Quality of Life Plan for Opportunity Neighborhoods

RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to support and achieve the actions outlined in the
Plan, there are overarching recommendations that will
help the Opportunity Neighborhood residents get where
they are going faster and will benefit the whole city.
DEVELOP NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATIONS IN EACH
OPPORTUNITY
NEIGHBORHOOD.
Neighborhood associations are great
platforms for opening discussion,
creating alignment, and identifying
advocacy efforts. Regardless of
whether the group plans to formally
incorporate, (as is the case for the
Westmoreland Neighborhood
Association), developing a
neighborhood association can help
residents share information, network
with each other, and connect with
neighbors to work collaboratively.
Organizing in this way can also help
strengthen or reinforce individuals’
concerns as well as give government
agencies and nonprofit partners
more channels for working with and
for each neighborhood’s residents.
Neighborhood associations can also
join together for cross-neighborhood
collaboration.
EMBED OPPORTUNITIES
FOR RESIDENT INPUT INTO
ALL DECISION-MAKING
PROCESSES THAT IMPACT
THE OPPORTUNITY
CORRIDOR.
Government agencies and nonprofit
partners would benefit from a higher
level of community engagement as
they develop or modify policies and
procedures. One-time surveys, public
forums, and events are good, but they
are not enough. True engagement
means that residents can authentically
participate in, modify, and contribute
to the planning and implementation of
solutions within their communities.
This might include residents helping
to develop initiatives, write grants,
and lead (as well as be compensated
for leading) formal efforts. Making
such practices a norm can shift
residents’ roles from simply being
informed or consulted about changes
to being valued and collaborative
colleagues. This builds trust, shares
leadership, and has mutual benefits
for neighborhoods and organizations.
TRACK AND COLLECT
ADDITIONAL DATA IN
THE OPPORTUNITY
NEIGHBORHOODS.
As residents and others implement
the action steps in this Quality of Life
Plan, it is important to know what
works, what needs modification, and
what needs support. Universal or
blanket approaches may intend to
serve all residents equally, but it was
clear in the Quality of Life planning
process that the needs and interests
of residents in the Opportunity
Corridor are unique, and they may
require tailored approaches for
residents to increase their quality of
life. Overlooking this uniqueness can
deepen distrust, increase disparities,
and perpetuate poor quality of life
outcomes.
While census information and
Danville-specific numbers are useful,
additional segmented data would
help reveal hyper-local trends,
highlight needs and nuances, and
prioritize areas for investment. The
Health Equity Report is a good
example of collecting information in
a new way to better serve those in
the Opportunity Corridor, throughout
Danville and beyond.
44 • www.opportunityneighborhoods.com