Mattapan United

Transcription

Mattapan United

Mattapan
United
Community Contract
LISC
Resilient
Communities/
Resilient
Families
Mattapan
United
UNITED
Mattapan
April 2013
Weaving our Bonds, Fostering Pride,
Finding Joy and Strength in Diversity
2
L i s c R e s i l i e n t c o m m u n i t i e s / r e s i l i e n t Fa m i l i e s
CONTENTS
3
Acknowledgements
6
Steering Committee & Support Team
7
Who We Are
12 Strategies & Projects
14 Our Community
18 Strategies
19 Strategy 1
Weave and strengthen the bonds of our
community fabric
22 Strategy 2
Invigorate and develop our business sector
so it provides varied services and products
24
Strategy 3
Revitalize, preserve and expand affordable housing
26 Strategy 4
Provide a safe neighborhood for children, youth and adults to live, work and play in peace and security
28
Strategy 5
Promote pride in our neighborhood by realizing its beauty through full utilization and expansion of our open and green spaces
31
Strategy 6
Increase opportunities for well-paid jobs for youth
and adults through the establishment of a workforce development center
33 Strategy 7
Improve the health and well-being of our residents and decrease the incidence of chronic diseases
36 Work Program
M at ta pa n U n i t e d
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Planning Task Force
A special thank you to all of the people below who have some way or another supported Mattapan United along in its process:
Organizations
Action for Boston Community Development
Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
Boston Adult Tech Academy
Boston Globe—Your Town Mattapan (Online Paper)
Boston Natural Area Network
Boston Neighborhood Netowrk (BNN)
Boston Police Department—Headquarters
Boston Police Department Area B3
Boston Public Health Commission
Boston Public School Homeless Student Initiatiative
Church of the Holy Spirit
Citizens Bank
City Councillor At-Large John Connolly
City Councillor At-LargeAyanna Pressley & Staff
City Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo & Staff
City Councillor Charles Yancey & Staff
City Councillor Robert Consalvo & Staff
Clark Cooper Community Gardens
Colorado Street Concern Group
Dania Street Crime Watch
Ellison-Rosa Parks Early Education School
Franklin Park Tennis Association
Gallivan Community Center
Garrett Pressley Austism Resource Center
Greater Boston Nazarene Compassionate Center
Haitian American Public Health Initiatives
Harbor Health Services
Jubilee Christian Church
Keke Fleurrisaint Financial Services
Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center
Mattahunt Elementary School
Mattahunt-Wheelock College Partnership
Mattapan Community Health Center
Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
Mattapan Homeowners Association
Mattapan Library
Mattapan Patriots
Mattapan Reporter
Mattapan Square Main Streets
Mildred Avenue Community Center
Mildred Avenue Elememtary School
Morning Star Baptist Church
Navin Associates
Pope John Paul Catholic Academy
Radio Echo Evangelique
Roberts Photo Studio
Senator Jack Hart & Staff
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Staff
St Angela’s Church
St. Paul’s Learning center
St. Paul’s Victory Church
State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry & Staff
State Representative Russell Holmes & Staff
The Spark Center
University of Massachusetts Center for Social Policy
Urban League Young Professionals Network
West Selden Street & Vicinity Neighborhood Association
Wheelock College Community Partnerships
Woodhaven Street Association
Young Achievers School
Young Men’s Success Series
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Planning Task Force
A special thank you to all of the people below who have some way or another supported Mattapan United along in its process:
Individual Participants
Aliana Farabaugh
Aliza Rodriquez
Aliza Rodriguez
Allentza Michel
Allison Lamb
Amanda Blake
Angelo Paul
Anita Maths
Anne Wells
Annie Wilcox
Arthur Smith
Artie Mahoray
Barbara Fields
Barbara Chriclow
Barbara Huges
Beatrice Owens
Betsy Hinkle
Bill Joy
Bill Forry
Brandy Oakley
Brianna Sanders
Bwanda Owen
Caitlyn Tengwall
Candelara Silva
Carleen Krenas
Cathrine Hardaway
Cathy Auguste
Cecilia Beasley
Celesline Payne
Celia Segal
Charlie Nunez
Cherie Cope
Christina Cadet
Christine Pierre
Christine Doyle
Christopher Brandon
Chuck Wynder
Coretta Curry
Corey Allen
Cornelius Prioleau
Curjire Vailes
Cynthia Edouarzin
Cynthia Brewington
Cynthia Clifton
Cynthia Forde
Cynthia Smith
Danielle West
Daphne Massey
Dascelin Michel
David Aronstein
David Carmichael
Dawne Brown
Deborah Mitchell
Donalee Dixon
Donna Young
Donna Lashus
Donna Haig Friedman
Dorothy Dailey
Dr. Azzie Young
Durlane Esleve
Eddy Cardona
Eleanor Webb
Elizabeth Bartlett
Era Joseph
Ernest Bennett
Esinam Qnarcoo
Esther Beliard
Fay Hill
Franchesca Dominique
Fritz Alvarez
Georgiary Bledsoe
Geraldine Desnneres
Gert Sweeney
Gia Barboza
Griffiths Tom
Hajar Logan
Herrio Lamothe
Holland Eierre
Imari Attride
Jacoueline Haley
Jacques Dady Jean
Javier Gutierrez
Jean Dorcus
Jean-Claude Sanon
Jeanette Apperwhite
Jeanie D’Birca
Jean-Marc Jean-Baptiste
Jeanna Murat
Jeanne Jacobs
Jeannine Laing
Jeff Jackson
Jeff Stone
Jerome Allen
Jessica Rosario
Jim Clark
Joe & Carolyn Marshall
Joel Piton
John Borders
Johnslee Dyer
Jonathas Vil
Jonel Dalexis
Joseph Dorlus
Josh Young
Josianne Rosamond
Joy Depina
Judith Breen
Julia John
Julie Brandlen
June Joseph
Jyluin Thomas
Kadijata Wellington
Kali Aubourg
Kanika Skeite
Karen Wontan
Karen Crowley
Karen Darden
Karla Walker
Kate Audette
Katrina Yates
Keenan Ball
Kethia Allien
Keturah Trusty
Kevin Sibley
Kevin Ball
Keyana Washington
Khadijah Cuvet
Kim Simmons
Komar Nanbodh
Lakia Fox
Lana Jackson
Laura Pitts
Layla Louis
Leah Hinton
Leonie Drummond
Leroy Peeples
Leslie Freeme
Lillie Searcy
Lillie Davis
Lisa Guscott
Lisa Wrenn
Lisa Beth Johnson
Louise Grant
Luis Rodriguez
Mabel Graham
Magdalena Reis
Marcella Brown
Margaret Younger
Marie Suze Pierre
Marilyn Stout
Marilyn Stout
Marilynne Quarcoo
Marlena Carter
Marquita Niles
Martha Vibbert
Mary Baker
Mary Williams
Mary Burks
Matilda King
Maurice Gordon
Maxi Hudson
Meghan Withers-Tong
Melina Stewart
Michael Diggs
Michael Moynihan
Michael Stone
Michael Williams
Michelange Dascelin
Michelle Ward
Midori Morikawa
Mike Vance
Mona Paul
Muhammad Ali-Salaam
Myrtle Huggins
Nadege Roseau
Nadia Jeudy
Nancy Dickerson
Nancy Rousseau
NaQuan Mahone
Nathaniel Smith
Neely Burrelle
Nicolas Homeup
Nicole Joseph
Nicole Purvis
Niqel Gates
Nora Toney
Olga Jones
Ondrea Austin
Oshin Camploll
Oswald Neptune
Pamela Walks
Pat Spence
Patricia Benard
Patricia Spence
Patrick Rosso
Paulsaint Duvelsaint
Percy Hayes
Pierre Zephir
Prentice Zinn
Rachelle Cesoon
Ramonica Brown
Rashad Cope
Rashida Miles
Rev. Nicolas Homicil
Rich Joluson
Richard Deas
Richard Phipps
Richard Matra
Rita Bufford
Robbie Donko
Robbie Donko-Hanson
Robert Julien
Robert Fuller
Robert Souto
Rodney Bender
Rosemonde Thimote
Rosetta Beckford
Ruby Ababio-Fernandez
Sammie Hudson
Sandy Calixte
Sara Sprotzer
Serena Scantlebury
Shante Nazaire
Sharon Prioleau
Shawn Bodden
Shawn Webb
Sheena Collier
Sheila Jones
Sheila Bender
Sheila Jackson
Shellice Baker
Sheree Holmes
Sherie Bostick
Shiela Jones
Sibusisiwe Malaba
Soliny Vedrine
Sonia Carter
Sonny Washington
Spencer DeShields
Stanley Washington
Stephen Murphy
Stern Chamblain
Steven Busby
Stevenson Cantave
Tammi Espinola
Tavaj Cope
Taylor Ball
Timothy Juba
Tom McDonough
Trisha Logan
Tyreec Saunders
Tyrone Thornton
Vernelle Cardona
Vernon Tryell
Vickie Mark
Violet Juba
Virginia Parks
Virginia Chalmers
Walter Apperwhite
Walter Little
Wendy Merlain
Wesley Williams
Wigens Vilsaint
William Morales
Wilva Marks
Winsten Jaruis
Wynder Charles
Wynter Neal-Cope
Yazmin Colon
Yolanda Surrey
Yvette Philip
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Steering Committee & Support Team
Steering Committee
(Current and Former Members)
Milagros Arbaje-Thomas, Executive Director, ABCD-MFSC Reverend Zenetta Armstrong, Church of the Holy Spirit
Donald Caisey, Mattapan Patriots, Resident
Sharon Callender, Mattapan Health Center, Resident
Cassandra Cato Louis,* Mattapan Food and Fitness
Coalition, Resident
Chrislene DeJean, Youth Representative
Dieufort Jean Fleurissaint, Keke Financial Services
Robert “Bobby” Jenkins,* Resident
Lincoln Larmond, Resident
Vivien Morris, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
Deborah Smith Pressley, The Garrett Pressley Autism
Resource Center
Chris Sumner, Jubilee Christian Church
Kara Wells, Resident
Wesley Williams, Resident
Pastor Pierre Zephir, Greater Boston Nazarene
Compassionate Center
Support Team
Judy Collin, ABCD-MFSC
Maria Elena Letona, Consultant
Isaiah Mulligan, AmeriCorps
Karleen Porcena, Lead Organizer, Mattapan United,
ABCD-MFSC
Carla Richards, Consultant
LISC Staff
Melissa Jones, Program Officer
Bob Van Meter, Executive Director
* Steering Committee Co-Chair
Action Groups and Leaders
1. Business Development
Lincoln Larmond
2. Community Fabric
Robert Jenkins, Chrislene DeJean
3. Health
Sharon Callender, Holden Pierre
4. Housing
Reverend Zenetta Armstrong, Pastor Pierre Zephir
5. Jobs
Milagros Arbaje-Thomas
6. Public Safety
Jason Whyte, Katie Romer
7. Open and Green Spaces
Pastor Pierre Zephir, Steven Busby, Vivien Morris
WHO WE ARE
Weaving Our Bonds, Fostering Pride, Finding Joy and Strength in Diversity
M
attapan is a place with a rich history of diversity. Once a place that sustained the Mattahunt
Tribe, Mattapan then became an enclave of
white ethnic communities such as Jewish
and Irish. Today, Mattapan is what many African-Americans,
Haitians, Jamaicans and many other Caribbean and African
immigrants call home. In fact, 80% of Mattapan is of African
descent, and it constitutes the highest concentration of
Haitians and Jamaicans in the state of Massachusetts. In
addition to such cultural diversity, Mattapan is blessed with
a core number of long-term residents that lend the neighborhood great cohesion and stability.
