Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center AUSTIN’S SOLUTIONS-DRIVEN COMMUNITY CENTER PILOT DECEMBER 2018 REPORT

Austin Community Design and Development Center Nicole Joslin AIA | LEED AP, Executive Director Marla Torrado PhD, Program Coordinator 1023 Springdale Road Building 13, Suite F Austin, TX 78721 www.acddc.org

Introduction neighborhood in Austin, TX to develop a SDCC that can support anti-displacement strategies, and b) producing Solutions-driven community centers (SDCCs) are scholarly literature on the topic, bringing different views neighborhood-based, physical spaces where residents and expertise to the conversation. The work taking can share their most pressing community needs, plan place in Montopolis has grown to include institutional and organize specific actions and activities with other partnerships with UT Austin and the City of Austin Office residents, and work alongside public and private of Innovation to better connect residents with existing institutions, researchers and other organizations that institutional resources and provide a platform for co- could potentially assist and collaborate with services, creation of new policies, programs and initiatives that programs or initiatives to address those issues. A SDCC value and respect community leadership and locally focus is place-specific, given that different communities produced knowledge. More specifically, for the last 6 face different challenges that vary across time and scale. months ACDDC has been working closely with a resident Some of the challenges addressed can include, but are group in Montopolis, recently named Mi/My Montopolis, not limited to housing, neighborhood beautification to move forward the activities and programs that would and the built environment, economic development, be accomplished through a SDCC and to develop a solid traffic, job trainings, youth and adult programming, etc. community foundation that can steward the future These spaces become anchors for community leadership SDCC storefront. and support, collective storytelling, engagement and This report traces the engagement process, resilience. capacity building, and organizing work that has been The Austin Community Design and completed thus far in Montopolis, as well as the role of Development Center (ACDDC), a 501(c)3 non-profit ACDDC in supporting the initiative. We will also discuss design and planning professional organization whose the opportunities to partner with other institutions and mission is to improve the quality of life for all through organizations, including UT and local city government, community engaged design, has been working to to ensure that these centers become true connectors develop different aspects of the SDCC model by: a) that make communities more resilient, organized, and working closely with residents in the Montopolis active in the face of challenges.

AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 1 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center Background the yearlong collapse of electrical power in Puerto Rico following hurricanes Irma and María in 2017. Current times merit careful attention, for These are not simple technological failures. They they bring challenges that affect societies with an are failures of interconnected ecological, economic, unprecedented intensity and scale. Socio-economic social and technological systems. The disparity between disparities across cities and neighborhoods bring about knowledge and need is something that needs to be uneven development and planning-related strategies given priority if we are to successfully move towards rooted in institutional injustices that disproportionately communities that are more resilient. Nonetheless, the protect or make vulnerable specific populations. nature of relationships between vulnerable communities For example, environmental stressors likely to keep and the agencies (public or private) charged with increasing and intensifying due to global warming providing essential services has significant gaps. will continue to threaten vulnerable communities We know that patterns of infrastructure in the near future if measures to mitigate these distribution reflect municipal income generated impacts are not taken promptly. In the face of these through taxation and sociopolitical power: rich challenges it is important that the research, technology neighborhoods get more parks, better schools and and infrastructural advances created to assist and smoother streets while poor ones get more garbage, mitigate the needs of communities are properly used bad schools and a lot of police scrutiny. These patterns to strengthen community resiliency. Unfortunately, of uneven development are defined through racial lines, implementation of these technologies has not been as with people of color generally experiencing greater successful as expected. vulnerability and lower quality of life. Systems that The 2005 failure of levees in New Orleans produce fair and life-enhancing relationships between following Hurricane Katrina has been traced back, not communities and stakeholders in charge of deploying only to the weakness of levee design per se, but to critical technologies are more likely to be reproduced the inability of subsystem managers to communicate. by communities themselves. In other words, resilient Climatologists, engineers, public works managers, infrastructure and the organizations that support police and politicians, all had abstract fragments of the such services are typically constructed from the top- knowledge required to avoid the failure of this critical down by technocrats, rather than co-constructed infrastructure, but none had understanding of the from the bottom-up by communities themselves. We whole, or the consequences of inaction. The distinction at the Austin Community Design and Development made here is that while knowledge is an abstract Center believe in a hybrid process, which recognizes comprehension of a subject like physics, understanding the unique perspective and knowledge provided by is comprehension of that topic in its social context. the varying sectors of society. The assumption here Even more critical, residents who lived in the lowest- is that no single sector has the knowledge required lying areas knew what they would need when waters to manage and sustain the infrastructure and tools started to rise, and nobody thought to ask them. The needed to be more resilient, and that communities have same claims apply in the context of the 2012 failure of important information that can inform the research and mass transit in New York following Superstorm Sandy; or

AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 2 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center development process of new technologies. A SDCC would provide a space where We believe that civil society groups (including community members, infrastructure managers, non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups, and researchers, and public and private institutions can work other community representatives) should be the together and create targeted action plans that directly primary source catalyzing local knowledge, agency, assist the community needs. The solutions-driven system redundancy and the resilience required to community center will be commissioned to promote manage sustainably local-scale challenges related continuous collaborative projects with innovative to climate change and the built environment. It is relationships and technologies that catalyze context- important to emphasize that legitimate civil society rich knowledge and resilience. It is not necessarily groups never speak for vulnerable populations, but geographically bound to a particular place. In fact, we include them in defining problems and taking actions believe that every city and neighborhood would benefit to improve conditions. However, civil society groups are from an organization like this. frequently unseen, or even resisted, because; (1) public and private agencies imagine they are communicating A SDCC should: successfully with vulnerable communities, when they • Capture the neighborhood’s main concerns are not. Although individual municipal representatives through workshops and other participatory may be well-intentioned, vulnerable residents are activities from a community-led platform rationally reluctant to communicate about the issues • Regularly communicate with public and private which make them vulnerable to authority of any kind. stakeholders from a researcher-led platform to (2) Public and private agencies also imagine that they ensure community needs are reflected in research have higher level, and thus more relevant knowledge. and resource management efforts In fact, civil society groups frequently have personnel • Serve as a connecting space between residents with advanced degrees and highly sophisticated analytic and other public and private institutions that can and organizational skills. (3) Situated knowledge of provide the services or data needed local conditions cannot be economically gathered and • Conduct regular workshops crosswalking documented (in conventional quantitative formats) by community-led and researcher-led efforts that municipal employees. Civil society groups, particularly strengthen our community’s collective resilience when linked to universities, can more economically and build capacity within the neighborhood gather robust data. Finally, (4) public and private Development of the Montopolis SDCC institutions tend to (paternalistically) resist the agency and self-determination of vulnerable communities In early 2018 ACDDC was contracted by a local because the underserved have not been able to neighborhood-based organization, the Guadalupe articulate an alternative future for themselves. It is Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC), precisely this kind of advocacy that public and private to work on a project located in the Montopolis sector agencies do poorly, and civil society organizations neighborhood, called the Montopolis Right to Remain do well at identifying the greatest needs in a community. report. Specifically focused on strategies to increase affordable housing options throughout the community, AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 3 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center challenges from critical infrastructures with those who create and manage their services. Putting into action the SDCC concept alongside a community that had identified the need for such a community-driven space was a great opportunity to learn from this process and see how it can be replicated in other neighborhoods.

Resident group development and the National Night Out

In August of 2018 ACDDC started leading Community meeting for the Right to neighborhood meetings with residents interested in Remain project, August 11th, 2018 ACDDC’s role in this project included conducting exploring the development of a community resource research, connecting with residents and community center that would connect neighbors and their needs leaders, and facilitating large and small group with existing services and programs. One of the initial discussions around the topic of housing affordability tasks of the group was to identify the most pressing to understand local challenges, barriers and ongoing needs of the neighborhood and link those needs strategies developed by the community to mitigate Table 1. Community needs and stakeholders list pressures of displacement. Community Needs Stakeholder The relationship and trust building process Home & rental City of Austin assistance Neighborhood generated through the project resulted in in-depth Neighborhood support Housing & Community conversations about the primary needs of the programs Development neighborhood, which surpassed those related to Home improvements Home Repair Coalition, Austin Code housing issues. In conversations with residents, we Department learned that many neighbors are not aware of existing Walkability/ Public Works programs that are designed to assist them. The fact transportation/safety Department, Neighborhood that residents are not aware of programs and services Partnering Program that have been designed for them, often-times as anti- Sidewalks, lighting Public Works displacement strategies, is highly problematic. Following Department, Neighborhood the conclusion of the Right to Remain report, ACDDC Partnering Program continued to assist the interested group of neighbors Community space for Libraries, Recreation in supporting their vision while continuing to build youth, adult and senior Center, Austin programming Community College local relationships. As these community conversations Small business Greater Austin Hispanic were taking place, ACDDC had also been working on an Chamber of Commerce development academic article that described the need for a ‘solutions- Homelessness Austin ECHO driven community center’ that could connect the needs Personal, professional Financial Literacy of the neighborhoods that experience vulnerability and career development Coalition of Central Texas

AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 4 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center with public or private institutions that have programs the most successful methods for accomplishing this. or services that align with those needs (see Table 1). Because of the overwhelming positive response, ACDDC Once the stakeholders were identified, ACDDC started suggested to the team to organize a ‘pop-up’ event that making initial connections to explain the SDCC concept, could recreate the SDCC by bringing together all the the most recent efforts taking place in Montopolis by stakeholders contacted in one place in the community, residents, and gauge the stakeholder interest in being and have residents come and learn about them. part of this still emerging neighborhood initiative. Fortunately, the team learned about a neighborhood The response from public and private activity that was already being planned and that could institutions was very positive, with the majority of the host the original idea of the pop-up --the National Night staff acknowledging the importance of connecting Out, organized by the Montopolis Recreation Center. with the neighborhoods they serve but not having Hence, instead of creating a stand-alone event, the

Boards filled with neighbors comments (National Night Out)

Montopolis neighbors participating in Montopolis SDCC steering the team’s activity (National Night Out) committee (National Night Out) AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 5 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center group leveraged the momentum of the National Night organizations, like the Neighborhood Association. Out and joined the ongoing efforts. ACDDC assisted For the next several meetings, ACDDC facilitated two the Recreation Center staff in recruiting additional parallel discussions: 1) continue to plan short-term institutions and organizations to be part of the event, events that provide small wins and keep the momentum focusing on those that had been previously identified by going, and 2) strategic planning sessions to explore the the group (Table 1). Additionally, ACDDC requested to group’s mission, vision and name. have a table at the event to be used by the Montopolis Through the strategic planning conversations, team, who took the opportunity to ask neighbors it was clear that the group saw itself as an important attending the event about their needs and desires for community connector, a resource by the community the community. In the end, over 10 organizations and/ and for the community. The group wants to assist their or institutions participated in the event and they are neighborhood and community in order to see it thrive. still in communication with the group for ongoing They also see the group as having an important role collaborations. in bringing neighbors together and fostering civic engagement and participation. These rich conversations Identity development and the Holiday Cheer also led to discussions about the group’s name, which event they believed should reflect the unity but also the The National Night Out activity generated diversity of the neighborhood. After several hours of momentum, excitement and energy in the group. The conversations and reflections, the group agreed on the team continued its weekly meetings to delineate next following mission/vision statement: steps and actions. One of the questions that started to “Mi/My Montopolis is a group of Montopolis emerge had to do with the identity of the group: ‘who neighborhood residents working to connect are we?’ and how do we explain it to our neighbors? our Montopolis community with various types The team started to think more critically about their of services. We strive to create new and solidify role and how they would fit alongside other existing

Holiday Cheer event at Allison Mi/My Montopolis group handing out the asset Elementary (December 8th, 2018) map and talking to neighbors (December 8th, 2018) AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 6 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center existing relationships rooted in community trust, services already established in the community. The as we work together with families, businesses group wanted to compile this information in a way and institutions that make our neighborhood that was easy to distribute to others, which led to the thrive. We envision enhanced collective resilience, creation of a community asset map. Unlike other maps amplified resident voices and a celebrated culture that only illustrate location of businesses, this map for generations to come.” classifies existing places based on the community The group’s name, Mi/My Montopolis, reflects services they provide. For example, the map illustrates the cultural diversity and richness of the community, a businesses or institutions that provide a food or clothing very important aspect for the group. Stemming from pantry, that offer health services, programming for the mission and vision conversations, the group was seniors, etc. With the holidays approaching, the Mi/My able to identify its next task. Given that one of the Montopolis group decided to have an initial draft of main objectives of the group is to connect residents the map in English and Spanish ready to hand out to with the resources already available, the next logical residents during the Holiday Cheer event, taking place question that was posed was ‘what are the services that on December 8th at Allison Elementary. This was the we already have in the neighborhood?’ It became the first official ‘product’ of the group to the community. group’s next collective effort. The map was well received by those attending the The next several meetings were dedicated to event, and the team was able to recruit neighbors who researching the businesses, institutions, and public seemed interested in joining the meetings. This event

DEL MONTE Mi/My Montopolis is a group of Montopolis neighborhood CRUMLEY HEALTH SERVICES 8 SERVICES KEY: BONNETT residents working to connect our Montopolis community with various types of T LAUNDRY ORRES services. We strive to create new and solidify existing relationships rooted in ADULT EDUCATION 7 KEMP community trust, as we work together with families, businesses and institutions that CLOTHES PANTRY MARKET OPOLIS ATWOOD 4 make our neighborhood thrive. We envision enhanced collective resilience, amplified RETAIL 28 EDUCATION W MONT SAXON resident voices and a celebrated culture for generations to come. PONCA ALKER 22 FAITH-BASED SENIOR SERVICES 19 6 VERA L See something missing? Want to get involved? Roy G. Guerrero YNCH Citivan FOOD PANTRY YOUTH PROGRAMMING Colorado River Neighborhood LET US KNOW! [email protected] Metro Park EGGER CULP Park SHORT KEMP 11 AFFORDABLE HOUSING RICHARDSONSan Jose 11 Cemetary THRASHER2 1 Fairway Village 6118 Fairway St. 1 Yates Pocket 12 13 NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS FELIX 2 Frontier Valley Mobile Home Park 1430 Frontier Valley Dr. Park { 21 1 Ajax Auto & Tire 807 Montopolis Dr. 25 3 Towne Vista Apts. 2201 Montopolis Dr. HOGAN 10 ARGAS 1 V COMMUNITY 1 2 Belleza Hispana 737 Montopolis Dr. 15 FELIX NEIGHBORHOOD INSTITUTIONS 3 Cafe Nena’i 1700 Montopolis Dr. CLUB 1 Allison Elementary School 515 Vargas Rd. 4 Certec ERP 1700 Montopolis Dr. 2 Dolores Catholic Church 1111 Montopolis Dr. 31 Burdett P 13 30 5 Crazy Fruits 6100 E Riverside Dr. ALM Prarie 3 Escuela Montessori 2013 Montopolis Dr. 14 5 Cemetary 6 Dan’s Barber Shop 7107 E. Riverside Dr. GROVE Y LARCH 4 Florence’s Comfort House 515 Kemp St. LIL 7 Delmy’s Pupuseria 6108 E Riverside Dr. Riverside Montopolis 5 Greater Holy Temple Church 1806 Montopolis Dr. Practice Golf Montopolis ASQUEZ 2 V 8 Dollar General 6010 E Riverside Dr. Course Neighborhood 8 VILLIT Fields 6 IDEA Montopolis 1701 Vargas Rd. Park A 9 Ed’s Hair Salon 1710 Montopolis Dr. A CARNA VENIDA 7 Iglesia Adventista del Septimo Dia 415 Montopolis Dr. ALDEZ V SUENA 10 El Tapatio 805 Montopolis Rd. 10 TION 8 Morning Glory Church of God in 208 Bonnett St. MARIGOLD MONT Christ 11 Familia Insurance Solutions LLC 701 Montopolis Dr. ANA VILLIT BLUEBELL 9 Riverside Washeria 6100 E Riverside Dr. 12 Family Dollar 1508 Montopolis Dr. 29 A 1 10 PORTER 10 SAFE Donation Warehouse 1401 Grove Blvd. 13 Favis Nails 745 Montopolis Dr.

