More volunteers making a regional impact

• Adult volunteerism in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties was up 33 percent during the first four months of this year compared with the same period in 2008, said Doris Higgins, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan (Herald Palladium).
  
  
• With unemployment rates as high as 12%, which doesn't factor into the underemployed - aka people who work part-time but need full-time, volunteerism has become a popular way to spend one's time and make new connections in the community. For those with little money, its also a free activity!
  

• Thirty-year-old Ebony Flie is becoming another Habitat For Humanity success story. She will move into a new house this fall with her daughter Arieonia, 11; and sons Aquariez, 9, and Aries, 13. (Kalamazoo Weekly)
  
  
• Homebuyers must put in 300 to 500 hours of sweat equity labor, depending on his or her circumstances. Ebony's requirements include 300 hours of labor, participating in financial literacy, budgeting, and home maintenance classes. “I’ve always had the dream of owning my own house by the time I’m 30,” said Ebony, who will turn 31 in October.

Community Service Database Making Progress

The city of Kalamazoo is one step closer to having a streamlined system that organizes the areas major human services into one, decipherable database. While systems like the 211 and Kalamazoo Library's Public Library's Local Information Directory do excellent work in directing residents to services the they need, there appeared to be a large gap between the two databases in establishing one, comprehensive resource for the community.

The Poverty Reduction Initiative, in collaboration with WMU's Lewis Walker institute, saw this as valuable opportunity to improve upon the services that currently exist. Instead of recreating an entire network, the PRI is working with both 211 and the Kalamazoo library to consolidate these two databases in to one, making it easier for residents to access it. We are also looking to improve upon the navigational methods, making the it easier to search and find resources in need.

A great example of resource mapping is the Washington DC's Food Finder, which uses google maps to locate services closes to where a person resides. Where the Kalamazoo database will differ is that it will service areas beyond food help to its residents, making it even more valuable to residents.

Mapping this complicated and scrambled maze of services will not be easy, but the results will surely be realized in there impact upon both residents and human service organizations. Having this database will not only allow residents to access them easier, but also allow for service organizations that already exist to better understand where to direct their time and energy.

Look forward to seeing more updates on the database this fall, where the research will begin to transform into a interface for the Kalamazoo community.

Will sustainability covenant produce results for Southwest Michigan?

According to a Kalamazoo Gazette Article,

"Area governments, higher-education institutions and others have pledged to make the region a better place to live, work and play by signing the Southwest Michigan Regional Sustainability Covenant.

The Kalamazoo-Battle Creek sustainability covenant, similar to one Grand Rapids enacted in 2006, commits governments, businesses, hospitals, colleges and others to work to address the environmental, economic and social issues.

The covenant was unveiled Wednesday at the Kalamazoo Public Schools' Edison Environmental Science Academy at a meeting with the Kalamazoo Gazette and Battle Creek Enquirer editorial boards, and later during a news conference."

There have been rumors of a covenant floating around in Kalamazoo Leadership circles and I'm happy to see that regional collaboration has produced something substantial. However, major questions still remain before the covenant can be seem as effective and productive on a level that achieved in other regions such as Grand Rapids.

The first point of interest whether its broad statement will translate into tangible results. I believe that it will generate progress in a positive direction for the communities involved.

However, my greatest concerns still lie in the regions lack of initiative to hire locally and involve people in poverty into the process. As many are unaware of, there are a great number of impoverished communities in Southwest Michigan that will need to benefit from a community covenant.

We need to make sure these disadvantaged populations are part of the progress, and that when it is the time and place to develop new industry in the region that we do so with local labor and hire in disadvantaged populations. Only then can the true dream of a prosperous Southwest Michigan be realized in the level that our citizens want it to be.

Kalamazoo's Northside loses its only market

The Kalamazoo Gazette reported that Felpausch Food Center on the northside of Kalamazoo will be closing at the end of the month, leaving area with no remaining supermarkets for its residents.