Such diversity and stability notwithstanding, Mattapan
faces its share of challenges: high levels of poverty and social
distress, deeply depressed real estate markets, and a vulnerable
base of small and midsized businesses. Some of the property
in Mattapan is owned by landlords who often do not live in
the neighborhood and thus may be disconnected from the
community and not be as invested in Mattapan’s future.
Our challenges have been exacerbated by an undue negative perception that Mattapan is a violent, crime-ridden community. Although we do suffer our share of crime and through
our community planning process safety emerged as a key strategy, the data we collected and analyzed revealed that our most
pressing challenge is reversing such perceptions given that
crime data is lower than in neighboring communities and in
some cases lower than city-wide rates.
The negative perception people have of Mattapan has had
its consequences on the pride some residents feel about living
and working in Mattapan. Renewing and strengthening pride
in this culturally rich community with families that go back
one to three generations emerged as a theme throughout our
planning process, pride that we plan to regain through weaving and strengthening the bonds that build community;
through beautifying and fully-utilizing our open and green
spaces; and through revitalizing our business sector.
As we engaged in our planning process, we also realized
that Mattapan does not currently have a strong and viable
organizational infrastructure, although we are blessed with a
rich network of churches and faith-based organizations that
play a crucial role in sustaining our community bonds and
providing for basic and critical needs in the community. Nonetheless, our vision of a “community working together to build
a stronger, safer, healthier and more vibrant community where
people identify Mattapan as a dynamic, desirable place to live,
work and visit” will only be attained if we strengthen current
community organizations and develop and establish new ones.
Thus, an overarching goal for our strategies is the strengthening and development of Mattapan’s community organizational infrastructure.
Welcome to Mattapan sign at the intersection
of Blue Hill Avenue and River Street
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Although Mattapan United started out as a space that convened the community to engage in the planning process, it
emerged as the space to share dreams and problems, exchange
information, and coalesce the community around a unified
agenda. Our yearning for weaving and strengthening the bonds
that unite us will be fulfilled when Mattapan United is established as its own organizing organization as described in this
Community Contract. In addition, we aim to strengthen
already existing organizations such as the Mattapan Family
Services Center, Mattapan Square Main Streets and the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition to play a leading role in
many of our strategies. Finally, we will endeavor to investigate
and learn about the best way to develop and establish a
community-driven development organization that can play a
much needed role in on our affordable housing and business
development needs.
Weaving the bonds that unite us was truly a theme throughout our planning process. The process itself ushered in a new
era in Mattapan’s history: one of partnership and shared leadership. We worked together so well that most if not all of our
strategies are synergistic and require much integration and
close collaboration. Our safety and open spaces strategies, for
example, rely on the community building, organizing and advocacy that Mattapan United will do. Similarly, our health
strategy is intimately intertwined and integrated with our open
spaces and business development strategies, so that there are
more places to exercise and more restaurants and grocery stores
that offer healthy food options.
OUR VISION
Weaving our Bonds, Fostering Pride,
Finding Joy and Strength in Diversity
“Mattapan United envisions a community working
together to build a stronger, safer, healthier and
more vibrant community where people identify
Mattapan as a dynamic, desirable place to live, work and visit.”
One final and most important overarching goal that integrates all seven strategies is a focus on our youth and senior
citizens. Rather than have a strategy that focuses exclusively
on these demographic sectors of our community, we have endeavored to integrate their needs and concerns throughout,
as we do not view them as separate, but rather as integral members of our community.
We engaged in our community planning process with zeal,
passion and commitment. We collected and analyzed data.
We hosted a visioning meeting from which we selected seven
strategies. We shared our findings and our dreams with our
community. We established Action Groups to flesh out each
of our seven strategies. In the process, we learned a great deal
about our community and about ourselves. This Community
Contract is the culmination of our work.
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Mattapan United
Ethnicity
Race/ethnicity
• 31% of those with Haitian ancestry
in Boston live in Mattapan
• 34% of those with Jamaican ancestry
in Boston live in Mattapan
79%
Black or African-American,
non-Hispanic
Source: 2006–2010 American Communities Survey
Mattapan Crime Rate
2011 Part 1 Violent Crime Rate/1,000 residents
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0
42.2
Codman
Square/
Four
Corners
32.5
Mattapan
58.3
Warren
Street
Corridor
39
City of
Boston
1%
Asian,
non-Hispanic
12%
Hispanic or Latino
(any race)
Source: BPD/Boston Globe
Mattapan has higher than average home
ownership rates
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
32.4%
Codman
Square/
Four
Corners
48.4%
Mattapan
23.7%
Warren
Street
Corridor
35%
City of
Boston
Source: 2006–2010 American Communities Survey estimate
2%
Two or more races,
non-Hispanic
1%
Some other race,
non-Hispanic
Homeownership rates
0
5%
White, non-Hispanic
Source: 2010 Census
Mattapan United TIMELINE
2010
Mattapan is selected as a Resilient
Communities/Resilient Families neighborhood, with the ABCD Mattapan Family
Service Center as the convening agency.
2010
Spring 2011
ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center
convenes the Mattapan United Committee.
Summer 2011
Mattapan United awards early action
grants to build trust, buy-in, and capacity
in the community. Over 100 residents and
stakeholders attend the Mattapan United
Kick-Off on July 18th.
2011
Fall/Winter 2011
Mattapan United interviews 88 residents and
stakeholders one-on-one about the strengths
and weaknesses of the community.
January 2012
Mattapan United analyzes the one-on-one
interviews, in coordination with UMass
Boston’s Center for Social Policy, to identify
common themes that will feed into the community contract and form action groups.
March 2012
Mattapan United is featured in Linda
Dorcena Forry’s Mattapan Breakfast Series
and shares information about new energy
in Mattapan.
February 2012
Mattapan United Steering Committee develops
a community survey to deepen understanding
of community issues.
2012
April 2012
Mattapan United’s Community Survey receives
691 responses. The results were shared with
the community at June 2012 “Give Back”
meeting.
May 2012
Mattapan United hosts a “Visioning Meeting”
drawing 50 community members to brainstorm
what Mattapan could look like in five years. June 2012
“Give Back” meeting at the Young Achievers
School
Summer 2012
Youth Police Academy, Steering Committee
selected, Funding for mymattapan.org
community portal awarded.
Winter 2012
Housing Workshop
January 2013
March 2013 Monthly community assembly
meetings
May 2013
Grantees of year one community strategies
announced
Fall 2012
2013
Early Action Projects
• Back to School Jamboree
• Foreclosure Prevention Billboard
• Technology Training
• Organizational Support for Mattapan-based
Organizations—Mattapan Square Main
Streets
April 2013
Completion of Community Contract and
RC/RF Roll Out
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STRATEGIES & PROJECTS
Strategy 1: Community Fabric—Weave and Preserve the Bonds of Our Community Fabric
Strategy 3: Housing—Revitalize, preserve and expand
affordable housing
1.1 Establish Mattapan United as its own 501(c)(3) organization so that it is the organizing entity in Mattapan.
1.2 Strengthen Mattapan United’s Community Assembly
as the space and place to convene the community.
1.3 Promote Mattapan Pride through cultural and neighborhood events.
1.4 Strengthen public and media relations.
1.5 Develop a Youth Commission.
1.6 Create a welcoming and attractive neighborhood.
3.1 Strengthen and develop infrastructure so that Mattapan
has the organizational capacity to expand affordable
housing, develop the business sector and advocate on behalf of home owners.
3.2 Provide affordable housing related education and services.
Strategy 2: Business Development—Invigorate and
develop our business sector so it provides more varied
services and products
2.1 Strengthen and develop our organizational infrastructure by bolstering Mattapan Square Main Streets
and generating the resources and public and political
will to establish community development capacity
in Mattapan.
2.2 Craft a revitalization plan for Mattapan Square that
includes establishing an arts and community center
and developing our business sector to attract a variety
of healthy option restaurants and brand stores.
2.3 Research and study other neighborhoods that successfully attracted capital, resources, businesses and political will.
2.4 Strengthen already existing small businesses in Mattapan.
2.5 Study the feasibility of and explore partnerships for
renovating abandoned, underutilized or foreclosed
buildings.
Strategy 4: Public Safety—Provide a safe neighborhood
for children, youth and adults to live, work and play in
peace and security
4.1 Encourage and support the organization and strengthening of more neighborhood associations and advocate
for neighborhood security related issues.
4.2 Provide a “Take Back the Streets” educational program
to bolster residents’ skills and sense of personal and
community safety.
4.3 Review, update and disseminate City of Boston’s
Neighborhood Emergency Plan for Mattapan.
Strategy 5: Open and Green Spaces—Promote pride in
our neighborhood by realizing its beauty through the full
utilization and expansion of our open and green spaces
5.1 Plant 200 street trees and/or front yard trees each year for at least the next five years.
5.2 Organize our community and do coalition/alliance
building to advocate for and support efforts to improve
and beautify Mattapan Square.
5.3 Organize community, create partnership and/or do coalition/alliance building to revitalize and increase the beauty, utilization and safety of our parks and playground.
5.4 Join broader alliance and coalition efforts to ensure
completion of the Neponset and Fairmount Greenways
and ensure the designs meet Mattapan residents’ recreational needs.
5.5 Explore feasibility of establishing recreational centers,
sports organizations and activities to encourage use of open spaces and promote healthy living.
Strategy 6: Jobs—Increase opportunities for well-paid
jobs for youth and adults through the establishment of a workforce development center
Strategy 7: Health—Improve the health and well-being
of our residents and decrease the incidence of chronic
diseases
6.1 Strengthen the capacity of the ABCD Mattapan Family
Service Center to establish a workforce development
program that researches nontraditional careers/sectors
of high growth and develop training programs to respond to the employment needs of both youth and seniors.
6.2 Work with Mattapan Square Main Streets and other
organizations to create formal collaborative agreements
with local businesses for the generation of job training
and employment opportunities for Mattapan residents
7.1 Strengthen the organizational capacity of the Mattapan
Food and Fitness Coalition to promote, educate and
advocate for healthy food and active, healthy living.
7.2 In alliance with the Mattapan Community Health Center, educate community about health risk factors,
healthier food and active living choices.
7.3 In alliance with other community institutions, advocate for healthier food choices at supermarkets,
convenience stores, restaurants, and food pantries.
7.4 Promote and advocate for more farmer’s markers and community gardens.
7.5 Develop and implement the “Adopt a School Grow a Garden” Program.
7.6 Engage families, youth and senior citizens in the organization of periodic events that promote fitness and a healthy life style.
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OUR COMMUNITY
M
A Diverse And Cohesive Community
attapan was named by the Native American
tribes that once lived in this area. It means “a
good place to be” or a “good place to sit,” perhaps because the Neponset River runs through
it and at the time it must have been so rife with nature that it
provided plenty of natural resources while inviting people to
sit and contemplate the beauty of the place.
For most of the 20th century, Mattapan was inhabited by
white ethnic communities such as Jewish and Irish. In the late
1960s and early 1970s, the community underwent dramatic
demographic shifts, mirroring similar changes happening in
other large urban centers throughout the United States, whereby white communities that had long lived in Mattapan began
moving out to Boston’s suburbs, while significant numbers of
African-Americans began moving into the neighborhood.
Today, at 80% of the total population, Mattapan is a neighborhood comprised primarily of people of African descent.
In addition to African-Americans, Mattapan is the home of
the largest population of Haitians and Jamaicans in Massachusetts. It is also the home of immigrants from other
Caribbean and African countries. Within this black majority,
then, there is tremendous cultural diversity, constituting one
of Mattapan’s greatest assets and strengths.
Community members gather for the first public
meeting for Mattapan United in July of 2011 at the
Church of the Holy Spirit.
Although Mattapan faces among its challenges high levels
of poverty and social distress, deeply depressed real estate markets and a vulnerable base of small and midsized businesses
owned by landlords that often do not live in Mattapan and
thus may not have a real stake in its future, it is blessed with
a strong core of long-term residents that lend the community
much stability and cohesion. They are residents that indeed
have found in Mattapan a “good place to be,” and they constitute the foundation upon which Mattapan will face its
future with renewed hope and pride.
“I like living in a predominantly
Black neighborhood with friendly
neighbors.”
Mattapan young adult when asked about
Mattapan’s strengths
Lead Agency
ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center, Inc. (MFSC):
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD)
is New England’s largest anti-poverty agency. The ABCD
Mattapan Family Service Center (one of ABCD’s 14 neighborhood centers) was the agency that led our community planning process since its inception. Incorporated in 2000, MFSC
consolidated ABCD’s Mattapan Head Start program and its
Neighborhood Service Center into a one-stop resource center
for low and moderate-income families. Its mission is to promote economic progress, resiliency and self-sufficiency. As
the largest multi-service agency in Mattapan, MFSC serves
more than 4,000 residents annually through a comprehensive
array of programs including its nationally accredited Head
Start and licensed after-school programs; ESOL; homebuyer
assistance and foreclosure prevention; credit counseling
and free tax preparation; workforce development, senior services, fuel assistance, summer youth employment, and many
other services.
The Mattapan Family Service Center is widely recognized
for its experience in working with the community and in building networks of collaboration among nonprofit service
providers, public entities, private-sector resources and community-based grassroots groups. With support from a wide
range of local stakeholders and funders, MFSC for many years
has been and continues to serve as a catalyst for social and
economic change and as the focal point of community leadership in Mattapan.
“Family environment…. Everyone knows everyone.”
Mattapan teen when asked about Mattapan’s strengths
The MFSC has led multiple, successful, community-wide
initiatives and has partnerships with community agencies
which represent the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of
Mattapan’s residents. The very nature of its mission and the
make-up of its staff enable the MFSC to be an effective community leader, collaborator and, at times, peacemaker. To
a significant extent, the community process that has culminated in this Community Contract represents an historic shift
in the internal politics of Mattapan, one which reflects
the ability of the Mattapan Family Service Center to broker
productive partnerships among groups which have historically been at odds. In the recent past, a report produced by
Tufts University suggested that “In Mattapan, empowerment
exists, but it has proven to be fractious and sometimes divisive.” The community planning process out of which Mattapan United emerged manifests a new consensus for progress
that has been nurtured by the MFSC.
Our Community Planning Process
While the ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center had been
periodically convening a wide array of stakeholders throughout 2010 to explore how best to harness the collective experiences and efforts of community leaders and institutions in
service of a strengthened Mattapan, the space that had been
created through these convenings took on a more urgent
character when on the morning of September 27, 2010,
Mattapan and Greater Boston woke up to tragic news of the
shooting deaths of four people, including a mother and her
two-year-old son. The incident rattled the community and it
exposed it to a media frenzy from which it has yet to fully
recover.
The convening process not only provided the space and the
relationships to respond to public safety issues that the tragic
murders exposed, but also to other key community development needs that would establish and strengthen an infrastructure in Mattapan—resources, leadership, organizations,
Lead Agency ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center
advocacy, and programming—capable of providing for Mattapan’s overall well-being.
Our planning process established a framework for shared
decision-making and resource development. Unified leadership emerged as well as forum for ongoing grassroots dialogue
to address shared concerns and dreams. Between 60 and 80
people participated in the planning process, including more
than 15 nonprofit organizations, educational, health and faithbased institutions, civic and business leaders, elected officials,
and residents.
“Dynamic people coming [together]
to work for the neighborhood.”
Mattapan resident when asked about
positive changes in the community
Perhaps the most unique feature of our planning process
was that it soon became authentically resident driven. Residents’ presence, voice and participation permeated every aspect
of our planning process. Anywhere between twenty and thirty
people faithfully met once a month and MU emerged as the
space and place where the community gathered to dream,
hope, plan, and exchange information. From this space, leaders also emerged that took on starring roles throughout our
entire planning process. They worked alongside the Center
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Community Visioning meeting at the Mattapan
Library, May 2012
for Social Policy at UMass Boston in designing data collection
instruments and in collecting the data: 88 one-to-one interviews with residents of all ages, including youth, and other
stakeholders, and 691 community surveys that were done either on-line or by mail, or on street corners, parks, churches
and other places where the community congregates. Some of
the participants acted as Community Ambassadors, reaching
out to bring more residents and community leaders to MU
and the planning process. Others were elected to MU’s Steering Committee and yet others co-chaired Action Groups.
All of the people who gathered monthly—residents, nonprofit, civic and faith leaders—comprised MU. Because MU
had emerged as the space where the community met not only
to engage in the community planning process that culminated in this Community Contract, but also to share information
and build community, MU arose as the driving force behind
the planning process. It was thus established as the MU Community Assembly from which the Steering Committee was
selected. The Steering Committee, comprised of 13–15 residents and community leaders, represents different sectors of
Mattapan and is accountable to the MU Community Assembly. Figure 1 (page 18) visually illustrates the relationships of
mutual accountability between MU and the community/
neighborhood of Mattapan, as well as the different roles and
responsibilities between the MU Community Assembly and
the steering committee, which is drawn from the MU Community Assembly. Circles were chosen intentionally to show
the spirit of community and collaboration that infused the
work of MU.
While MU continued to meet monthly, in the spring
of 2012 we organized a community visioning meeting that
yielded seven key areas of action, with an overarching goal to
include youth and seniors throughout these seven areas of
Action Group meeting, Summer 2012
action. These became our strategies. In the early summer, we
organized a Give Back meeting where we shared with the community at large our findings from our surveys and one-on-one
interviews. We also shared the results of our visioning meeting and the seven strategies. During the summer and early fall,
Action Groups met twice a month to flesh out our strategies.
As Action Groups met, two more overarching goals emerged:
1. Strengthen and develop our community’s organizational
infrastructure to ensure that our plan has the foundation to
carry it through; and 2. Integrate our strategies for maximum
synergy.
Planning In Action
Our Action Groups were so active throughout the summer of
2012, that concrete and doable projects emerged that allowed
us to test our ideas. The early action projects that were
funded organically grew from what we envision happening in
many of our strategies. These are briefly described below.
• Back-to-School Jamboree. Thanks to the Mattahunt
Wheelock Partnership, Mattapan United’s Community
Fabric Action Group partnered with the Mattahunt
Community Center, in September 2012, Mattapan
United hosted a fun family day to celebrate going back
to school. Over 100 families turned out and 150 back
packs containing donated school supplies from Cradles
to Crayons were distributed. Performances from the
PACE program at the Mattahunt Community Center,
a local jazz band, singing groups, games, balloon artists
and face painting were at hand to round out the fun.
Local radio station touch 106.1 also did a live stream of the event so those who did not attend could listen in.
Proud graduation of MU’s first computer literacy
training course
• Foreclosure Prevention Billboard. Mattapan United’s
Housing Action Group supported placement of a
multi-lingual (Spanish, English and Haitian Creole)
billboard in Mattapan Square advertising available foreclosure prevention services for Mattapan homeowners.
• Technology Training. Through Mattapan United’s Jobs and Public Safety Action Groups, computer literacy classes to address workforce development needs were
organized and held at the ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center. Classes are open to all residents ages
sixteen and over and focus on employable skills training such as resume writing and cover letters as well as financial literacy.
• Organizational Support for Mattapan-based Organizations. As this Community Contract shows,
strengthening our organizational infrastructure is a Students of P.A.C.E academy perform during the
Back-to-School Jamboree in Summer 2012
crucial overarching goal. Further, an important champion for our business development strategy is Mattapan
Square Main Streets. Mattapan United’s Business Development and Open and Green Spaces Action Group
donated $9,533 to assist Main Streets’ organizational
development capacity and hire and executive director.
• Housing Workshop. Mattapan United’s Housing Action Group hosted a Housing Resource Fair for both
homeowners and renters to provide information on
first-time home buying, preventing foreclosure; home
repairs; and energy efficiency options opportunities.
• Adopt-A-School, Grow a Garden. Mattapan United’s
Health Action Group will partner with the Young
Achievers School in Mattapan to teach fourth graders
how to plant an inside garden. Additionally, the project
will educate students about healthy eating and nutrition.
Housing billboard
in Mattapan
Square placed to help Mattapan
homeowners learn about ways to prevent
foreclosure.
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18
OUR STRATEGIES
T
he Mattapan United Community Assembly, guided by its Steering Committee, identified seven priority areas or strategies that flowed from our analysis of the data that the surveys and one-on-one
interviews generated as well as from the ideas that emerged in
our visioning meeting. While ambitious, we believe that continuing to weave the bonds that connect us as residents, community organizations and leaders as we have done over the
planning process, will provide the foundation necessary to
achieve our vision.
The seven strategies are framed by three important and
overarching goals that run across these strategies:
• A focus on youth and senior citizens;
• Strengthen current, or develop new, community institutions; and
• Weave and integrate our strategies through close partnerships among the community organizations that have
been part of this planning process to achieve maximum
synergy.
Figure 1
MU Structure & Function
Mattapan
• Community at Large
• Assets and Challenges
The seven strategies are:
1. Weave and strengthen the bonds of our community
fabric.
2. Invigorate and develop our business sector so it provides more varied services and products.
3. Revitalize, preserve and expand affordable housing.
4. Provide a safe neighborhood for children, youth and
adults to live, work and play in peace and security.
5. Promote pride in our neighborhood by realizing its
beauty through the full utilization and expansion of our open and green spaces.
