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Topics: Health

Healthy Boston Builds Strong Communities, continued

Index

Case Study Plus: Healthy Boston Builds Strong Communities

Introduction
Chapter 1: Summary of Key Findings
Chapter 2: Evaluation Methodology
Chapter 3: Description of Healthy Boston - History
Chapter 4: Project Outcomes and Evaluation Findings
Chapter 5: Evaluation Team Recommendations
Chapter 6: Round-One Community and Coalition Profiles
Chapter 7: List of Coalition Accomplishments
Appendix A: Evaluation guidelines and questions

Contents

Chapter 6: Round-One Community and Coalition Profiles

Chapter 6: Round-One Community and Coalition Profiles

The community and coalition profiles are designed to provide a "sense" of the community and the coalition. Community profiles contain a community description, some brief demographic data, and how coalition members saw the community based on a common set of questions. The coalition profiles depict how the evaluators saw the coalition functioning within that community in 1995 and are based on the evaluator's observations, the survey data, the independent interviews, coalition leadership interviews, and Healthy Boston documentation data. Many of the coalitions have modified their operations and addressed identified weaknesses in the last five months. The profiles do not cover those developments, but offer a snapshot of the dilemmas facing each coalition during 1995. The round-one coalition include Allston/Brighton, Codman Square, Columbia Point, Egleston Square, Jamaica Plain, Lower Roxbury, Roslindale, and Upham's Corner. Their community and coalition profiles follow.

Community Description

Allston-Brighton, home to 70,000 people, spans more than four square miles. It is known for its ethnic diversity; about one-third of its residents were born outside the U.S., in Russia, Haiti, China, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil and other countries (with the number of undocumented immigrants, many community indicators such as unemployment may be underestimated.) Allston-Brighton is also home to thousands of students, since Boston College, Harvard University, and Boston University all border the neighborhood. Living alongside students and foreign-born families are lifelong residents who say they would never live anywhere else. A number of major service providers operate in Allston-Brighton, including three hospitals, a community health center, a senior center, a boys and girls club, and dozens of social service organizations.

Community Demographic

Population (1990 census) 70,284
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
73% White (including Russian community), 11% Asian (mainly Chinese, some Vietnamese, and Cambodian), 9% Hispanic (including many from Central and South America), 8% Black (including Haitian and Caribbean).

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always) varies from A to B	3 - 6.5
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	2
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	7
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	6
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	2 - 7
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	8
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	6
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	5
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	5.5
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	4
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	3.5

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• safety
• collaborative efforts
• immigrant tradition
• focus on childrens' future
• self-sufficiency and work ethic
• effective and committed service providers

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)

• more ESL classes; more LINCS grads
• new immigrants getting services
• community multicultural center
• more intergenerational activities
• coalition is economically self-sufficient
• more social actions to enhance safety

In the initial stages of formation Allston-Brighton Coalition encountered resistance in the community from other well established groups, which it has been largely able to overcome. The coalition increasingly serves a central coordinating function in Allston-Brighton providing communication, planning, and training, while initiating and implementing community betterment projects. The coalition has strong leadership and a highly effective coordinator who has been in her position since the inception of the initiative.

They run substantive, inclusive, well-planned and well-attended meetings which focus on specific issues of interest to the coalition membership: schools, safety, health issues, which are judged by their members to be one of the major strengths of the coalition. Early in their development they conducted candidates' forums which provided and continues to provide an important link to the political workings of the city and key political leaders in Allston-Brighton.

They have substantial communication and PR efforts (even though many members identified it as an area that could use more work) which are assisted by interns from neighboring colleges and universities. The coalition has developed and distributed materials that highlight their activities and accomplishments, produces a bimonthly community newsletter, and mails postcard reminders of time, location, and agenda for each meeting. Their phone message is always updated with relevant coalition meeting information.