The closing is a blow to the disabled, elderly, and those who use public transit. They will now have to find a way to reach more distant markets to access fresh foods and vegetables. Access to healthy and nutritious food has always been a struggle for the disadvantaged and especially those in poverty. On top of paying higher rates for healthy foods, consumers will now have to travel farther to access supermarkets.

But there is hope for those seeking to have access to fresh food and vegetables. Community Gardens provide several communities a way to eat their own vegetables at low-cost, and organizations like the People's Food Co-op let residents exchange their EBT dollars into credits for the farmers market.

Still the issue remains: Will residents be able to access these services or will their circumstances keep them out of reach?

A sign of the Times: More Home Break-ins Happening in Kzoo

According to the Kalamazoo Gazette:

"Home break-ins last year in the city increased 8.8 percent, to 876, compared to 805 in 2007. Also, the Public Safety Department has seen an increase in home break-ins this year compared to the same period last year, Lt. Scott Merlo said.

The total number of home break-ins reported by Kalamazoo city, Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Township and Portage police -- the four largest law-enforcement agencies in the county -- was up 6.5 percent, to 1,802, in 2008. That figure is nearly identical to the 1,797 break-ins reported by those agencies in 2006."

The Edison Neighboorhood had the highest number of home break-ins with 498. Vine Neighborhood ranked second with 417 break-ins.

I think there is a reason why break-ins occurred so heavily in these areas rather than others. I think one reason the high volume of apartments and low-income housing, preferable chosen by students, that occurs in especially in the Vine neighborhood. As recently being one, I know that students often have valuable items such as electronics and do not always protect their living spaces as dutifully as others. Hence, they become an easy target for crime in an area which is easily accessible from downtown. The houses there are old and not the most secure.

My other guess for Edison neighborhood could be associated with the poverty-rate, where I have learned through poverty simulations that persons in poverty are often vulnerable because they do not always have the time or resources to make their home environments safe and secure. They become easy victims for thieves, as one woman in the article was robbed 9 times in a 3 year span.

With economic activity stifled and prisons overcrowded, no wonder crime is on the rise. Once imprisoned, it is very difficult a person to find work in the community. Having a prison sentence is a stigma which deters employers from hiring. Unable to find any work, many resort back to committing the profitable crimes that landed them in prison the first time.

This is exactly why we must advocate for prisoner re-entry programs - job placement programs which give former inmates opportunities to earn a living wage. These type of programs are effective at deterring former law-breakers from repeating their crimes. Advocating for this program could potentially significantly lower crime such as break-ins in cities such as Kalamazoo.

Focus on Education & Youth Dominates Kalamazoo News

This week news centered around Kalamazoo has primarily been focused on both youth initiatives and education news and opportunities.

In Minneapolis, a police lieutenant discussed how collaboration could potential end youth violence in Kalamazoo. The article explained:

A collaborative program that has stemmed youth violence in Minneapolis can succeed in Kalamazoo.

But for that to happen, Minneapolis police Lt. Bryan Schafer said, the city's array of public agencies and community-based organizations will have to break down the "silos" to work together and possibly take on new roles.

Initiatives undertaken in Minneapolis range from targeting at-risk youth in the schools to creating a juvenile intervention center, Schafer said.

"You have everything you need to put this in place," Schafer told a crowd Tuesday at the Douglass Community Association. "Let's talk from table to table. ... Everybody in this room needs to be aware of what everyone else is doing.

"You have to fill in the cracks."

Community Collaboration huh? Sounds a bit familiar... like the principles that the Poverty Reduction Initiative was formed on years ago! More from the article:

Hadley said he plans to sit down soon with city leaders and representatives of the Kalamazoo Youth Violence Prevention Initiative to formulate a plan and move forward.
"A lot of what they're doing (in Minneapolis), we're already doing," the chief said. "Who's committed? Unfortunately, if some people don't want to get on the train, they're going to miss it."

