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Housing
& Community « Blueprint Communities »
...in Delaware
Communities
To see a list of both new and recertified Blueprint Communities, click here.
Program Partners
- FHLBank Pittsburgh
- Jessie Ball duPont Fund
- Public Allies Delaware
- University of Delaware
Benefits for Participating Communities
Each community selected for participation will receive the following benefits totaling more than $25,000 (minimum value of the initiative, not a cash award) per participating community:
- Six days of core community revitalization training led by highly regarded professional trainers, including materials, meals and lodging.
- A community profile – a demographic and planning report that includes key indicators and trends specifically for their community.
- Access to a community development consultant for coaching, facilitation, resource identification, and more.
- A matching mini-grant for planning, technical assistance, project implementation and/or predevelopment needs after successful involvement in Blueprint Communities.
- Strengthened relationships and communication between local leaders and funding source representatives.
- An opportunity to present a draft community plan to key institutions and funders after the core training sessions are completed.
Community Revitalization Training
Initial Blueprint Communities training was facilitated by the University of Delaware Center for Community Research and Service. Training began with a kickoff and orientation, held in March 2008, in Newark.
A series of one- and two-day training sessions followed, with community teams involved in intensive workshops in the spring and fall of 2008. Sessions were designed for community results, with topics including:
- Identifying & developing community resources
- Growing local leadership
- Team building & cohesiveness
- Community asset mapping
- Encouraging civic engagement
- Understanding community development models
- Creating housing capacity
- Visioning & holistic planning
- Marketing & communication
- Promoting best practices
Teams that complete Blueprint Communities training gain a thorough understanding of how to create sustainable communities and the elements necessary for success. Communities will have developed a:
- Vision
- Draft community plan
- Clear action strategy (including a funding strategy)
- Process to measure outcomes
- List of next steps/timeline to move the process forward
Blueprint Communities Promotes Team
Training
Each team comprises eight community representatives,
including at least one from an FHLBank member financial
institution, a development organization, the local governing
entity and a community-based organization, as well as
other key stakeholders. Everyone involved in helping
to make communities better should have a stake in the
Blueprint Communities initiative:
- community planners & developers
- service providers
- member bankers
- leaders in local government
- religious & civic leaders
- community-based organizations
- housing providers
- community & economic development practitioners
These key individuals collaborate in committed
partnerships, taking into account all aspects of the
community, for revitalization to be successful.
Community Eligibility
Selected communities are classified as “emerging” – those that have not completed a detailed community plan, but that do have a strong foundation of local leadership and possess some development capacity.
To be eligible, communities are required to:
- Have a population between 500 – 15,000, which may be an entire municipality or unincorporated place, a neighborhood within a larger municipality, multiple municipalities or unincorporated places (contiguous).
- Have not completed a neighborhood or community vision and a holistic plan within the last two years.
- Demonstrate local leadership, have basic development capacity and possess opportunity for development and collaboration.
- Be able to put together a diverse team of leaders committed to attending training sessions, broadening civic engagement, and advancing the welfare of the community.
Community Selection
Communities referred by partners or self-identified as potential participants will be sent a Request for Proposal (RFP), which will establish eligibility and provide the foundation for fair selection. FHLBank Pittsburgh, aided by program partners and an advisory
committee, will select communities to participate from RFPs received.
Questions
For more information on Blueprint Communities, contact
Laura Kemp-Rye at 304-291-5485 or via email to blueprint@fhlb-pgh.com.
You may also visit the Blueprint Communities dedicated
website at www.blueprintcommunities.com
or call FHLBank's Community Investment Department at
1-800-288-3400.
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Resources
Go to the dedicated web
site.
Related Documents
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