6. Increase opportunities for well-paid jobs for youth and adults through the establishment of a workforce
development center.
7. Improve the health and well-being of our residents and decrease the incidence of chronic diseases among
our residents.
Mattapan United (MU)
Community Assembly
• Residents, leaders, elected
officials, etc. who have a
stake in Mattapan’s future
and want to shape that future.
• Informs the overall planning process.
• Is informed and provides
information about resources,
issues, etc. in the community.
• Meets monthly.
Mattapan United (MU)
Steering Committee
• Residents and community
leaders who are part of MU
Community Assembly and
apply for Steering Committee.
• Chosen based on their
proven commitment to MU.
• Makes operational decisions to advance MU’s mission.
Strategy 1
Weave and strengthen the bonds of our community fabric.
W
hile Mattapan counts among its many
blessings a significant and solid base of
long-time residents and home owners,
Mattapan currently faces at least two significant challenges in building and strengthening its community bonds:
• It has suffered from a few, but very public, incidents
involving gang-related violence. In fact, although the
rate of violent crimes is lower than in neighboring communities, Mattapan’s image has been stained by the media attention that the incidents provoked and
continues to be perceived as an unsafe place to live and set up businesses.
• It does not have a well-developed organizational infrastructure that provides the community the institutions
to build community, develop leadership and political
power, and advocate for its interests.
The surveys, one-on-one interviews and visioning meeting, all
confirmed that uppermost in residents’ minds was their concern about Mattapan’s image and how they sensed a generalized decline in resident’s pride in living and working in Mattapan. These sources pointed to a lack of community
involvement and civic participation as well as civility and unity among residents. These sources urged the importance of
injecting pride in Mattapan by weaving and strengthening the
bonds that connect residents and community institutions;
restoring and revamping its image; ensuring the safety of all
residents and businesses; and beautifying and fully utilizing
and expanding open and green spaces. Respondents wanted
to see a strengthened “moral fiber,” more community events,
an appealing and inviting community, and more civically
involved and engaged residents.
A community’s social capital is largely measured by the
vibrancy of its community institutions that provide community residents a place, both literally and figuratively, to come
together, build community, share dreams and challenges, and
plan and act collectively on its behalf. Mattapan is fortunate
to count on a strong network of churches and faith-based
organizations that nourish community building and provide
basic and critical services in the community. A shining example is the Greater Boston Nazarene Compassionate Center
who has played an active and leading role in Mattapan United
and whose humanitarian mission has a focus on the Haitian
community in Mattapan. The important role of churches and
other faith-based organizations notwithstanding, Mattapan
does not have a strong and viable community-driven organizational infrastructure. Therefore, the first strategy concerns
the weaving and strengthening of Mattapan’s community
fabric where the centerpiece is the establishment of Mattapan
United as a 501(c)(3) organization, thereby providing Mattapan with a strong and authentic community organization
that organizes, ensuring that Mattapan continues to have a
place where residents gather to share their dreams and challenges; plan and take collective action; develop leaders; promote cultural and community events to celebrate Mattapan’s
rich cultural diversity and bring together neighbors in joint
celebration; and advocate for resources to ensure a safe and
beautiful neighborhood.
1.1 Establish Mattapan United as a 501(c)(3)
organization
Mattapan United’s Community Assembly will continue to
meet beyond the completion of the Community Contract.
They will spearhead the actions and activities mentioned below to gather strength and demonstrate their capability of
implementing their dreams. In the process, key actions will
be researched and accomplished, such as the legal process for
incorporation and the generation of needed financial and
“Media coverage is always negative,
never positive. Not a positive social
image of Mattapan. People tend to
believe that violence is real in the
community.”
Mattapan stakeholder when asked what
is not working well in Mattapan
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human resources to establish Mattapan United as an independent nonprofit organization. It is expected that three years
from the conclusion of the Community Contract, Mattapan
United will be its own, independent, viable and sustainable
community organization that will spearhead our weaving
the bonds of our community fabric strategy, as well as our
Safety (Strategy 4) and Open and Green Spaces (Strategy 5)
Strategies.
1.2 Strengthen Mattapan United’s Community
Assembly as the Space and Place to Convene the
Community
Throughout the community planning process, Mattapan United
(MU) emerged as the place and space for residents, community leaders, elected officials and community organizations to
come and share resources, dreams, challenges and problems.
MU will continue to hold this space for the community which
serves as a community builder, connector and disseminator of
important information. It also serves as a space for planning
and collective action. Further, we will continue and indeed
double our efforts to reach out to other communities and sectors in Mattapan, such as businesses, schools, youth groups,
churches and other faith organizations, so that MU’s Community Assembly truly reflects the rich and wonderful diversity in our community.
“Involving youth will empower them
to be better citizens”
Mattapan young adult when asked for
suggestions to improve Mattapan
1.3 Promote Mattapan Pride through cultural and
neighborhood events
Mattapan is rich in cultural diversity. A wonderful way to
lift a community’s spirit and pride in itself is through the
organization of cultural events that highlight such richness
and diversity. Further, it is an effective way to promote a positive image to outsiders. MU will organize an annual Mattapan
Pride Day that will not only showcase the rich cultural diversity of the neighborhood, but will also bring residents together
in mutual celebration and attract positive media attention.
In addition, MU, in partnership with other community
and youth organizations such as Mattapan Patriots, will organize or sponsor periodic neighborhood events, such as block
parties, movie nights, winter carnivals, sporting events, concerts, historic tours, and performing and arts events, both indoors and outdoors. Our Back-to-School Jamboree, organized
as an early action project, was very successful and it provided
us with a model for the type of neighborhood event we will
organize in the future. These events will bring together the
Many youth use the new Mattapan Public Library as a place to do work, socialize and spend time after school.
MU selects 7 Action group areas from data collected through community assessments.
community, foster intergenerational and intercultural relationships, and highlight the many positive attributes of Mattapan
and its residents.
1.4 Strengthen public and media relations
Unfortunately, the media has been instrumental in diminishing Mattapan’s image. It is crucial that positive media relations
be established and strengthened. MU will develop a media
and marketing plan that includes crafting inspirational messages about Mattapan, its assets and strengths and dissemination strategies to ensure that the message is communicated
through traditional and social media as well as other outreach
strategies such as flyers and billboards. As part of this project,
MU has already established a web site, mymattapan.org, to
promote what’s best and inspiring about Mattapan. This community portal, launched in 2012, is dedicated to increasing
civic engagement in the Mattapan community by connecting
people to people, people to resources and opportunities, and
people to groups and organizations who are in need of volunteers from the community. The site is in direct response to
resident and stakeholders recommendations to create a “onestop shop” of scheduled events and available resources in the
Mattapan community. The site will include local job listings
as well as information about organizations and businesses in
the area.
1.5 Develop a Youth Commission
Youth are our present and future. During our planning
process, we were conscious of the importance to include and
involve youth. MU, in partnership with the Mattapan Food
and Fitness Coalition and other appropriate partners, will
develop and establish a Youth Commission to organize our
youth and ensure that their voice and participation is encouraged and included. The Youth Commission will play a leading
role in organizing many of our planned cultural and neighborhood events. They will also play a leading role in our public
and media relations plan. Finally, the Youth Commission will
plan and implement its own activities such as forums that
address topics of interest to youth; leadership development
for youth civic participation and involvement in the electoral
process; sporting events; and advocacy to increase resources
in Mattapan for youth programming and facilities.
1.6 Create a Welcoming and Attractive Neighborhood
As an organizing strategy and to restore Mattapan to its original meaning of a “good place to stay; a good place to sit,” MU
will organize residents in periodic neighborhood clean-ups of
public spaces such as parks and streets where trash will be
picked up and unwelcomed graffiti will be washed off. If
necessary, MU will advocate for more public trash receptacles
on public streets and a more realistic street cleaning operation
that includes holding business owners responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their frontage.
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22
Strategy 2
Invigorate and develop our business sector so it provides more varied
services and products.
M
attapan has four major nodes of commercial
activity, of which Mattapan Square is in many
ways the strongest. Mattapan Center consists
of 154 businesses, including 6 vacancies. None
of these businesses include a full-service grocery store; in fact,
there is no full-service grocery store within the 02126 zip code.
Further, many business owners are not the actual owners of
the property, but rather rent from landlords who may not be
as connected to the community and thus may not have a stake
its future. The Mattapan business community, thus, requires
development of new businesses that improve the quality of
life of its residents, better marketing of business districts, and
plans for traffic and parking within business districts.
A sound business development strategy is key not only
for the healthy economic development of Mattapan, but also
because it weaves in important ways with other strategies,
particularly our health and jobs strategies. Our visioning meeting and our one-on-one interviews were rife with observations
and comments of how in dire need Mattapan is of diversifying and expanding its business sector. Main thoroughfares are
dotted with small store fronts that do not provide for a variety
of shopping needs. Further, calls for more and better restaurants that provide healthy food options and atmospheres were
loud and clear during our planning process. In our oneon-ones interviews, some people alluded to the coming of
well-known franchises like CVS and Shaw’s Supermarket as
welcome improvements, but noted that more were needed.
In sum, a business development strategy is important
to generate jobs and to provide more and varied goods and
“Mattapan shopping district is made
up of dollar stores and fast food shops.”
Long-term Mattapan resident
“We should not have to go outside our
neighborhood to shop for our needs.”
Long-term Mattapan resident
services, including supermarkets, grocery stores and restaurants that promote healthy eating habits; all of which in the
end will boost pride in our neighborhood.
2.1 Strengthen and Develop Organizational
Infrastructure
Currently, Mattapan is fortunate to have a Main Streets program, which we hope will play a leading role in developing
and carrying forth our business development strategy.
Although Mattapan Square Main Streets is still in its early
stages we are confident that with infusion of resources it will
surely increase its internal capacity. Another factor that presents a challenge for this strategy is the fact that Mattapan does
“What Mattapan really needs is a
grassroots type organization to help us improve our stores, such as helping
us get new see-through grates. The
existing grates make it look like Fort
Knox at night, all locked down. We need a little uplift and facelift”
Mattapan stakeholder
not have a functioning community development corporation
(CDC). Although a CDC was established in 1995, it has
struggled to keep its doors open, finally closing in the spring
of 2012.
It is clear that to implement our Business Development
Strategy we need highly functioning community-owned organizations with expertise and resources. Therefore, a crucial
aspect of our work in this Community Contract will be to
strengthen Mattapan Square Main Streets and work closely
where our strategies align. In fact, one of our Early Action
Projects consisted of donating over $9,500 to Main Streets
to support their efforts to search for and hire an executive
director.
In addition, we will do the necessary community organizing
and coalition building to establish or re-establish a communityowned development organization or have the ability to support traditional CDC work. We need to garner support in the
neighborhood and from the City and State for Mattapan to
remain connected to community development throughout
the city even with lack of a CDC of our own. Part of this work
will entail a careful analysis of why our CDC has struggled
since its founding.