Mayor Bobby Hopewell shared Hadley's enthusiasm.

"We need to be about outcomes and how we affect the lives of our kids," Hopewell said. "This is not easy work. We need to redefine how we are working with our children."

Education was also a big subject on Kalamazoo media outlets.

• KVCC expects large enrollment growth for summer, fall semesters - Nearly 14 percent more students are taking for-credit classes this summer than last summer.
  
  
• Kalamazoo Public Schools Receives 150-thousand dollars for literacy planning - Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice announced Wednesday that the district will recieve a 150-thousand dollar grant from the Kellogg Foundation to craft models for improving literacy.

Monday Round-up

News Highlights:

State budget cuts hit home in Southwest Michigan
As the dust begins to settle on $349 million in state budget cuts ordered last week, the local impact is beginning to sink in -- from state trooper posts to county fairs to local health departments. The Kalamazoo Gazette breaks down what the budget cuts will have in store for Southwest Michigan, including the topics of: state police, human services, healthy care, agriculture & county fairs, the arts, and revenue sharing.

Carrier to Discontinue Tyler Brand Line and Close Plant in Niles, Michigan
The previous article speaks about how Berrian County has been able to weather the storm better than other areas in SW Michigan. That was before it was announced that 500 jobs were to be cut in by the closing of a plant in Niles. These are huge job losses for a city with a population of only 11 thousand residents.

More on the story: News of Tyler Refrigeration closing is 'devastating'


Which is our kind of town?
Article debates on whether Southwest Michigan is more like Chicago or Detroit.

Volunteers begin building playground for kids at Kalamazoo's Peace House
PRI Americorps Maggie Haitt and Ernest Cawvey helped make the improvements at the Peace House that the article speaks about.

Kalamazoo voters pass Transit, Public Library Mileages

I want to thank all the Kalamazoo Voters who came out yesterday and helped pass the Public Transit & Public Library Mileages. Voters overwhelmingly passed both mileages, renewing the transportation & educational services which are vital to so many residents of Kalamazoo County.

The public transit vote will fund buses outside Kalamazoo, as well as Metro Van and Care-A-Van. Care-A-Van aids many senior citizens and people with disabilities reach the services they need.

Step two is to put a 0.6-mill tax request before Kalamazoo city voters on the November ballot.

May 5th: Vote nears for Public Transit, Public library

On Tuesday, May 5th voters will decide upon whether to renew two mileages - one for the public transit system in Kalamazoo and the other to support the public libraries. These mileages both have extreme importance to the vitality of residents in Kalamazoo County.

The Poverty Reduction Initiative supports both Mileages as both services play large roles in reducing negative effects of poverty such as: increased mobility, access to goods and services, access to educational resources, access to digital media, and much more.

Many people inside both the city of Kalamazoo and the county use the public transit system to reach their employers, visit educational programs, receive goods and services, and stay connected within their community. Getting rid of this service not only hurts these residents, but also degrades the overall economic well-being of the region.

Many are familiar with the educational and economic advantages of having a public library with effective services. This resources increases resident literacy, technological skills and even employment skills.

Please take a moment on May 5th to vote yes for both proposals. The cost of these services is negligible juxtaposed to the benefits they provide to our community.

Eastside Leaders Step Up for Poverty March

After speaking with Eastside Neighborhood leaders, talks have progressed to initiate a poverty march this fall. Focusing on creating awareness around poverty issues, the march will highlight recent victories on the Eastside Neighborhood as well as opportunities for improvement.

Ideally, the walk would become an annual event. Each year it would change its focus to a different neighborhood, highlighting new victories and opportunities for improvement for each. Participants would literally walk through the neighborhood, being able to experience first-hand what it feels like.

We will press local leaders to be available for speeches and conversations with residents, creating a dialog that will bring the community together and access innovative minds to create improvements.

Look for more information towards the end of summer - the event is tentatively scheduled for early fall.