Allston-Brighton was awarded the first Healthy Boston implementation grant of $225,000 in July of 1993 for the LINCS project (Leadership to Improve Neighborhood Communication and Services). LINCS is an 9 month ESL and community organizing training program with field work for the diverse members of the Allston-Brighton community. The LINCS experience offered opportunities for people of many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds to come together, learn English and community organizing skills and do outreach work into the community. Students worked with existing agencies and institutions to help them better understand and improve their outreach to various minority groups within the community. This has been a highly successful program which has been evaluated, modified, and completely funded from independent sources for the coming year.

LINCS and the coalition have worked closely together, supported each other's development and synergistically helped each other attain their goals. Many of the graduates of the LINCS program now are regular members and in leadership positions in the coalition and have offered better access to their particular ethnic group. One of the difficult challenges of all the coalitions has been the recruitment and development of new resident participants. With the help of LINCS the Allston-Brighton coalition has a relatively successful record of new and resident participation with one third of those who filled out the questionnaire being new to community building efforts and two thirds being non-agency and institutional representatives.

The accomplishments of the coalition have been numerous and judged as effective by their membership. They have created a variety of employment and training opportunities, increased access to health and human services, expanded youth programming, increased opportunities for adults to learn English, improved coordination of local health and human services, and increased neighborhood participation and community leadership. (A full list of specific accomplishments is included in the appendices.) They have raised $63,000 for LINCS from the funding sources of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Hyams Foundation, Lotus Corporation, Boston College Neighborhood Fund, Harvard University, Boston University, Burgess Urban Fund, and Fleet Bank. Recently they were funded by the Executive Office for Education to work on a state linking project with schools in the area. They also received a Boston Management Consortium's City Excellence Award for their LINCS program. For the coalition operations, the coalition has in-kind support from various organizations and institutions, some revenues from voluntary membership dues, and funds from various dinners sponsored by the coalition.

The impact of the coalition as perceived by the members is an increased collaboration among organizations, institutions, and residents; increased awareness of issues and services; and less racial and ethnic tension.

This coalition is continuing to thrive but struggling with the issues of continued funding and managing the size and growth of the coalition. It is continuing to work on outreach to residents, the elderly and businesses.

Community Description

Codman Square is located in Dorchester and has been a major crossroads from the time Dorchester was settled in 1630 to the present day. It is named after the first pastor of an early 19th century church located in the square and still in use. Codman Square is predominantly residential with a recently revived business district. Its population is diverse in ethnicity, culture and income. Like many urban neighborhoods, it has its difficulties with violent crime, school dropouts, drugs, and teen pregnancies. However, there is a very strong sense of community through resident organizations and merchants associations.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 22,296
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
68% Black (mostly African-American, with significant Haitian and Caribbean populations), 22% White, 7% Hispanic(mostly Puerto Rican), 1.5% Asian, (mostly Vietnamese).

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	5
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	3
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	6
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	9
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	2.5 - 8
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	6
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	3
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	2
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	6.5
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	2 - 5.5
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	8

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• cultural diversity, good cultural mix
• caring and commitment to the community
• sense of empowerment, tradition of activism
• pride in improvement
• dedication of community workers
• neighborhood crime watches

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)

• increase family awareness of ed. opportunities
• stronger youth leaders
• agencies working cooperatively
• more resident youth making contributions
• pride and common vision for neighborhood
• decrease in dropout rate

Once funded, the Codman Square Healthy Boston Coalition seemed poised to expand its organizing activities and membership to become an even more powerful political voice for the area. Spearheaded by human service organizations from the "old" task force, one of the coalition's greatest strengths continues to be its strong organizational and agency base. Currently the majority of active coalition members are agency representatives.

The chief organizing tool for its membership is the focus on the needs of area youth. With over 2,500 youth, between the ages of 11 and 16, living in the area, the need for service is obvious. In an effort to address the needs of at-risk young people, the Codman Square Coalition obtained implementation funding for the "Positive People Project." This project offered 30 young people the opportunity to learn construction and leadership skills while rehabilitating a burned-out building into a youth center. The securing of these Healthy Boston funds brought in an additional $100,000 into the Codman Square area. In addition, the coalition, to its credit has one vocal youth member on its steering committee who is active in decision and policy making. These factors have increased collaboration and the coordination of resources among the coalition's youth-focused organizations.

However, some observers believe that the coalition has so far fallen far short of its potential. This is in part because of its relationship to the city and in part because of limitations in its structure and membership.

Prior to the "Positive People Project," the Codman Square coalition originally proposed an adolescent prevention project that was rejected by Healthy Boston. This caused a rift between the coalition and the city despite the fact that Codman resubmitted with the "Positive People Project" and was funded. Unfortunately, the coalition never fully integrated the new project into the coalition activities and ran the project at an arms length. The coalition missed the opportunity to use the project as a catalyst for expanded youth involvement and coalition development.

The second critical limitation has been that the coalition management has not attracted strong resident participation. Much of the coalition's business, such as its meetings and trainings, take place during working hours. Its biweekly steering committee/coalition meetings are held at 1:00 in the afternoon. Since most of the coalition members are agency representatives, this also has meant that the coalition membership has not necessarily reflect the demographics of the community.

Community Description

The Columbia Point Peninsula, located in Dorchester, is distinctive both for being institution-rich and for being home to a residential community, Harbor Point, that is a national model for mixed income private housing. Harbor Point transformed a neglected public housing site into an apartment community owned jointly by the residents and a private developer. Institutional residents of the Peninsula include the University of Massachusetts, the Kennedy Library, the State Archives and Commonwealth Museum, Bayside Exposition and the Boston Globe. The Columbia Point Community is composed of residents, students and employees.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 2,233
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
54% Black (including some Haitians), 10% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican), 29% White, and 6% Asian (mostly Vietnamese).

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	7
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	4
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	8
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	7
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	9
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	9
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	6
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	2
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	1
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	8
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	9

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• people take care of one another
• protection of needy
• commitment to safety
• diversity
• spirit of cooperation
• families

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

• more childcare: before and after school
• unemployment rate decreased
• organization for youth and adult volunteers
• expand membership to include those who can affect the availability of jobs
• better working relationship with city hall
• 45 families through the nurturing program
• apprenticeship program for youth

CPNC along with its splendid Dorchester Bay view can also boast that it is in an institution rich area. The coalition lists among its institutional partners the Bank of Boston, the Boston Globe, the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and WLVI-TV.

One of the most important functions the coalition has played to date has been in coordinating the institutions around the peninsula. Prior to the formation of the CPNC there was no entity to synergize the efforts of the 26 organizations represented on the coalition. According to coalition members surveyed they view their coalition as very effective. Members are particularly proud of two programs—the Public Safety Maps and the Nurturing Program. The Public Safety Map, clearly delineates law enforcement jurisdictional boundaries in and around the peninsula, clarifying for residents which law enforcement organization is responsible for what areas and types of problems. Aside from providing important information to Harbor Point residents, creating the Public Safety Map improved communication between all five jurisdictions assigned to the Harbor Point peninsula. The area is now patrolled more effectively and people know who to call when problems arise. The second major accomplishment of the coalition has been the Nurturing Program. The program, conducted at the Dever Elementary school, is a 15 week course which provides Harbor Point parents with valuable parenting skills and youth focused activities. The coalition is working on securing outside funding to expand the program.

The coalitions has had many successes in addition to these two programs. Columbia Point applied and was awarded a planning grant that focused on youth drug and gang prevention. The coalition established an employee bank which local businesses can review to fill vacancies in their respective organizations. By early 1995, five individuals had been identified through this bank to fill full time positions. CPNC respondents recognized the need to expand this program given its potential value to Harbor Point residents.

The internal operations of the coalition are effective. Coalition meetings are well structured, participation is consistent and work gets accomplished at the meetings. This can be attributed to consistent leadership on the part of its chair persons and members—many who are managers in their respective organizations. The coalition's two part-time coalition coordinators do an exceptional job of balancing tasks and keeping coalition members well informed of important events, activities and local community issues of importance to the coalition.