2.2 Craft a revitalization plan for Mattapan Square that
includes establishing an arts and community center
and developing our business sector to attract a variety
of healthy option restaurants and brand stores.
Revitalizing Mattapan Square is key to attracting the kind of
variety of healthy option restaurants and brand stores or franchises that our residents are clamoring for. It is also key in
terms of generating jobs and in beautifying our community
which will bolster our pride and improve our image to outsiders. Thus, this objective also weaves important components
of other strategies in our Community Contract.
We will muster the political will by engaging the Mayor
and other City of Boston elected officials as well as community and civic leaders to help us achieve our dream. We will
learn how to attract the needed capital. To revitalize Mattapan
Square, we envision the need to develop the area that begins
from the new Mattapan Community Health Center on Blue
Hill Avenue towards Cummins Highway and back towards
Fairway Street. This area is ideal for developing a shopping
mall or center that would contain a healthy options supermarket like Trader Joe’s; a good coffee shop like Starbucks; a chain
restaurant like TGI Fridays; a bank, and even a community
center that could house our own Mattapan United! We plan
to work with organizations that are committed to revitalize
Mattapan Square. This will be achieved through ample community engagement and with an eye towards beautifying the
square as well: creating a central meeting place with benches,
trees, and flowers, where our residents can sit, relax and take
in the view.
It is an ambitious dream, but we believe that throughout
our community planning process, the relationships among us
have been strengthened to fuel faith in our capacity to make
this dream happen.
“[We need] better stores in the
Square to keep people coming back.”
Mattapan youth
2.3 Research and study other neighborhoods that successfully attracted capital, resources, businesses
and political will.
Achieving our dream of revitalizing Mattapan Square and of
developing a successful business development plan is possible
because others in neighboring communities have done it! We
need only to learn from them and see what applies to Mattapan and what needs to be adapted to our context and reality.
There are many examples, such as Brigham Circle, Grove Hall,
Roslindale and Jamaica Plain from which we stand to learn
much. There are other Main Street programs throughout the
city as well and we plan to reach out to them to learn and
adapt their best practices for Mattapan. We are also aware,
however, that many of these projects led to gentrification, dramatically transforming the demographic make-up of these
neighborhoods. Therefore, we will study these models while
being guided by a core question: How do we increase economic and political capital while circumventing gentrification
and displacement? Our cultural diversity and the community
cohesion that stems from the generations of families that have
lived in Mattapan are among our greatest assets and ones that
we will protect and preserve.
2.4 Strengthen already existing businesses.
While we envision a thriving business sector that includes
national brand names, we are also conscientious about supporting and encouraging small, locally-owned businesses.
We must balance our needs and hopes for greater economic
development with safeguarding our community from gentrification that could potentially displace our residents.
Our business development strategy includes supporting
and strengthening existing business and future ones that are
small and locally-owned by providing technical assistance to
develop business and marketing plans.
2.5 Study the feasibility of and explore partnership for
renovating abandoned, foreclosed or underutilized
buildings.
Mattapan has several vacant buildings that have been abandoned or foreclosed. They present potential opportunities to
develop them for housing, businesses and other uses that will
be beneficial for our community. We will investigate the status of these buildings: who owns them? Are they willing to
sell them and at what cost? And we will explore partnerships
with public sector and/or community organizations to purchase and develop these buildings.
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Strategy 3
Revitalize, preserve and expand affordable housing.
A
lthough Mattapan counts as one of its assets
a significant number of home owners (48%),
according to analysis of Census data conducted
by the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston, affordable housing is a challenge. Approximately 46% of
homeowners and 48% of renters pay over 35% of their income
in housing.2 Further, in 2009, Mattapan had the lowest
median value for all residential properties ($170,000), for twofamily homes ($200,000), condominiums ($68,650), value
per square foot ($103); and the lowest median rental advertised asking price ($1,200). It had the second lowest value for
three-family ($224,800) and single family homes ($161,000).
Mattapan had the highest percentage of overcrowding (defined
by the U.S. Census as having more than 1.01 persons per
room) among Boston neighborhoods in 1990 (13%) and in
2000 (10%).3
In 2009, there were 97 foreclosure deeds and 245 foreclosure petitions filed in Mattapan. While these numbers have
decreased from 2008 levels, Mattapan’s foreclosure rate remains
in the top three Boston neighborhoods, despite its small population.4 Mattapan is among four Boston neighborhoods with
the highest concentration of distressed residential buildings,
with a 12% share of all distressed buildings in the City despite
the neighborhood containing only 6% of the City’s population.5 In 2008, Mattapan had 30 distressed buildings. Of these,
more than half were identified as becoming distressed over the
previous two years.6
The community survey conducted by members of MU’s
Steering Committee with the support of the Center of Social
Policy at UMass Boston who also conducted the analysis of
the data, indicated that 42% of survey respondents rated
affordable housing and 35% rated foreclosures, as two of the
top seven concerns out of 35 community concerns the survey
included. Given that the long-term tenure of many of
Mattapan residents is one of its strongest assets, one that was
repeatedly confirmed in the individual, face-to-face interviews,
ensuring that Mattapan residents can stay in their homes is
of paramount importance.
Mattapan’s landscape features several vacant lots and lands.
These areas present opportunities to be developed into affordable housing complexes and mixed income/mixed-use complexes that include housing and businesses. There are also
abandoned properties due to foreclosure with the potential to
transform and revitalize them to make available to first time
and low-income homebuyers.
Currently, Mattapan does not have a functioning non-profit organization whose mission is to develop, revitalize and preserve affordable housing. A core objective of this community
contract is to investigate, determine and establish the best organizational infrastructure in the community that can lead
and champion affordable housing. Already existing community organizations such as ABCD Mattapan Family Service
Center (MFSC), The Boston Home Center, and many churches have been providing education, counseling and assistance
to first time homeowners and homeowners who are at risk of
losing their home. The demand, however, currently exceeds
these organizations’ efforts. Strengthening their organizational capacity to expand these critical outreach, education and
counseling services is also a cornerstone of this plan.
3.1 Strengthen and Develop Organizational Infrastructure
to Address Affordable Housing Needs in Mattapan
Affordable, well-maintained housing was one of the top priorities that emerged in the surveys, one-on-one interviews and
visioning meeting. The most significant challenge to respond
to the need to expand, preserve and revitalize affordable housing is the fact that Mattapan does not currently have a local,
community-owned, development organization that provides
the community with the organizational infrastructure to develop and maintain affordable housing and educate, support
and advocate on behalf of home owners in the face of foreclosures as well as educate and support new and potentially new
home owners. Therefore, the cornerstone of this strategy is
investigating the feasibility and determining the best organizational structure to provide Mattapan with the needed infrastructure to address its affordable housing needs.
In addition to investigating the feasibility of establishing a
community-owned development organization, this community contract will seek to bolster and expand the current
capacity of community organizations and other entities that
are currently providing housing related outreach, education
and counseling so they can meet the community’s demand for
these services.
Establishing a viable, well-run organization with long-term
sustainability that can effectively meet and advocate for
Mattapan’s housing needs is a tall order. Options must be carefully investigated, including the feasibility of generating the
resources and the political will to support the establishment
of such an organization. This is a challenge that will require
the coming together of Mattapan’s community institutions
and leaders to see this vision through. Therefore, MU will seek
to establish a Mattapan Housing Alliance to lead the way. The
space that MU has convened and held over the planning process has already generated the connections and mutual trust
to plant the seeds for such an Alliance. Specifically, the Action
Group that worked on the affordable housing strategy contains the seeds of this future Alliance.
3.2 Provide Affordable Housing Related Education
and Services
In the absence of a functioning, community-led housing
organization, other community organizations in Mattapan,
notably faith-based organizations such as the GBNCC and
MFSC, have stepped in to provide critical housing related
services, such as education to buy a new home or prevent foreclosures, and counseling to those who are at risk of losing their
homes due to foreclosure. GBNCC, Church of the Holy Spirit,
and MFSC will work together to make sure that housing
related services and information get to Mattapan residents.
Our faith based leadership within MU took a leading role in
our Housing Action Group and succeeded in having two
Early Action Projects funded. One entailed a multi-lingual
(English, Spanish and Haitian Creole) billboard strategically
placed in Mattapan Square advertising available foreclosure
services for Mattapan homeowners. The other project involved
organizing a housing resource fair to provide homeowners and
renters with all kinds of housing related information and
referrals.
Through this community contract, we commit to continue
providing affordable housing related education and services
with a particular focus on low-income families, individuals, and
veterans.
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Strategy 4
Provide a safe neighborhood for children, youth and adults to live,
work and play in peace and security.
W
hile Mattapan does have higher murder
rate (.23 per 1,000 residents) than the City
of Boston as a whole (.10 per 1,000), it is
lower than in neighboring communities.
Further, it has a lower violent crime rate (32.5 per 1,000) than
the whole City of Boston (39 per 1,000).7 Efforts to lower
the murder and violent crime rates are important. Equally
important is addressing the undue perception of Mattapan as
a violent and unsafe neighborhood.
The surveys and face to face interviews we conducted
indicated that in terms of safety, the main concern is with
gang-related youth or youth at risk of being involved in gangs.
Research has shown that teen violence peaks in the after-school
hours.8 The lack of recreational and other healthy and safe
activities to engage youth was cited as a critical void to fill. In
fact, a research report conducted by Technical Development
Corporation indicated that, while about 5,000 teens between
the ages of 13 and 18 lived in Mattapan according to the 2000
U.S. Census, Mattapan counted with only six after school
programs, compared with Jamaica Plain (3,000 teens and
15 programs), the South End (a bit over 1,000 teens and 17
programs) and North Dorchester (about 2,500 teens and 16
programs).9
Area B3 Police Department
Because neighborhood associations can play a critical role
in organizing crime watches and in keeping residents connected to each other, our survey asked respondents about their
knowledge of and participation in these organizations. The
data revealed that those who answered the survey had little to
no knowledge or involvement in neighborhood associations.
The core of our strategy to provide a safe neighborhood for
all in Mattapan is organizing and advocacy. The organizing
will bring residents together to encourage mutual trust; foster
and support neighborhood associations; and advocate for resources that ensure the safety of Mattapan residents such as
better street lightning and more and improved community
policing. One of our key partners in this Strategy will be working with the Area B-3 Community Service officers of the Boston Police Department with whom MU is fortunate to have
a strong relationship. We will also work alongside the Boys
and Girls Club of Boston to advocate for increased services to
Mattapan youth in Mattapan to keep them off the streets and
provide them with enrichment programs that address safety
as well as educational goals.
4.1 Encourage and support the organization and
strengthening of more neighborhood associations
and advocate for neighborhood security related
issues
Although safety issues were among the top rated concerns in
our community survey, the same survey indicated that 44%
of respondents were not sure if there was a neighborhood
association in their street or block. Further, of the 21% that
answered positively to being aware of their neighborhood
association, 45% indicated that they were not involved “at all”
in such an organization.
