and outdoor signage at our Pheasant Ridge location. Jan 2023 - March 2023 NCJC acts as a convener and incubator for the birth of Iowa City's newest Neighborhood Association, The Wonderful Westside Neighborhood (WWN). WWN Vision: The Wonderful Westside Neighborhood will be a safe, peaceful, and desirable place to live, work, and play. We will work together to empower inherent leadership, improve economic and social well-being, strengthen sense of belonging, and make connections with resources as we elevate, celebrate, and integrate the diverse cultures and voices of our residents. NCJC developed The Wonderful Westside Garden Project (WWGP) project plan to faster stronger connections between Iowa City's west -side residents by relocating, expanding and improving the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Centers' existing garden beds and encouraging multigenerational and cultural gatherings. is part of NCJC's larger response effort to rebuild connections among those most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic living in the neighborhoods we serve. Applied for funding from AARP in the amount of $15,000 July 2023 - May 2024 NCJC's CommUNITY University recently secured funding in the amount of $15,400 through the Iowa City Racial Equity and Social Justice grant and launches in July of 2023. 15�y,� 111 Page ®_.�9 CommUNITY University is neighborhood level approach that embodies all three of the Better Together 2030 guiding principles: "REPRESENTATIVE LEADERSHIP to dismantle systemic inequity and deepen a culture of inclusion and belonging COLLABORATION among public, private, nonprofit, neighborhood and University players to develop innovative scaled solutions GROWTH MINDSET with the willingness to try new things —because growth and skill are improved with effort and persistence Use Circles, Strategic Doing, Collective Impact, and other participatory models to identify and empower solutions at the most local level." NCJC will coordinating and host six (6), 5-week cohort learning experiences that utilizes elements of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) framework for participants to "heal from the wounds of the past, to build mutually respectful relationship, across racial and ethnic lines that honor and value each person's humanity, and to build trusting intergenerational and diverse community relationships that better reflect our common humanity." https://healourcommunities.org/ This framework, expert facilitation, and collaborative nature of CommUNITY University supports the building of relationships, connecting of people, and expanding circles of engagement needed for overcoming racial division and isolation, developing emerging neighborhood leadership, and building both personal and political will. The topics of CommUNITY University's Six, 5-week learning cohorts in year 1 act as foundations for future cohorts that will focus on economic development and are as follows: • Realizing your Leadership Potential (Discovering Our Primary Aim) • Restorative Justice Practices in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods • Resilient Community Leaders (Trauma informed care for leaders/community caregivers) • Community Violence Reduction • Storytelling for Inclusion & Equity • Financial Literacy 121 Pa ge Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County Board of Directors 2023 Executive Team President: Mel Sanders Vice -President: Wayne Fett Secretary/ Treasurer: Kris Ackerson Directors Hodge Carter Sarah Majerus Paul Park Daphney Daniels Ahmed Ishmail wa�c 131 Pa ge un �TitE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA IOWA INITIATIVE IO � School licAff Affairs FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES and Public Affairs May 1, 2023 It a my pleasure to write a letter in support of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson Counf/s (NC)C) application to the City of Iowa CitVs Inclusive Economic Development Support for Underestimated Businesses and Entrepreneurs grant. Public engagement and experiential learning greatly enhance educational experiences for students at the University of Iowa, while also helping communities and organizations address urgent needs. IISC has a long history of helping students to become leaders working to address local, national, and global challenges and innovators developing solutions that serve the public good. Over the last year, IISC has had a deeply, meaningful collaboration with the City of Iowa City and NUC to support the formation of the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association and, more importantly, to help engage residents about the needs and opportunities within the neighborhood. Our contribution to this effort has largely focused on gathering stories from residents and stakeholders, with the idea that those stories lay a strong foundation for wafting a vision for the neighborhood built around shared goals and values. We aimed togather input from a group that represents the demographic and socioeconomic diversity that makes this neighborhood unique and special in Iowa City. We are excited to continue partnering with NCIC to help guide residents through the eady stages of the neighborhood association. Two common themes across individual conversations are that a) NCICs Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center plays an extremely important role for building cohesion within the neighborhood and providing essential services to residents and b) economic opportunity and economic inclusion is a high pnority, especially as it supports immigrant families in their transition to Iowa City. NCIC's proposal introduces entrepreneurial services in an undersewed area and to underestimated populations. The project will not only serve current and future residents of the neighborhood, but will also become a tremendous asset for the entire Iowa City community. I fully support this important proposal from NCJC and look forward to continuing as a partner for NCIC and the residents of the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood. Sincerely, Travis Kraus Associate Professor, School of Planning & Public Affairs Director, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities The University of Iowa Q Delete 8 Archwe Q Report - h Reply *� Reply all r� Forward - 0 Q - R ., Ea ., fol Fw: Letter of Support 4 - From bashidadl@ibsfenmstic.net <bashlrfadl@itisfimeshc.net> Sent Manday, May 1, 20B 1:21 PM To: Rachel Rockwell<Rachel-Rockwell@ncic.org> Subject RE: letter of Support Dear Grant Reriew Comautree, Sfy name is Basbir Fadl, suit I am the President of the Kindsr Foundation. Over the past tear, at the "Kindly Fomdation" ac'm successfully engaged and trained hundreds of 1. income and momito.. Iowa City/Johnson Counrc cesidevm into becoming entrepreneurs. Our greatest jov is the tens of lower income residents of Ionia City that biro, created their own corporations, been mo,ohed in Bazaars and other forms of permerhships under the Kindly Foundation training sessions and support As such, at the Kinds Foundation, we are sary excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the Neighborhood Centers. of Johnson Counts. is President of the Kindsv Foundation, I am a oting to express my enthusiastic support for the neighborhood grant application submitted by the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County . As an active member and supporter of residents of this neighborhood. I can attest to the vim] importance of this group's work in promoting community engagement and enhancing the quahty of life for all residents. Oren the past 12 years, I ham nitmssed firsthand the cram, positive impacts of the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson Countes initiatias_ From organizing child educational serrises, community a ems and actnities that bring neighbors together to prodding resources and support for local businesses and resident; this group his been instrumental in creating a strong sense of community and improving the overall song -being of our neighborhood. Given the significant impact that the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson Comm has already had on our, community I here no doubt that the proposed grant fmdingmll be put to good use. nth these additorml resources, they will be able w expand their programs and sensces, reach even more community member; and further enhance the vibrancy and hrability of our neighborhood. Thank sou for your consideration of this important grant application. I strongly encourage sou to support this earthy cause, and I look fon,ard to seeing the continued positive impact that the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson Comety will ham m out cnmmin smcerely Baahu Fadl (561) 400-54-4 BashsFadICITIsFantastinnet 151 Page