A challenge facing the coalition will be to connect the work of the coalition and its residents. To date most of the work done by the coalition has been accomplished by the institutional partners along with a few resident representatives. This is troubling only to the extent that although CPNC functions well and is providing a valuable service to Harbor Point residents, there has been little transferring of leadership skills and self determination to the residents—two key goals of the Healthy Boston initiative. If CPNC is to achieve these goals, the coordinators will have to recruit more residents the old fashion way-by knocking on doors and interacting with as many residents as possible.

As Healthy Boston moves beyond its final year of funding, CPNC will be forced to rely primarily on its institutional partners to provide financial support to the coalition. The coalition has already laid the groundwork and established solid links with these groups and is well positioned to take advantage of the natural linkages that exist around the peninsula.

Community Description

Egleston Square is at the intersection of two major city neighborhoods-Roxbury and Jamaica Plain-and borders a third, North Dorchester. It is characterized by diversity and fragmentation related to the presence of many cultures and languages, reinforced by the geography of major streets which literally divide the Square. A predominantly low income area with many undocumented people exacerbates problems of unemployment, illiteracy, and lack of access to health and human services. After years of neglect and disinvestment, Egleston Square is now engaged in revitalization efforts to redevelop the commercial area, create and rehabilitate low and moderate income housing, and improve access to health and human services.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 9,570
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
50% Black (mostly African-American), 34% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican), 13% White, and 1% Asian.

Comparative Data

	Egleston Square	Boston
% under 18	30.7%	19.1%
% 65+	10.5%	11.5%
% Long Term Residents (5+ years)	53.3%	47.8%
% Adults with H.S. Degree	59.9%	77.6%
Unemployment rate (1990)	13.5%	8.3%
Median Family Income	$23,737	$34,377
% Homeowners	17.9%	30.9%
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births)	24.9%	11.5%
% Registered to vote (ward 11)	59%	55%

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	3
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	2
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	5
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	4
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	6
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	8
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	3
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	2
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	3
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	5.5
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	7

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• extended family-taking care of each other
• welcoming place for new people
• work ethic-value having a job
• entrepreneurial spirit
• perseverance despite image
• homeowners' commitment and pride

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)

• more resident and parent participation
• thriving businesses; fewer vacant store fronts
• 8 more rehabed houses for residents
• Charter School
• youth mix with other groups; form active youth council
• resolve difficult issues and maintain coalition

The Healthy Boston initiative offered the 6 or 7 organizations that regularly worked together on these issues an opportunity to further coordinate their efforts, formalize, and strengthen their coalition. Participation has not been without its detractors and a few coalition members have consistently questioned the time that Healthy Boston activities require of participating coalitions. Over the past 3 years, the coalition has grown to include 26 organizations and groups, learned much from participation, and has benefited from the requirements for community assessments, action plans, documentation, training, and coalition networking. The coalition has several strong and committed agencies and organizations who actively participate and actively disagree in their efforts to improve the community. Though strong partners are a benefits to the coalition, a few members note that one agency tends to dominate the coalition.

Because of the problems with a previous collaborative structure in the neighborhood where members backed away from active participation once staff was hired and because of questions about the continuation of Healthy Boston funding, the coalition chose not to hire a coordinator. Initially the Healthy Boston funds were used primarily for youth programming efforts and the coalition participants shared the coordinator functions. Eventually a youth coordinator was hired and took on some of the coalition coordinator functions. This arrangement has worked well for the coalition and the initiative as a whole.