MU will work towards encouraging more neighborhood
associations as well as supporting existing ones. These streetlevel organizations are essential in a strategy that seeks to weave
and strengthen the bonds of our community fabric. They play
a strategic role in bringing neighbors together to encourage
and nurture neighborliness and mutual trust; reaching out
to and mobilizing their residents when critical, urgent and
necessary; and disseminating information.
In addition to encouraging the establishment of more neighborhood associations or neighborhood watches, MU will also
play a convening role to connect these associations together.
This will be an important layer of weaving our community
bonds so that these associations find the space for mutual
learning and support.
“Based on the stereotype that it is
called ‘Murderpan,’ safety is a
concern for many people in this
neighborhood. People are defensive
and worried. ... [We] need to change
the image of Mattapan.”
Mattapan Youth, face-to-face interview
Through MU and Mattapan’s neighborhood associations,
we will organize the community and advocate for more resources so that important safety and security concerns are addressed. For example, well-lit streets inhibit criminal behavior.
Appropriately placed and visible traffic signs can prevent needless accidents. Healthy and mutually trusting community and
police relationships are conducive to maintaining peace and
safety in a community. Organizing our community and advocating for additional resources such as more street lights and
stop signs will be an important objective under our Security
Strategy. MU will organize periodic walks around the neighborhood with Boston’s Inspectional Services Department to
identify places with garbage and graffiti. Finally, making the
most of MU’s strong relationship with Area B-3 of the Boston
Police Department, we will endeavor to strengthen and nurture healthy community/police relations.
Given that Mattapan suffers from an unwarranted negative
image, as we propose under Strategy 1, Objective 1.4, MU
will have a media, public relations and marketing campaign
“The challenges are not only in
addressing crime, but also the perception of crime, both of residents and outsiders. In this respect, the
stereotyping of Mattapan and
‘Murderpan’ is problematic.”
Center for Social Policy Report, “Using
Data to Tell a Neighborhood Story”
“Mattapan does not live up
to the Murderpan hype.”
New Mattapan Resident when asked
about Mattapan’s strengths
to transform such a negative image and promote our assets
and strengths.
4.2 Provide a “Take Back the Streets” educational
program to bolster residents’ sense of personal and
community safety
MU will develop a safety educational program to bolster our
residents’ sense of personal and community security. The
series of informational sessions, workshops and trainings will
address a range of safety issues and engage neighborhood
associations and other key partners such as the Boston Police
Department. A key component of this educational program
will be parenting classes so that parents are more self-assured
in supporting and helping their children, especially if they are
involved in gangs or at risk of being involved in gangs, while
at the same time providing them with skills to mediate and
negotiate lovingly, yet fairly and firmly with their children.
4.3 Review, update and disseminate City of Boston’s
Neighborhood Security Plan for Mattapan
Even in the best of situations, when crime rates are low to
non-existent, a community needs a plan to respond to emergencies that threaten the well-being of a community and prevent the fraying of the community bonds we seek to weave
and strengthen. How does Mattapan respond, for example, in
the event of a man-made or natural disaster that brings out
and catalyzes the best of our solidarity, generosity and kindness? How does Mattapan respond in the event of a highprofile murder or gang-related violence in a way that supports
victims and bring us together rather than tear us apart?
To prepare for such eventualities and given that the City
of Boston has developed neighborhood emergency plans,
MU will review the city’s plan for Mattapan and update and
disseminate it to the community so that residents are prepared
in case of an emergency. In addition, we will explore community mobilization techniques that make the most of technology, such as a text alert system, to keep the community
informed, prepared and knitted together.
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Strategy 5
Promote pride in our neighborhood by realizing its beauty through the
full utilization and expansion of our open and green spaces.
D
uring our community planning process, the
theme of Pride in Mattapan frequently emerged.
While our visioning meeting and the one-onone interviews confirmed that by and large people love Mattapan, a fact also corroborated by the longevity
of many of Mattapan’s residents, the surveys, interviews and
visioning meeting clearly observed how a combination of
empty, littered lots, dearth of trees and flowers, littered and
dirty streets, an array of poorly kept store-fronts, and underutilized and not well-kept open and green spaces contributed
to diminished pride and compounded Mattapan’s poor and
negative image.
According the City of Boston’s 2008–2014 Open Space
Plan, Mattapan is among the bottom five neighborhoods in
terms of protected open space acreage (141 acres), compared
to neighborhoods such as West Roxbury (645), Hyde Park
(588), Roxbury (497), Roslindale (496), Jamaica Plain (411),
and Dorchester (351). Further, Mattapan’s protected open
space acreage translates to about 3.8 acres per thousand persons, below the city’s average of 7.5 per thousand persons.10
Another indicator of open space utilization is community
gardens. According to the Boston Natural Areas Network, there
were 150 community gardens throughout the City of Boston
in 2012. Of these, only five were located in Mattapan, as compared to 37 in Dorchester, 35 in Roxbury, and 27 in Jamaica
Plain.11 Clark-Cooper Community Garden on Old Boston
State Hospital grounds is one if not the largest in the city.
Ensuring that Mattapan’s open and green spaces are fully
utilized and expanded is not only a key strategy for promoting pride in our neighborhood; it is also crucial in promoting
the overall well-being of our residents, particularly our youth.
Under this strategy, we seek not only to realize the potential
beauty of Mattapan, but we also seek to benefit from clean,
open and green spaces to create and promote recreational activities that will encourage our residents to adopt and engage
in a more active and therefore healthier life-style, and provide
safe and healthy ways to engage vulnerable populations.
Given the health issues in our community related to obesity and diabetes, for example, working to make recreational
opportunities more inviting for Mattapan residents will go a
long way to increasing the health and resilience of our families and community. Further, we believe that one of the surest
means of creating a more resilient and cleaner community
is to create a community in which residents take pride. By
creating a more beautiful, greener community, with more and
better recreational opportunities for all residents, we will help
to promote the kind of community pride that in turn will
engender in our residents attitudes and behaviors that will
contribute to keeping and maintaining our neighborhood
clean and beautiful.
5.1 Plant 200 street trees and/or front yard trees each
year for at least the next five years
Planting additional trees in Mattapan alone will not fully
address our safety concerns, will support efforts to make Mattapan more attractive and cooler while increasing the quality
of air and help reduce wasteful runoff.
Should anyone question the significance of trees to enhancing neighborhood beauty, they need only to traverse River
Street from Mattapan Square to the Fairmount Bridge. The
City of Boston repaved the street and built new sidewalks. In
the process, they cut down all but two of the one hundred
year old trees, which were still in great shape. Thankfully,
the City of Boston has agreed to replace the trees, and MU in
alliance with other community organizations such as the
Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition will monitor and advocate for the timeliness of these tree replacements. In addition,
MU will inform the community about how to get a tree planted on their street or front yard. With these actions and more,
if needed, we hope to reach our goal of adding 200 street and/
or front yard trees planted each year for the next five years.
In addition, many Mattapan residents have expressed a wish
to see more flowers in our community. To that end, MU will
explore our options to have more flowers planted in Matta-
“When you come into Mattapan
Square, the streets are littered”
long-time resident of Mattapan when
asked what is not working well in
Mattapan
pan, including the possibility of forming a garden club in our
community.
5.2 Organize community and do coalition/alliance
building to advocate and support efforts to improve
and beautify Mattapan Square
While it is not unanimous, most Mattapan residents find
Mattapan Square unattractive. This objective/project is in
alignment/integrated with Objective/project 2.2 of our Business Development Strategy. Mattapan Square Main Streets
was recently designated and funded. Much of their work will
provide significant visual appeal to Mattapan Square. MU
will support and collaborate with all entities who believe in
beauti-fying the square.
MU will also continue to engage in its current organizing
and advocacy efforts, in coalition with others, to improve and
beautify Mattapan Square. Through this community contract,
we will seek to strengthen these efforts, which include:
• Redesign of Mattapan Square.
• Complete the construction of a welcoming center for
the Neponset River Multi Use Trail, the place that used
to house a mattress shop which has now been purchased
by the Department of Conservation and Recreation
(DCR).
• Add banners to light poles in the designated Mattapan
Square Main Streets District using local artists and designers when feasible.
• Advocate for a park on Fairfield Street which would
ease traffic flow in Mattapan Square and would provide
beauty, trees, seating and a place to sit in the Square. It would also provide a beautiful spot for the annual
Christmas tree.
Another important way in which MU will endeavor to beautify Mattapan Square is by improving the median between
Morton Street and the Square. Residents are not pleased with
the large cement planters used on this median. Approximately 50,000 vehicles pass the area each day. If one observes the
median above Morton Street and notices the effect trees have
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on the visual perception of the area and then compare it with
the planters, one is left to wonder how we can enhance the
beauty and identity of Mattapan by reimagining this median.
Through this community contract, MU will seek to answer
this question as improving the appearance of this median is
crucial to improving the overall appearance of Mattapan
Square and therefore boosting our pride in our community.
5.3 Organize community, create partnerships and/or do
coalition/alliance building to revitalize and increase
the beauty, utilization and safety of our parks and
playgrounds
Mattapan is blessed to have four important parks: Kennedy
Playground, Ryan Playground, Walker Playground and
Almont Park. Yet, they all are in need of repairs and revitalization to increase their beauty, utilization and safety. Thankfully, MU is already collaborating with several community and
government agencies to improve the safety and appearance of
these playgrounds and parks. However, the need for continued advocacy and careful monitoring is dire. To wit, it took
many years of community advocacy to get the DCR to renovate Ryan Playground as well as to begin a multi-year project
to improve Almont Park and its playground.
Other organizing and advocacy efforts under this objective
include:
• Monitor and ensure that the DCR implements its
$700,000 project to renovate Ryan Playground
• Ensure that the community/government partnership’s
plan for improving the utility, beauty, and safety of
Kennedy Playground is followed through, including:
–raising the necessary funds to plant trees,
–replacing the fence,
–hiring a designer to coordinate a community-led design of the playground, and
–organizing a celebration for the re-launching of Kennedy Playground
5.4 Join broader alliance and coalition efforts to ensure completion of the Neponset and Fairmount
Greenway and ensure the designs meet Mattapan
residents’ recreational needs.
Nearly one half of all of Mattapan open space is contained
within the Mattapan portion of the Neponset River Reservation. MU, along with other organizations such as Mattapan
Food and Fitness Coalition and Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) will continue to advocate for the completion
of the Mattapan portion of the Neponset River Multi-Use
Trail (Greenway). While waiting for completion of the Neponset
Greenway, MU and other partners will continue to advocate
for the completion of smaller projects contained within the
larger Neponset River Greenway Project.
Another important open space project for Mattapan is the
Fairmount Greenway. While the timeline for this project is
much longer than for the Neponset Greenway, the Fairmount
Greenway offers great potential, including a surfaced bike path
along the Neponset River from Kennedy Playground all the
way to the Fairmount Line River crossing. MU and our key
allies, such as the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition and
BNAN, will continue working to solidify the plan and ensure
its implementation.
