Promise and Betrayal: Universities and the Battle for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods

Appendix B: HANDS Strategic Management Plan

A P P E N D I X B HANDS Strategic Management Plan A major initiative was the development and implementation of a strategic management planning process for HANDS, which was led by HANDS Acting Project Director Steve Zimmer, a certified strategic management facilitation consultant. When the original HANDS grant was conceived, the planning team defined six goals, which were really objectives, to be accomplished by the end of the three-year grant period: 1. Case management: Place and counsel 400 residents in the HANDS program; 2. Job training: Provide job training and placement for 60 target area residents who currently receive government assistance; 3. Education training: 108 students complete high school equivalency diplomas , 225 persons receive assistance for higher education scholarship, and 150 families obtain literacy training; 4. Leadership training: 150 residents will learn community organizing skills, entrepreneurship, and self-help strategies; 5. Home ownership: Turn 180 low-income families into home owners; 6. Community design: Design a neighborhood master plan, create a nonprofit housing corporation, and teach defensible space design. HANDS project staff began the development of the strategic management process, which caused the reevaluation and expansion of those original six goals. As is true with any project, the process demonstrated that the original plans had to be modified to fit the reality of the experience of the actual operation of the grant program. Therefore, some of the original goals were scaled back and others were expanded. Some were eliminated when new ones emerged. New strategies were designed to replace old ones, resulting in new goals and objectives. Planning is simply the continuous process of identifying needs and designing strategies to address those needs, abandoning old strategies, and embracing new ones. The strategic management process began with the establishment of values, vision, and mission statements. Based on these statements, the original six goals were replaced with seven goals with a series of measurable objectives for each one, resulting in a total of forty-two. What follows are the values, visions, mission statement, situational analysis , goals, and objectives. HANDS’ Core Values Statement: HANDS’ core values were the fundamental, ethical, moral, and professional beliefs of the organization, which served as the guide for decision making. HANDS believed that the conditions that manifested poverty could be ameliorated. Empowerment of residents and the neighborhood, through strategies, promoted neighborhood revitalization , led to self-sufficiency, and promoted individual self-determination and selfexpression . Strategic Management Plan 201 HANDS’Vision Statement: HANDS’ vision was a description of the preferred future of the organization with respect to its structure and purpose, role in the community, and relationships. HANDS helped renew the historic Russell Neighborhood, worked to help alleviate poverty, and was a catalyst for empowerment. HANDS celebrated and valued the distinct ethnic culture of the neighborhood. Role: HANDS was a significant neighborhood partner as evidenced by a strong grassroots philosophy. Neighborhood residents and neighborhood-based organizations helped define the community’s vision, and neighborhood residents were empowered to achieve their preferred future with the support of all partners. Reputation: HANDS was seen as the premier component of the U of L’s urban mission. The program stood as a national model of a university-community partnership. HANDS represented the future of what universities need to do to maintain relevancy. The HANDS project demonstrated that that U of L could provide services to help renew the American dream of hope and opportunity at the neighborhood level. Relationships: HANDS was an organization that promoted direction and focus through teamwork to enhance cooperation and communication. Hence, HANDS helped its several partner organizations and used input from neighborhood organizations to empower using U of L ’s resources. HANDS’ Mission Statement: HANDS’ mission was a broad but directed description of the six vices provided, geographic area of operation, and clients served. The mission of HANDS was to explore strategies to foster community and individual empowerment in order to promote neighborhood revitalization and individual self-sufficiency. Services: HANDS provided neighborhood design and affordable housing design services, home ownership promotion and support, case management and referral services, and education and training for jobs and leadership. Geography: HANDS served the historic Russell Neighborhood and the La Salle housing development. Clients: HANDS’clients were organizations that served the Russell Neighborhood and the La Salle housing development. They were individuals who were residents of Russell and La Salle and persons who expressed interest in owning a home, operating a business, or taking steps to establish...