The Egleston Square coalition mantra is "Be in the streets, do things differently!" Through this spirit of activism, the coalition efforts brought the Y to the square as well as the federally funded Greater Egleston YOU High School. Members regularly hold community events that focus on youth and families, including Hands-around-Egleston (started before Healthy Boston, but now institutionalized in the community), Unity Games, a 3 part follow-up of the Million Man March, the creation of a Youth worker's council, and the new asthma education project, "Breath Easier". The coalition has brought substantial new resources to the neighborhood. Through private foundation funding, federal programs, and local special event fund raising efforts, they have raising more than $200,000 for youth programming. The coalition is particularly good at reacting to crisis and providing follow-up activities as with the Million Man March and shootings in the neighborhood. Community improvements such as more youth and family services, decreased violence, more access to information and services, and better agency collaboration have been attributed to coalition activities by members and community observers. The coalition has also been instrumental in the physical revitalization of Egleston Square.

The coalition holds monthly meetings of representatives of all the participating organizations. A smaller coordinating committee of the membership also meets monthly and presents reports to the larger organizational meeting. A variety of subcommittees then work on the various projects of the coalition and include anyone interested in the particular project. The major criticism of the coalition from members, and independent observers alike is that they need to increase resident participation. This structure, though very effective for agency coordination, has been relatively ineffective in drawing resident voices to the center of policy making for the coalition.

Community Description

Jamaica Plain (JP) is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Boston. It is anchored at each end by public housing developments. Within, its neighborhoods include Hyde Square, with its large Latino residential and business community; the more affluent and ethnically mixed South Street, and the mostly African-American Bromley/Jackson Square. Centre St, JP's "Main St.", has a healthy and expanding business community. JP also has a strong presence of educational facilities, community schools, arts groups, health facilities and social service organizations.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 26,697
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
53% White, 28% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican), 14% Black (mostly African American), 4% Asian (mostly Chinese)

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

Perceptual data not available for Jamaica Plain due to their non funded status during the data gathering phase of the evaluation.

In hindsight, the development of the Healthy Boston coalition in Jamaica Plain has had three distinct phases. In the initial phase, the coalition was very successful in involving the various agencies and institutions of the community in collaborative work and in the development of improved collaboration and communication between agencies. Resident involvement was more elusive for the Healthy Boston coalition. After being funded for both a planning grant and an initial round of continuation monies, the coalition was defunded for not meeting minimum requirements. At that time, it was clear that three different coalitions in the community were fulfilling different functions. The Healthy Boston coalition was the coordinating body for agencies and institutions. The Boston Against Drugs coalition had substantial resident involvement and a slightly narrower focus on substance abuse prevention, but had many overlapping goals with Healthy Boston. And lastly, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council was functioning as the resident organization to improve the community. The leadership of the three organizations, which in a few cases involved some of the same people, proposed a merger.

The next phase in their development was the evolution of the "new" combined coalition. During the unfunded period, the coalition volunteers working together to reform the organization with some administrative assistance from Boston Gas. With no money on the table, the coalition spent the year clarifying the purpose of the organization and the focus of their community work. Some participants felt that additional technical support from Healthy Boston would have been helpful during this period.

Strengthened and clearer in its commitment and purpose, the coalition moved into its next phase of operation in a much stronger position. In the FY96 funding cycle of Healthy Boston, which was open to BAD coalitions, the Jamaica Plain coalition, now called the Tree of Life/Arbol de Vida Coalition, applied for continuation monies and was refunded. In this latest phase of its development, the coalition has been enormously productive. It has secured and implemented two external grants, a DSS grant for family preservation and a Department of Public Safety juvenile delinquency prevention grant. The coalition sponsored workshops on a wide variety of health topics and ran a number of youth development activities throughout the community. The coalition established and is maintaining its commitment to using funds for programmatic support whenever possible. Only $10,000 of the Healthy Boston allocation of $40,000 is used to support the coalition staffing.