5.5 Explore feasibility of establishing recreational centers and activities to encourage use of open
spaces and promote healthy living
To ensure the full utilization of Mattapan’s green and open
spaces, it is not only necessary that our parks and playgrounds
be revitalized and our green spaces readied for biking, walking and simple enjoyment. It is also important that recreational activities be provided that encourage our residents to adopt
a healthy lifestyle and that provides our youth safe and healthy
activities in which to engage. Our community contract contemplates the exploration of establishing specific recreational
centers and activities to these ends. With a special focus on
youth, we will continue to engage partners such as the Boys
and Girls Club of Boston to establish quality facilities that
will benefit Mattapan and address needs identified throughout our process.
We will also research and learn from the highly successful Community Boating program on the Charles River and
explore the possibility of creating a community canoeing
program or encourage and support the establishment of an
independent non-profit organization that can provide this
programming. Finally, we will explore the feasibility of establishing an Athletic Club for Mattapan to serve all ages.
Strategy 6
Increase opportunities for well-paid jobs for youth and adults through
the establishment of a workforce development center.
T
he top two community concerns that emerged
from our community survey were jobs: 52% of
respondents identified lack of jobs for adults and
51% indicated lack of jobs for youth as “serious
problems.” Further, the third top community concern was low
incomes and wages, with 47% of respondents identifying this
concern as a “serious problem.” Training opportunities for
adults was also among the top ten community concerns.
Indeed, Mattapan’s 9.8% unemployment rate is higher than
the City of Boston’s 6.8% in a state that has weathered the
Great Recession better than most throughout the country.12
Further, although average annual household income in Mattapan is higher at $61,777 than in neighboring communities,
it still lags the overall’s city average of $74,946.13
In our visioning meeting we decided upon increasing
opportunities for well-paid jobs for youth and adults as a key
strategy in our Community Contract. Our vision is not simply about generating jobs. Our vision is of providing our residents with the skills and the tools to secure well-paid jobs
that will increase their earning potential. We plan to achieve
our Strategy regarding jobs through the establishment of a
workforce development center that will train our youth and
adults; prepare them to enter or re-enter the labor force; and
secure collaborative agreements and partnerships with local
businesses and other community resources to provide internship and job opportunities.
Our workforce development center will be a vibrant,
welcoming hub, where our residents will feel at ease and comfortable learning and improving their job skills. Training,
preparation and access to well-paid jobs will have the added
benefit of reducing crime in our community. Further, through
partnerships and collaborative agreements with local businesses and community organizations, our residents will be able
to live and work in Mattapan rather than travel outside
Mattapan, thus saving time and money. Further, it will boost
morale in our community as our youth, adults and seniors
receive knowledge, skills and experience that will enhance their
earning potential.
6.1 Strengthen the capacity of the ABCD Mattapan
Family Service Center to establish a workforce development program that researches nontraditional careers/sectors of high growth to respond to employment needs of both youth and seniors
MU’s leading agency, ABCD Mattapan Family Service Center
(MFSC), is best positioned to champion and carry out our
vision for a workforce development center, or that vibrant hub
that will train and prepare our residents for better paying jobs
and link our residents to these jobs. Already, as part of our
Early Action Projects, MFSC took leadership in developing a
computer training program for Mattapan residents. Our first
offering was held at MSFC’s site in the winter of 2012.
A crucial objective to achieve our Jobs Strategy is to
strengthen MFSC’s capacity to implement a comprehensive
program that, in the context of a welcoming atmosphere that
is conducive to learning, researches the labor market and the
jobs that the new economy demands; that provides training
in “hard” and “soft” skills to our residents in these jobs; that
negotiates and secures partnerships and collaborative agreements with employers and then links our residents to internship and job opportunities.
Our workforce development program will provide the
basic building blocks of a successful career: ELL (English Language Learners) as well as Adult Basic Education Classes.
Other building blocks will include how to prepare a resume,
“dress for success” and prepare for a successful interview.
Already, through an Early Action Project, technology, work
search skills such as resume and cover letter writing, and
financial literacy classes were piloted and provided to Mattapan residents sixteen years and over.
Beyond providing basic building blocks to access better
paying jobs, our workforce development program will tackle
an important challenge to address if we are to be successful in
achieving our Jobs Strategy: researching the labor market to
determine current and emerging demand in jobs that the
economy is generating. For example, health care and information technology are growing industries. What are the best
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training opportunities our employment hub should provide?
How do they link to local employer’s needs? Within the allied
health sector, for example, there are a myriad job opportunities, such as phlebotomy, radiology, medical records, nutrition,
to name just a few. Which of these are most strategic to focus
precious resources on to develop and provide a training program? These are only a few of the questions that we will
research and investigate so that our workforce development
program focuses its resources on developing and providing
training programs that best meet the needs and demands of
our residents and local employers.
Youth and senior citizens have different needs as they relate
to the labor market. For our youth, our aim is that they continue their education through college and hopefully beyond.
However, jobs are an important developmental step on their
journey towards adulthood. Jobs for youth are an opportunity to learn about the workplace, earn experience and cash
that can either contribute to the family’s income, help them
save for college, or provide for their own needs. In regards to
senior citizens, for too many of them, retirement may not be
an option, and even if some are fortunate enough to be sustained by retirement income, working keeps them active and
engaged. The challenge with our senior citizens will be to
balance their accumulated work experience while equipping
them with the new skills, if necessary, that will best fit with
this special time in their lives.
Employment needs for our youth and senior citizens, thus,
are different and in order to be more responsive to their own
particular needs, our workforce development program will
involve and engage youth and senior citizens through task
forces or committees that will seek their direct feedback
and participation in the development and delivery of specific
training programs that best respond to their needs.
6.2 Create formal collaborative agreements with local
businesses for the generation of job training and
employment opportunities for Mattapan residents
MU’s hopes to establish a workforce development program
will be a collaboration of organizations who share this same
interest when it comes to jobs for the Mattapan community.
MU will learn from organizations such as Mattapan Square
Main Streets, particularly as it relates to creating and securing formal partnerships and collaborative agreements with
employers.
Other important collaborators to propel this objective forward are Mattapan’s Community Health Center, Mattapan’s
Branch of the Boston Public Library, Harbor Health Services,
Boston Career Link, Boston Workers Alliance, and banks with
branches in Mattapan such as Citizens Bank, Sovereign Bank
and Bank of America.
Strategy 7
Improve the health and well-being of our residents and decrease
the incidence of chronic diseases.
P
erhaps nothing is more important to our quality
of life than our health. Good health means we can
fully engage life in all of its wondrous dimensions
and lead long, productive lives. Yet, many of the
ailments that afflict us can be easily preventable with the proper education, access, support, encouragement and incentives.
In Mattapan, public health statistics show that much of
what ails many of our residents can be preventable, such as
low-birth weight and preterm births, diabetes and obesity.
According to the Boston Public Health Commission, for the
combined years of 2007, 2008 and 2009, Mattapan had the
second highest rates of low-birth weight births (11.1%) and
preterm births (12%) in the City of Boston.14 Regarding diabetes, in the years of 2008 and 2009 combined, Mattapan had
a 1.9 per 1,000 people rate of hospitalization due to diabetes,
the fourth highest in the City of Boston.15 During 2007–2008,
Mattapan Community Health Center
Mattapan’s diabetes mortality rate was 35.5, a 46.3% increase
from 2006–2007—Mattapan‘s rate was 74.4% higher than
Boston.16 Finally, in terms of obesity, in 2008 and 2009, 47%
of adults living in Mattapan reported engaging in regular
physical activity and 37% of adults were obese, the highest
rate in the City of Boston.17
Our community survey also showed that obesity and
diabetes are concerns among our residents, with 38% of respondents indicating that they were “serious problems” and
placing them among the top ten of 35 community concerns
our survey included. Another concern that emerged among
the top ten concerns and that was health related was substance
abuse, with 45% of respondents rating it a “serious problem.”
The vision for our Health Strategy is one of prevention. In
other words, do everything possible to prevent disease and ill
health in our community. It is a public health approach with
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ing youth and young adults with disabilities or autism. Thus,
a crucial piece of our work to move our Health Strategy
forward will be strengthening the organizational capacity of
the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition. Because a key
organizing strategy for the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition is involving youth, this strategy will bolster their participation and engagement.
7.2 In alliance with the Mattapan Community Health Center, educate community about health risk factors, healthier food and living choices
a healthy dose of community engagement. In keeping with
the overarching goal of integration and collaboration of our
Community Contract, our vision entails not only providing
our residents with information about the benefits of healthy
eating and an active lifestyle, but most importantly, integrating and weaving our work with many other strategies, such as
Open and Green Spaces, Business Development and Weaving
our Community’s bonds to support, encourage and incentivize these lifestyle changes and behaviors in our residents.
7.1 Strengthen organizational capacity of the Food and
Fitness Coalition to promote, educate and advocate
for healthy food and active, healthy living
Another important overarching goal in our Community Contract is strengthening Mattapan’s organizational infrastructure.
The Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition has been an active
partner and collaborator throughout the entire community
planning process. They are the best suited and best positioned
for championing our Health Strategy to promote, educate and
advocate for healthy food and an active and healthy lifestyle
among our residents. The Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition will take a lead in reaching out and forging partnerships
with key allies and collaborators to develop and provide the
programming described below. MU would also like to make
sure that we support and advocate for all individuals includ-
Among the most important partners in rolling out our Health
Strategy is the Mattapan Community Health Center. We will
collaborate with them in the development and distribution of
key educational materials and in providing workshops to our
residents that focus on a range of issues, such as how to maintain a safe home for our children and families; the importance
of regular medical check-ups; hazards in our environment such
as lead and asbestos; their rights as patients; and information
and education specific to particular conditions such as asthma,
diabetes and other chronic diseases.
In addition to providing information and education about
behaviors that are conducive to good health, we will also provide information about support groups that address specific
health conditions and connect them to these groups. We
believe it is critically important to provide information and
education so that our residents can take their health into their
own hands and be empowered to speak and communicate with
their health care providers and to make the lifestyle changes that
will promote healthy living. We will endeavor to educate our
community in a culturally competent way, so that the information is accessible to them and the environment we create
for them generates the kind of welcoming and at ease atmosphere that will be conducive to their feeling comfortable and
more willing to take steps to learn and change behaviors that
pose a risk to their health.
7.3 In alliance with other community institutions,
advocate for healthier food choices at supermarkets,
convenient stores, restaurants, and food pantries.
During our community planning process, it was often said
that Mattapan is a “healthy food desert.” Our community is
dotted with fast-food restaurants and small grocery stores that
do not always carry healthy foods such as fresh food and
vegetables. Only recently did a big supermarket open in Mattapan and although the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
has done an admirable job in bringing and encouraging Farmers’ Markets, there is still a dire need for more varied eating
choices and above all for more healthy eating choices.
The Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition will weave its
work with Business Development Strategy. The integration
and collaboration between these two Strategies is of paramount
importance to ensure that current and new businesses, such
as supermarkets, convenient stores and restaurants, carry
healthy and a variety of food choices.
