Long-time community advocate, Kwadjo Campbell, of JC & Associates, recently shared a simple but powerful economic development plan that features resources accessible to anyone trying to improve their communities.
We are delighted to pass it on and to throw in some additional resources for this important work as well.
A Proposed Economic Agenda
Agenda Item: Revolving Loan fund focused on making loans in our communities
Your Councilman or woman can ask for funds to be allocated from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) or other funds like general fund or from land sales, etc. There are two good programs already out there. SC Community Loan Fund and the Lowcountry Development Corporation. If funds are allocated it must be done so with a stipulation to earmark funds to low income minority communities.
Agenda Item: African American Tourism.
Black visitors spend $2.4 billion dollars in SC every year and growing. You can ask your council persons to Earmark Tax Accommodation funds to go to Black festivals, Back tourism destination sites like Mosquito Beach, and the Avery Research Center. You can ask them to support the annual African American Tourism Conference with these same funds.
Agenda Item: Community Based Real Estate Development of Affordable Housing.
You can ask your Council Persons to partner with neighborhood groups like Wando Huger CDC, Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC), and Eastside CDC to develop housing owned by the community. Local governments can partner by offering land, CDBG funds, and HOME funds to projects. They can also work with groups on zoning issues like parking, and density to make project favorable to affordable housing.
Agenda item: Job Training and Community Education Program.
You can ask your council to fund a program teaching trades, financial literacy, GED, and community development. The city can use city funds such as CDBG funds, and general funds, but can also raise funds in the private sector for such a economic program. This program could be the link between our community and more advanced educational and job training programs. Of course YOU would have to build curriculum, staff it, etc…
Any community. Any council. What are you waiting for? Organize. And be the change you want to see.
These recommendations can be executed by any community in the Charleston area. Some of us are already working on this agenda, but again, it’s a blueprint to be done in YOUR community.
SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- BACE League of Charleston
- Business Center at CCPL
- Center for Women
- Charleston Promise Neighborhood
- Charleston Regional Development Alliance
- Charleston SCORE
- Charleston Trident Urban League
- Coastal Community Foundation
- Eastside Community Development Corporation
- Enough Pie
- Grow Purpose Network
- Gullah Geechee Angel Network
- If You Were Mayor
- Lowcountry Local First
- Metanoia CDC
- R3 Inc
- SBA – Charleston Office
- SC Association for Community Economic Development
- SC Community Loan Fund
If you know of other resources in support of community economic development, please share them!
PLEASE SHARE:
