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Presentations on Technology Innovations with Potential for Transforming Community Development

Another aspect of the Summit was a series of presentations by individuals from both the commercial and nonprofit sectors whose organizations have developed or applied innovative technologies. These technologies all have potential for transforming community development. They were described in working sessions, and several applications were subsequently shown in hands-on demonstrations. Summaries of the presentations supporting key themes of the strategic agenda are presented below.

Key Themes:

  • Encourage more fruitful collaboration among community development organizations
  • Build networks that include providers in complementary fields.
  • Reinvigorate community development institutions

Presentation and demonstration on direct services to clients by Dorothy Lengyel, HomeSight.

Residents of Seattle, South King County, and Snohomish County, Washington, receive direct services from HomeSight, a CDC, and its six partner organizations, which include a state agency as well as local nonprofits. The services mostly relate to financial and homebuying counseling, as well as helping families find suitable housing. The partnership has received Fannie Mae Foundation funding and has enabled HomeSight to leverage its staff resources and broaden its impact.

http://www.homesightwa.org

Over the past decade, the partnering organizations have implemented information technology at different rates of speed. By sharing data as well as certain key back office functions, they have provided support to one another. HomeSight has maintained a sophisticated database since 1996 and has used the database to produce various cross-tabulations on clients. Over the years, however, funders began requesting data in increasing levels of detail, aggregated in different ways. This placed a burden on HomeSight and its less technologically equipped partners. In the end, HomeSight informed funders that data would be provided only in certain standard ways and not necessarily at the level of detail requested.

HomeSight has continued to advance technologically. Through a contract with NPower, notes on counseling sessions are stored in a database for future reference by staff in their work with clients. Computer-assisted tracking also make it possible for HomeSight to generate fees as a licensed mortgage broker. Further advances are planned, but HomeSight expects that there may continue to be a gap between funders' data requests and the CDC's ability to comply.

Discussion

Participants noted that the Internet will make it possible for many organizations to provide services at low marginal cost to low-income individuals. For example, video instruction could help taxpayers apply for Earned Income Tax Credit. With appropriate software, the Internet could also be used for comparison shopping for affordable housing, the way many car owners currently compare insurance rates on the Web. Significant changes in the marketplace could result from such initiatives.

The discussion dealt with client services from an organizational as well as an individual perspective (information "about" clients as well as "for" them). Participants agreed that computer databases have important applications but pointed out that client referral systems rely on tacit and codified knowledge that may be difficult to integrate into a database. The best systems will probably make use of some combination of standard and organization-specific data. From a strategic standpoint, such systems will need to represent the intersection of what a CDC and its partners need to have and what funders are willing to support.

Community building presentation by Ben Hecht, One Economy Corp. http://www.one-economy.com, and Randal Pinkett, BCT Partners http://www.bctpartners.com.

This presentation concerned four implications of the presenters' paper, "The 21st Century's Most Successful Communities: Technology-Led Ecosystems & Citizen Empowerment."

First implication: access

CDCs have a relationship with residents that can form the basis for providing high-speed Internet access from their homes. Every year, between 70,000 and 100,000 units of affordable housing are built by the 50 state housing finance agencies with the low-income tax credit. Still more construction is funded with grants, loans, and bonds. The net result is a significant opportunity for states to provide Internet access in new housing. Kentucky now requires that every unit built by the state housing finance agency with grants, loans, bonds, or tax credits be wired for high-speed Internet access and the costs subsidized.

Second implication: reordering of the system

Technology demonstrates the power of consolidating information, and benefits of community development become more readily apparent when information is made available in an aggregated, not fragmented, way. Building a critical mass of residents with access to information can foster civic engagement. For community residents, information technology provides a means of building a collective audience and voice.

Third implication: culture change and the role of youth

Technology provides ways to connect "early adopter" organizations, some of which may be CDCs. Technology can also be a valuable way of capturing the interest and involvement of young people in community development.

Fourth implication: local and national content

To be successful, information systems used by CDCs need to capture local flavor and engage residents. The systems may need to extend beyond CDCs and might include community technology centers.

Discussion

Participants built on the theme that information technology fosters community building in many ways. For example, not only do indicators reveal neighborhoods' histories, they also have the potential to flag impending problems that could be harmful to residents. Noting that technology affords opportunities to see interconnections among institutions, participants observed that community development could build in others in addition to CDCs.

This question was raised: How exactly can leaders in the community development sector use technology to empower and motivate residents? It was noted that CDCs can play an important intermediary role, for instance, by pledging to wire all new housing units for Internet access. At the same time, a cultural shift may be required, since many residents of affordable housing tend to buy cable television and PlayStations before they purchase Internet access.

Demonstration by Randal Pinkett, BCT Partners:

BCT Partners offers the CommunityWeb System, a subscription-based online service combining popular communication functions such as discussion forums, e-mail lists, and surveys with database-driven applications such as directories, event calendars, and bulletin boards. http://www.bctpartners.com

Demonstration by Randal Pinkett, BCT Partners:

Content Bank is a Website created by The Children's Partnership to develop and present online content for low-income families and underserved communities. http://www.contentbank.org

Demonstration by David Eisner, AOL Time Warner Foundation:

Network for Good is a site founded with the Cisco Foundation and Cisco Systems, Inc., and Yahoo! Inc., to connect people to charities via the Internet. http://www.networkforgood.org

Demonstration by B. Keith Fulton, AOL Time Warner Foundation:

Benefits Checkup is a screening service developed by the National Council on the Aging to help older adults ensure that they receive the benefits for which they are eligible. http://www.BenefitsCheckup.org

Papers pertaining to the key themes (pdf)

Use of Technology to Provide Direct Services to Community Development Clients by Peter Beard

Client Community Building and Involvement Technologies by Ben Hecht and Randal Pinkett

A Vision and Questions Towards an Institutional and Structural Strategy for CDC Transformation by Geeta Pradhan, Dorothy Lengyel, Tom Burns, Ben Hecht, Josh Kirshenbaum, and Darren Walker

Thoughts on Choosing and Developing Strategies to Take Advantage of the Potential of Technology by Beverly Coleman and James King

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