Community Engagement in the Massachusetts Asset Development Commission

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Community Engagement in the Massachusetts Asset
Development Commission

• Connecting people to policy in a demand-side
  model

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What is Midas?

• A statewide collaborative, currently comprised of
  30 community-based, non-profit organizations
  devoted to developing, administering and
  promoting asset-building initiatives for
  low-income and minority residents, throughout the
  Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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What does Midas do??

• Promotes asset development programs and policies
  in the state.
• Provides back-office fiscal services, funding,
  training for IDA programs.
• Supports financial education through training,
  research, funding, and web coordination at
  www.MassSaves.org
• Supports innovation in asset development
  hosting meetings, briefings, and trainings.

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Asset Development Commission

• Study current asset development programs.
• Evaluate their effectiveness.
• Make policy recommendations, using best
  practices.
• The Approach is
• Inclusive
• Educational
• Coordinated with national initiatives
• Community and practitioner-tested
• Built on existing infrastructure
• Time-limited

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Members of the Commission

• 4 Legislators
• Administration Appointees from Housing, Finance,
  Education, HHS, Small Business.
• 2 Financial institutions Federal Reserve Bank
• Research institution state-wide think tank
• Philanthropies United Way local foundation
• Statewide non-profits Midas, CDCs, CAPs, EITC
  Coalition, human services.
• IDA program manager and participant

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Passing the Commission

• State house visits, letters, calls
• Coalition work with other statewide non-profits
  and labor
• Mass Association of CDCs
• Mass Community Action (MassCap)
• United Way
• Mass Community Banking Council
• AFL-CIO
• Housing and workforce development groups
• Economic Stimulus Listening Tour turnout by
  program participants

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How do we make it inclusive?
Working Groups Broader group of practitioners,
advocates, and beneficiaries advise the
Commission.
Hearings Web updates 3 public hearings are held
throughout the state Website posts meetings,
reports, contact info for members

• Midass Leadership Circles
• Dialogue with community members for their
  context, analysis, and prescriptions.
• Invitation to join the ongoing work in
  asset-development.
• Feedback on proposed recommendations.

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Communication Flow
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Lawrence CommunityWorks

• Revitalizes Lawrence by creating a growing
  Network of residents and other stakeholders who
  are building family and community assets,
  providing each other with mutual support,
  developing leadership skills, and engaging in
  collective action to improve the physical,
  economic, social, and civic landscape of the City.

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Network Organizing

• Creates Demand-side (vs. Supply-side) Solutions
  we invest in resident capacity to produce and
  advance demand, by strengthening people-to-people
  connections, and providing abundant opportunities
  and space for people to meet and to articulate
  and act on their priorities.
• Changes Culture Residents create the network of
  relationships that support productive democratic
  deliberation and decision-making, and repeatedly
  practice this process at the institutional,
  neighborhood, and City level. This creates a
  civic and political environment where this
  practice begins to shape policy, service delivery
  and the community development agenda.

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Network Approach to Programs

• Create choices
• Establish many points of entry
• Accommodate varying affiliation levels
• Privilege and promote peer connections and weak
  links
• Embrace provisionality and flexibility
• Emphasize mutuality and value, not service
  delivery
• Connect participants to other parts of the
  organization
• Promote Leadership Institute and collective
  action and professional development opportunities
  within programs
• Incorporate political / economic education in
  curricula

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IDA Programs

• Cohorts of 12 some all-women high-touch
• Tailored Welcome Home, Second Chance,
  Scholarship Clubs, employer-based
• Peer support groups meet as often as financial
  literacy classes
• Peer Leader component trains graduates to
  coordinate support meetings and alumni
  connections
• Economic education and political awareness built
  in, along with fun
• Participants recruited for Poder Leadership
  Institute, committee service, Board, issue
  campaigns and mobilization

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Asset Commission Engagement

• Leadership Groups during Peer Support time to
  gather participant stories and insights
• Hearing Prep economic / policy education session
• Individual prep-work with speakers
• Field Trip! Turn-out to Asset Development
  Commission Hearings
• Food and Reflection
• Report-back on progress by staff

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Questions?

• Contacts
• Margaret Miley, The Midas Collaborative
• MMiley_at_MassAssets.org 617-787-3874 x214
• Jessica Andors, Lawrence CommunityWorks
• JAndors_at_lcworks.org 978-685-3115

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Thank you to.