Community Description

Lower Roxbury is a neighborhood which is on the threshold of discovering its ability to work together. Twenty years ago this neighborhood had to fight for its survival and defeat the proposed construction of I-95 through its midst. Although the community won the battle, the damage had already been done. The bulldozing of blocks of homes left scars that the neighborhood has never fully recovered from: the highest concentration of public/ subsidized housing of any neighborhood in the city of Boston. One of the major underlying contributors to the lack of stabilization in the community is that people do not have home ownership. The youth of our community are "land-locked"; most assert that they must function within prescribed boundaries established by local gangs and their constant internecine wars. With the removal of the elevated orange train line, the Dudley Square bus terminal has recently gone through a 10 million dollar reconstruction; however, the removal of the train line has had some impact - residents are not as easily connected to downtown Boston as before.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 13,490
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
65% Black (African American), 20% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican), 14% White and 1% Asian

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	6.5
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	9
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	8
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	9
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	4
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	4.5
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	5
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	2
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	2
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	6
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	3

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• resiliency of residents
• people take care of one another
• cooperation in the community
• commitment to safe, drug free neighborhood
• community activism

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)

• continue to meet as a coalition
• stay active in Lower Roxbury issues (Parcel 3, Megaplex, Tremont St.)
• youth involvement/development of more youth programs
• city government recognizes the community as Lower Roxbury
• expansion of coalition membership and leadership—new ideas
• better relationship with the police and the city

This constant "battle with the city over the determination of our neighborhood" has permeated every aspect of the We Have a Dream Coalition's work. Moreover, the adversarial relationship between the city and Lower Roxbury residents has made it nearly impossible for the coalition to "partner" with the same entity perceived as the enemy. City-driven partnerships are viewed with both skepticism and apathy by Lower Roxbury coalition members and residents. This sense of apathy towards city hall is also clearly visible among the coalition leadership and teas overshadowed the coalition's ability to define a role for itself within the community.

It is in defining its identity that the coalition has struggled most. At times, the coalition has been convener of the people around issues such as gang related violence, improved health care, and the prevention of drug related activity in the community. At other times the coalition has played an advocacy role against proposed development that members perceive to be not in the best interest of the community. An example was the coalition's successful opposition, in conjunction with the Parcel 18 Task force, to the proposed development of a 16 screen cinema on Parcel 3. Yet at other times the coalition has worked on specific projects such as the Roxbury United for Children and Families (RUFC) initiative designed to improve mental health services to children in the community. These multiple agendas and roles have left the Lower Roxbury coalition internally weakened and with a lack of clear focus.

The coalition has been most effective when it has chosen to address community identified issues and less effective when it participates in city-initiated activities. According to coalition members, the Parcel 3 opposition was extremely successful while the RUFC initiative, a coordinated effort between the Lower Roxbury, Mission Hill and United in Spirit coalitions, has been a disappointment. The advocacy role that the coalition prefers to play, however, has created its own tensions with the local government officials who have often been on opposite sides of the debate. Moreover, the crises-driven approach that the coalition adopted did not permit the coalition to be proactive and plan its activities.

Overall, Lower Roxbury was not in a position to take advantage of the Healthy Boston model which, in addition to a clear community identity, relied heavily on the existence of economic, political and institutional support for its success - factors that do not exist to a critical degree in Lower Roxbury. Healthy Boston could have better served Lower Roxbury by working to repair the damaged relationship that exists between the Lower Roxbury residents and city hall - a damaged relationship that gotten in the way of achieving the goals of infrastructure development, self-determination, and improved quality of life for residents of Lower Roxbury .

Internally the coalition is at a cross roads. Membership is low, there have been three coalition coordinators since 1992, broad community based participation varies, and coalition members surveyed stated that the coalition suffers from lack of focus. Coalition members also identified the need for new leadership that would infuse new blood and vision. As the coalition struggles to regenerate itself, it will have to make some tough decisions regarding leadership, priorities and the role it should play in the community.

Despite the internal and external struggles, the Lower Roxbury Coalition has begun to explore several strategies aimed at leveraging the resources that currently exist in the community. First, the coalition has several well respected and politically savvy residents that can be tapped to establish better working relationships, increased respect, improved communication and reciprocity with local government. Second, the development boom in Lower Roxbury can be viewed as an opportunity for the coalition to partner with both existing and new institutions to secure community needs such as employment, training and better health care services. Finally, given that 54.5% of Lower Roxbury residents have lived in the community for five or more years, the coalition can more actively recruit these individuals who have an obvious interest in improving the quality of life in their community.

