This week, our #GOPCThread offers a brief synopsis of a recent webinar we hosted in conjunction with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy which included state and national leaders on the issue of equitable development, brining local perspectives to our recent report “Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities.”

Not on Twitter, the thread is available online, as well as below.

Greater Ohio Policy Center Read on Twitter

This weeks #GOPCThread provides highlights from our webinar jointly hosted w/ @landpolicy on our new report "Equitably Developing America’s Smaller Legacy Cities" featuring great examples of #EquitableDevelopment from @DorianAHunter @CenterstateCEO & #AHT

The report offers an actionable guide & recs for local stakeholders & residents to begin #EquitableDevelopment in smaller #legacycities & lays out the academic & research-based case for why promoting equity is both the right thing to do + good economic policy #GOPCThread

#JessieGrogan spoke about @landpolicy‘s Legacy Cities Initiative & how they are equipping legacy cities leaders with the tools and resources they need to find paths to success. Check out all the resources @landpolicy offers online #GOPCThread

#LarkMalloy w/ #AffordableHousingTrust, an affordable housing lender, spoke about an internal equity audit their org conducted last year in order to better align operations with improved equity outcomes w/in their service footprint #GOPCThread

#AffordableHousing Trust's organizational work is an excellent example of one of the strategies we identify our report & refer to as “Recalibrate Existing Operations to Better Yield Equity.” #GOPCThread

Last year, #AHT held an open & honest dialogue about social & racial discrimination in housing & its long-term effects.  The result was a statement noting everyone deserves affordable housing & acknowledged systemic racism has legally existed in housing #GOPCThread

What happened next was even better.  As a result of the conversation, #AHT adopted three key, concrete policies #GOPCThread

1.) #AHT now requires borrowers to commit to not discriminating based on source of income.  Borrowers must agree that they won’t discriminate against a renter because they have a housing voucher.  Requirement was added as a covenant in loan agreements with borrowers. #GOPCThread

2.) #AHT adopted a housing wage policy which says that all of borrowers will commit to paying all of their employees a housing wage. This also became a covenant in loan agreements. Housing wage is determined by @NLIHC’s Out of Reach report.  #GOPCThread

3.) #AHT adopted a MBE policy that offers a .25% discount for borrowers who hit a target MBE percentage.  Props to #Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin County for using their platform to push the social & racial equity needle forward! #GOPCThread

.@DorianAHunter, a passionate & emerging leader in #SpringfieldOH spoke next about several capacity building efforts he’s steered in his community #GOPCThread

.@DorianAHunter described how the local @NAACP engaged youth to coordinate back to school & holiday drives, comm. events, youth programming, & a coordinated & significant #BlackLivesMatter protest. This has inspired youth to lead by example & impact Springfield

It also evolved into a social enterprise called #DreamVision that branded clothing & hosts community events. This community engagement has transitioned to a more strategic approach resulting in the establishment of the #UnifiedCollective. #GOPCThread

The #UnifiedCollective is a coalition of organizations dedicated to improving the lives of communities of color & south side residents of @Springfield_OH. @TheConscious_, @ClinArk_Inc, #DreamVision, #NAACP #YouthCommittee, #Promise Zone Crew

#UnifiedCollective started with a survey for direct public engagement. The survey asked about the assets in the community as well as what is holding it back. The survey outcomes became the basis for the strategies employed to push for equity & inclusion.

.@DorianAHunter summed it up, “We are more organized as a collective instead of just working as individuals.” This is exactly why we recommend communities consider forming a new intermediary entity to build capacity & coordinate existing efforts in the report #GOPCThread  

#RobertSimpson shared the vision of @CenterStateCEO, a business-based economic development org in Syracuse, working to create a place where business thrives & all people prosper and expand the idea of what successful growth looks like #GOPCThread

.@CenterStateCEO thinks improving equity & addressing Syracuse, NY’s high levels of economic segregation is fundamental to building a sustainable community. #GOPCThread

.@CenterStateCEO adopted #EconomicInclusion & #RacialEquity as 2 of the org’s 5 main pillars. They connect their econ. dev. work to people & place & deliberately bring people from downtown, suburban, & rural neighborhoods into conversations. #GOPCThread

This approach brings people to the table who haven’t been there in the past & lets them set the agenda. #GOPCThread

@CenterStateCEO recognized that communities can’t be successful without business & jobs while business can’t succeed w/o people & place. They started working to mitigate blight in downtown n'hoods & building common ground between these groups w/ aligned interests. #GOPCThread

To deliver on #equity goals @CenterStateCEO created #WorkTrain, which pairs workers w/ employers who have a persistent unmet need. Since '14, they have engaged 70 employers & placed 1,100+ job seekers in good paying, stable jobs. #GOPCThread

Through #HealthTrain, @CenterStateCEO helped place over 1,000 community residents into jobs w/ Loretto Health & St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. Through #HealthTrain, both facilities have gone from a 50-60% turnover rate to a 85% placement rate & 75% retention rate.

#HealthTrain saved employers significant money & led to better health outcomes for patients. Employers transformed the way they interview, hire, & adopted a broader view of who may be a good employee.  Residents were placed in jobs w/ opps. for career advance #GOPCThread

.@CenterStateCEO’s work addresses several of the strategies in our report, including “Emphasize Benefits of Equitable Development to the Business Community,” “Utilize Place-Based Investments,” & “Cultivate Home Grown Talent.” #GOPCThread

Many thanks to @landpolicy, @DorianAHunter @CenterStateCEO & #AHT, as well as all of those who attended the webinar for this great discussion. To view the whole webinar and learn more about #EquitableDevelopment, click the link below #GOPCThread