7.4 Promote and advocate for more farmers markets
and community gardens
Thanks in large part to the advocacy and organizing work of
the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, Mattapan now has
a farmers market. There is still considerable work that can be
done to encourage more farmers markets. In addition, we envision more active participation from the farmers markets in
our public schools, by encouraging our schools to buy more
produce from the farmers markets and having these growers
come and make presentations and sell their produce at schools.
In partnership with Mattapan United (MU), our Health
Strategy will seek to encourage community gardens throughout Mattapan, teaching our youth and residents how to grow
their own roof or backyard gardens with herbs, vegetables,
fruits and flowers, and working with MU in identifying
appropriate lots or open spaces where community gardens can
be planted. A particular focus of this project will be an intergenerational one that will seek to bring together children,
youth and our senior citizens in the planting and tending of
the community gardens.
7.5 Develop and Implement the “Adopt a School Grow
a Garden” Program
The “Adopt a School Grow a Garden” program will raise awareness in our children and youth about healthy eating in a fun
and engaging way. We will grow plants in their classrooms,
create school gardens with the students, such as small raised
bed gardens, and bring them healthy food bought from
farmers markets. We will have periodic fitness day at schools
when students dedicate part of their day for fun and fitness in
which parents and teachers will be invited to join. Finally, to
engage parents, we will collaborate with school’s newsletters
and write periodic articles or a column encouraging parents
to eat meals with their children, highlighting recipes that encourage healthy eating and quick but healthy meals parents
can prepare with children. We hope that our “Adopt a School
Grow a Garden” program can be a model that will incorporated into school curricula and be adopted by all schools in
Mattapan. Already, we have been successful in getting funding for an Early Action Project and in the first quarter of 2013,
we will partner with the Young Achievers School in Mattapan
to teach fourth graders how to plant an inside garden.
7.6 Engage families, youth and senior citizens in the
organization of periodic events that promote fitness
and a healthy life style
Continuing with our overall theme of weaving, integration
and connection, we will organize “Family Fun Day at the
Park,” rotating yearly or biannually at each Mattapan Park.
The event will feature all kinds of fun activities that will stretch
and engage our muscles: relay races, Double Dutch, a triathlon and others. We will also host organizing and advocacy
efforts to revitalize our parks and design and create more
spaces and programs that will take advantage of what we envision will be beautiful, nature-inspired places that promote
and encourage fitness and an active lifestyle in our community, such as swimming, biking, walking and jogging.
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Work Program
Schedule and Priorities
MU’s Steering Committee is committed to strengthening neighborhood capacity and fostering relationships within
the Mattapan community to champion strategies without already designated partners.
S T R AT E G Y
Time Frame (years)
1–2
2–3
4–5
X
X
Champions
1. WE AVE A N D PR ESERV E T H E B O N DS O F O U R CO M M U N IT Y FAB R IC
1.1 Establish Mattapan United (MU) as a 501(c)(3) Organization
1.2 Strengthen Mattapan United’s Community Assembly as the space
and place to convene the community
X
X
1.3 Promote Mattapan Pride through cultural and neighborhood events
X
X
Mattapan United Co-Chairs
X
TBA
X
www.mymattapan.org;
Action for Boston Community
Development; Greater
Boston Nazarene
1.4 Strengthen public and media relations
X
1.5 Develop a Youth Commission
X
1.6 Create a Welcoming and Attractive Neighborhood
X
X
Mattapan United Steering
Committee
TBA
X
X
TBA
2. I N VI GOR AT E A N D DE V ELO P O U R B U SI NE SS SE C TO R SO IT P ROV IDE S M O R E VAR IE D SE RV ICE S
A N D P ROD UC TS 2.1 Strengthen and develop our organizational infrastructure by bolstering
Mattapan Square Main Streets and generating the resources and public
and political will to support community development organization
work within Mattapan
MU Steering Committee
X
TBA
2.2 Craft a revitalization plan for Mattapan Square that includes establishing
an arts and community center and developing our business sector to
attract a variety of healthy option restaurants and brand stores
2.3 Research and study other neighborhoods that successfully attracted
capital, resources, businesses and political will
2.4 Strengthen already existing businesses
2.5 Study the feasibility of and explore partnerships for renovating
abandoned, foreclosed or underutilized buildings
X
TBA
X
Mattapan Food and Fitness
Coalition
X
X
X
Action for Boston
Community Development;
Greater Boston Nazarene
37
Time Frame (years)
S T R AT E G Y
1–2
2–3
4–5
Champions
3 . RE VI TA LI Z E, PR ESERV E A N D EX PA N D A F FO R DAB L E HO U SIN G
3.1 Strengthen and develop infrastructure so that Mattapan has the
organizational capacity to expand affordable housing, develop the
business sector and advocate on behalf of home owners
TBA
X
X
X
Compassionate Center;
The Voice of the Gospel
Tabernacle; Action for Boston
Community Development
3.2 Provide affordable housing-related education and services
X
X
4 . P ROVI D E A S A F E N EI G H B O R H O O D F O R C HIL DR E N , YO U TH AN D ADU LTS TO L IV E,
WORK A N D P L AY I N PEAC E A N D S EC U R I T Y
Boston Area B3 has been committed to the Mattapan Community and will support MU in its efforts to continue
to keep Mattapan safe
4.1 Encourage and support the organization and strengthening of more
neighborhood associations and advocate for neighborhood securityrelated issues
Jason Whyte
(Boston Police Department)
X
4.2 Provide a “Take Back the Streets” educational program to bolster
residents’ sense of personal and community safety
X
X
4.3 Review, update and disseminate City of Boston Neighborhood
Emergency Plan for Mattapan
X
X
TBA
5 . P ROMOTE P RI DE I N O U R N EI G H B O R H O O D BY R E AL IZ IN G ITS B E AU T Y THRO U G H THE FU L L U TILIZ ATION
A N D E X PA N S I ON O F O U R O PEN A N D G R EEN SPACE S
5.1 Plant 200 street trees and/or front yard trees each year for at least the
next five years
X
X
5.2 Organize our community and do coalition/alliance building to advocate
for and support efforts to improve and beautify Mattapan Square
X
X
5.3 Organize community, create partnership and/or do coalition/alliance
building to revitalize and increase the beauty, utilization and safety of our
parks and playground
X
X
5.4 Join broader alliance and coalition efforts to ensure completion of the
Neponset and Fairmount Greenways and ensure the designs meet
Mattapan residents’ recreational needs
5.5 Explore feasibility of establishing recreational centers, sports
organizations, and activities to encourage use of open spaces and
promote healthy living
X
X
X
X
TBA
TBA
X
Coalition
X
Coalition; Greater Boston
Nazarene Compassionate
Center
X
Coalition; Boys and Girls
Club of Boston
38
S T R AT E G Y
Time Frame (years)
1–2
2–3
4–5
Champions
6. I N CRE A S E OP P O R T U N I T I ES F O R W EL L- PAID JO B S FO R YO U TH AN D ADU LTS THRO U G H
TH E E S TA B LI S H M EN T O F A WO R KF O RC E D E V E LO PM E N T CE N TE R .
6.1 Strengthen the capacity of the Action for Boston Community
Development Mattapan Family Service Center to establish a workforce
development program that researches nontraditional careers/sectors
of high growth and develop training programs to respond to the
employment needs of both youth and seniors
Action for Boston
Community Development;
X
TBA
6.2 Create formal collaborative agreements with local businesses for the
generation of job training and employment opportunities for Mattapan
residents
X
7. I MP ROVE TH E H EA LT H A N D W EL L- B EI N G O F O U R R E SIDE N TS AN D DE CR E ASE THE IN CIDE N CE
OF CH RON I C D I SEA SES .
7.1 Strengthen organizational capacity of the Mattapan Food and Fitness
Coalition to promote, educate and advocate for healthy food and active,
healthy living
X
X
Coalition; Mattapan
Community Health Center
X
X
Coalition Greater Boston
Center; Voice of the Gospel
Tabernacle
X
Coalition Greater Boston
Center; Voice of the Gospel
Tabernacle
7.2 In alliance with the Mattapan Community Health Center, educate
community about health risk factors, healthier food and living choices
X
7.3 In alliance with other community institutions, advocate for healthier
food choices at supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, and
food pantries
7.4 Promote and advocate for more farmers markets and community
gardens
X
X
X
Coalition
X
Young Achievers Science and
Math Pilot School; Mattapan
Community Health Center;
Holden Pierre (MFFC
Vigorous Youth)
7.5 Implement the “Adopt a School Grow a Garden” Program
7.6 Engage families, youth and senior citizens in the organization of periodic
events that promote fitness and a healthy life style
X
X
X
Coalition
Endnotes
1 2010 Census; “Using Data to Tell a Story,” Tim Davis, UMass Boston
Center for Social Policy, March 2012.
2 “Using Data to Tell a Story”, Time Davis, UMass Boston Center
for Social Policy, March 2012.
3 US Census 1990, 2000.
4 City of Boston, Department of Neighborhood Development (2010).
Foreclosure Trends 2009. Boston, MA: City of Boston.
5 City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development (2006).
Mattapan Data Profile.
6 Ibid
7 “Using Data to Tell a Story,” Time Davis, UMass Boston Center
8 “Coming of Age in Boston: Out-of-School Time Opportunities for Teens:
Current Realities and Future Prospects,” TDC, April, 2004.
9 Ibid
10 City of Boston Open Space Plan 2008-2014; www.cityofboston.gov/parks/
openspace0814.asp.
11 Boston Natural Areas Network. Community Gardens in Boston by
Neighborhood. http://www.bostonnatural.org/cgFind.htm.
12 “Using Data to Tell a Story”, Time Davis, UMass Boston Center
13Ibid
14 Health of Boston 2011, Boston Public Health Commission Research
and Evaluation Office
15Ibid
16 Boston Public Health Commission Research Office, August 2010.
17 Health of Boston 2011, Boston Public Health Commission Research
and Evaluation Office.
39
Resilient Communities/Resilient Families (RC/RF) is a comprehensive
community development initiative launched by Boston Local Initiatives
Support Corporation in February 2011. Modeled after successful comprehensive community development efforts implemented by LISC affiliates in 15 other cities, (RC/RF) uses community organizing techniques to help
community organizations and residents jointly develop shared priorities to
drive neighborhood progress and prosperity. LISC also develops strategic
civic partnerships to help communities achieve their visions. This community contract articulates those shared priorities, commitments, and early
champions. Community progress, achievements, and new partnerships
will be noted on the RC/RF website: www.rc-rf.org.
Major funding is provided by Barr Foundation, Boston Rising, The Boston
Foundation, City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development,
Citizens Bank, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and
Community Development, Hyams Foundation, and United States Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Additional funding from Action
for Boston Community Development (ABCD), Bank of America, BNY Mellon,
Neighborworks America, and Sovereign Bank.
For more information about Resilient Communities/Resilient Families:
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)—Greater Boston
95 Berkeley Street, Suite 301
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (617) 338-0411
www.rc-rf.org
© 2013 Boston Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
LISC
Resilient
Communities/
Resilient
Families
Mattapan
United
April 2013

Mattapan United

Transcription

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