Community Description

The heart of Roslindale runs the length of Washington Street from Forest Hills to the Georgetown development in West Roxbury. Key sub-areas include the housing developments of Archdale, Washington Beech, High Point Village, Georgetown, the Florence Street Apartments and Roslindale House. It is a community traditionally perceived as a solid, white, neighborhood made up of working and middle class families. Yet that image is no longer true, as Roslindale mirrors Boston's demographic shifts of the last 20 years. Its minority population experiences dramatic growth: 77% increase among African-Americans, a 183% Latino increase, and a 277% increase in other minority groups.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 26,702
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
81% White (including the Greek Community), 12% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican), 6% Black (mostly African-American), 1% Haitian.

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	7
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	9
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	5.5
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	6
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	5
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	8
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	7.5
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	4
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	9.5
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	7
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	3

Traditions and Values

(identified by coalition members)

• friendships
• stability
• family: children return
• religion and communication with religious leadership
• volunteerism
• diversity
• open space

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)

• more youth involvement at all levels
• more private funding
• more ethnic diversity at the table
• members have a fuller understanding of what the coalition means
• number of new crime watches
• increased participation in the coalition

Healthy Roslindale is one of the strongest resident-driven coalition in the Healthy Boston initiative. This coalition's ability to attract strong resident leadership is rooted in its history. In 1984, several organizations and groups came together around the revitalization of Roslindale Square. In those early years, the community organizing in Roslindale centered on issues that mobilized support from the Roslindale residents. Those issues included economic development and increased city services. Accomplishments of those organizing efforts included the Roslindale Community Center and the Roslindale Village Main Street economic coalition. The Healthy Boston coalition developed from the seeds of those early collaborations.

The current coalition has pursued a neighborhood strategy which simultaneously supports existing neighborhood organizations such as the Roslindale Village Main Street and the Roslindale Board of Trade, while mobilizing neighborhoods at the grass roots level. Working with local schools and service providers to focus on the needs of parents and children is one example of such grass roots organizing. By offering parenting classes to area residents in local schools and community centers, Healthy Roslindale has brought together established and new residents around learning how to be effective parents. A second example is the effort to establish new crime watches, mobilize existing crime watches and bringing both groups together to meet with the police on a quarterly basis. Healthy Roslindale has attracted a significant number of residents interested in building a strong, safe neighborhood and ensuring that city services are delivered in a manner consistent with neighborhood needs.

The coalition has kept the neighborhood informed of its activities through the publication of several newsletters, by widely advertising its meetings, and by holding its meetings in accessible locations. An active and visible coordinator who is bilingual has increased the coalition's outreach capacity to neighborhood schools, residents, and churches. Because of this visibility and accessibility, the coalition is increasingly seen as a major community resource.

The coalition holds regular monthly full member meetings which are open to community residents and/or organizations. In addition, monthly executive committee and subcommittee meetings are held to work on the administration and projects of the overall coalition. Most meetings are held in the evenings in a community building. This structure and management clearly encourages resident participation and activism. This has not meant that the coalition has been without internal struggles. There have been several power struggles and leadership transitions, one of which lead to the withdrawal of several individuals and resident organizations. The new leadership team and the hiring of the current coordinator have stabilized the situation.

Despite solid resident leadership, the coalition's membership does not reflect recent demographic shifts and the dramatic increase in Roslindale's minority community. Currently, the coalition has only one minority representative in the leadership and only a few minority members.

Another area of weakness for the coalition is the lack of representation and active participation of human service organizations. Although, the coalition has functioned well without their direct participation, Healthy Roslindale has not fully realized the impact that coordinating human service and their resources can have on the neighborhood.

Community Description

Upham's Corner is located in the Northern Section of Dorchester, sharing boundaries with Roxbury, from Grove Hall to the Newmarket business district. Its main characteristic is the diversity of residents, businesses and institutions, and the effort to improve the relationship amongst them in a community that has undergone tremendous change in the past twenty years. From an almost homogeneous neighborhood in the early 70's, Upham's Comer has seen the exodus of thousands of white middle class families who have been replaced by a population of newcomers from Latin America, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean.

Community Demographics

Population (1990 census) 23,163
Ethnic Diversity (1990 census)
35% White (including Polish and Irish), 28% Black (including Haitian), 12% Cape Verdean, 20% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican), 4% Asian (mostly Vietnamese)

Comparative Data

Source: census 1990, birth records 1988-90, pres. election 1992

Community Perceptions

(rated on a scale of 1-10 by coalitions members)

residents know most of their neighbors? (never to always)	8
residents participate in city government? (never to always)	3
residents consider neighborhood to be very dangerous to very safe	2
how well community supports youth (very poorly to very well)	4
communicate with diverse cultural groups (never to always beyond their group)	9
work together and put aside turf issues (never to always)	8
residents have opportunities for jobs (no one to everyone)	7
community has been well served by city government (poorly to very well)	1.5
current relationship with city government (very distrustful to very trusting)	4
relationship with police very distrustful to very trusting	2
community been able to utilize outside funding (very poorly to very well)	2

Traditions and Values

• close neighbors
• culturally rich
• youth

2 Year Indicators of Coalition Success

(identified by coalition members)
Not available.

Upham's Corner Coalition began with big dreams of the instrumental role they would play in helping to transform Upham's Corner into a viable, safe and thriving community. At the core of Upham's Corner's vision was a community center that would serve as a much needed hub for its residents by providing daycare services, recreational activities for children, and as a central locale for residents to discuss important community issues.

When the coalition began its activities, it garnered strong local interest, even excitement. Membership in the coalition was inclusive and diverse. There was representation from the longtime white residents, African Americans and the large Cape Verdean population in Upham's Corner. There was real sense of possibilities given that the initiative was promised enough funding to support its activities.

Unfortunately, Upham's Corner became the classic example of a coalition that would have greatly benefited from leadership which could have established a better working relationship with the city. The promise of funding caused a core of the leadership to emerge and define a stance and goals that seemed to drain the coalition of its ability to define an agenda that was truly community driven. The coalition found itself pursuing an agenda that was based on former bad relationships, mistrust and poor communications with City Hall. The leadership viewed their relationship with Healthy Boston staff as adversarial, and consistently hired coalition coordinators who viewed their roles as fighting the establishment. As a result, Upham's Corner spent a significant portion of their energy trying to do away with city "meddling" rather than recognize Healthy Boston as a partner with resources important to Upham's Corner. Thus Upham's Corner never tapped the wealth of city resources such as training, technical assistance, and contacts that Healthy Boston could offer.

During these struggles, resident enthusiasm for the coalition had dwindled. Cape Verdean residents left the coalition and began to use other forums in the community to meet their needs. The coalition was never fully able to bridge the racial divide that exists in the community between the very powerful old vanguard and the newer immigrants to the community. As a result, the coalition was left primarily in the hands of a few agency heads and was never fully able to rebound. In spite of the diminishing capacities of the coalition, it did contribute to several community activities such as the multicultural festival, the Children's Christmas Celebration, and the Boston Police Department community policing initiative. The coalition had also been actively working to create Linkages with other community groups and coalitions. But the vision of a community center and a cohesive and inclusive coalition for Upham's Corner has not yet been realized. The coalition was defunded by Healthy Boston in its final funding cycle and the funds were put in escrow for the community.

Index

Introduction
Chapter 1: Summary of Key Findings
Chapter 2: Evaluation Methodology
Chapter 3: Description of Healthy Boston—History
Chapter 4: Project Outcomes and Evaluation Findings
Chapter 5: Evaluation Team Recommendations
Chapter 6: Round-One Community and Coalition Profiles
Chapter 7: List of Coalition Accomplishments
Appendix A: Evaluation guidelines and questions

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