7 OPOLIS 11 St. Edward’s Baptist Church 702 Montopolis Dr. 14 G&M Catering 904 Vargas Rd. GALINDO 15 Happy Clouds Smoke Shop 903 Montopolis Rd. F MONT 12 Vision of Hope Church 6210 Richardson Ln. AIR 12 FRONTERA CLUBVIEWCADDIE W SANT AY OS 13 White Light Studios 900 Vargas Rd. 16 Hecho en Mexico Montopolis 2101 Montopolis Dr. CRUZ ARGAS LANGHAM V PUBLIC SERVICES 17 Honduras Food 7207 E Riverside Dr. 3 4 24 CANAL 1 Austin Community College 1020 Grove Blvd. 18 JD’s Market 7310 East Riverside Dr. 9 3 2 8 2 CommUnity Care SE Health and 2901 Montopolis Dr. 19 Jimenez Guerrero Tire Shop 6301 Monsanto Dr. 5 5 KASPER 26 ALLEY Wellness Center 20 Just Beautiful Hair & Nails 6100 E Riverside Dr. 7 6 9 3 Grupo de Alcoholicos Anonimos 1706 -10 Montopolis Dr. BRASSIE 21 La Herradura Western Wear 737 Montopolis Dr. 20 IDEA WRENCE } ARCILLA FRONTIER V 4 Judge Guy Herman Center Mental 6600 E. Ben White Blvd. 23 LA 22 Lawn Services 504 Thrasher Ln. Health Crisis Care 27 RIVERSIDE 23 Master Donuts 6100 E Riverside Dr. 5 Latino Health Forum 6601 Felix Ave. CARA 24 On Demand Staffing Inc. 1700 B Montopolis Dr. 16 3 ANISE W 6 Montopolis Friendship 403 Vargas Rd. A 25 Pack N Save Food Mart 753 Montopolis Dr. Y Community Center 26 Sonic Drive-In 1901 Montopolis Dr. SEED 7 Montopolis Neighborhood Center 1416 Montopolis Dr. OPOLIS 27 Tacos La Sabrosa 6301 E Riverside Dr. 2 POPPY YENNE MONT 9 CA CORIANDER 3 CILANTRO 28 The Green Cart 6319 El Mirando St. 4 8 Montopolis Recreation Center 1200 Montopolis Dr. 29 Tomgro Grocery 1313 Montopolis Dr. THRASHER AGUE 9 Riverside Nursing & Rehabilitation 2101 Montopolis Dr. HWY 71 6 MAXWELLTYBAL 18 MONT Y Center 30 Vargas Food Store 809 Vargas Rd. T 17 DISCOVER 10 Ruiz Branch, Austin Public Library 1600 Grove Blvd. 31 Vargas Market/Laundromat 810 Vargas Rd. This map has been prepared by the Mi Montopolis resident steering committee with assistance from the Austin Community Design and Development Center. DRAFT #1 This map has been prepared by the Mi Montopolis resident steering committee with assistance from the Austin Community Design and Development Center. DRAFT #1 Montopolis Asset Map created by Mi/My Montopolis team, with the assistance of ACDDC AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 7 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center marks the first of many public appearance of the Mi/My information to the community at-large. The initial list of Montopolis team. topics includes: • Tenants rights Mi/My Montopolis next steps for 2019 • Property taxes and how to file/protest The last team meeting for 2018 took place • Home repairs and the organizations providing on December 12th. After discussing the outcome of those services the Holiday Cheer event, we discussed next steps • Preparing for senior life and actions for 2019. In addition to continuing to • Resources around homelessness participate in future community events where the team • Small business development can distribute revised versions of the community asset ACDDC will work together with the team and map to help them grow connections and a consistent neighbors to create a mobile SDCC “community table” presence in the neighborhood, the team also intends that can be used for the community-wide activities to organize their own events in the form of ‘community (see below for examples). The mobile unit will not only information sessions’ where public/private partners provide a ‘working space’ if needed, bit will also provide and stakeholders are invited to provide important a unique engagement character to the group that is

Kiosko de Mapeo Callejero

Waterfront on Wheels, Hester Street Our Skid Row Participation Station AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 8 Austin’s Solutions-Driven Community Center fun, accessible, and easy to maintain. These relationship applicable to research teams. Discuss major and trust building activities will help solidify the challenges, barriers and gaps identified so far and relationships within the team and with the rest of the create a plan of action for co-creation. community. 2. Facilitate coordination among university In addition to events that engage the entire researchers and civil society stakeholders to community, the Mi/My Montopolis group is interested identify mutually beneficial opportunities for in building capacity through trainings on group advancement facilitation and organizing. ACDDC will assist in seeking 3. Provide ongoing support to new PT2050 out opportunities for this type of organizational research teams interested in working with the education. Team members are also considering the type community to ensure that projects provide socially of leadership the organization could have (horizontal vs and culturally relevant opportunities for true vertical), as well as how the group’s mission, vision, and collaborations. actions complement other established neighborhood 4. Develop a community-engaged research tool kit groups, like the Montopolis Neighborhood Association. based on best practices and lessons learned in These conversations will resume in early 2019. workshops with PT2050 researchers. ACDDC will also continue supporting the Solutions-Driven Community Center and organizing of Montopolis residents in the development Planet Texas 2050 of the first SDCC. This will provide space to establish a The researchers from the PT2050 have an replicable process for SDCC development that may be opportunity to start making connections with the applied in other neighborhoods and cities to address residents in Montopolis by participating in the challenges of displacement, climate change and ‘community information sessions’. Not only is this fundamental disconnects between residents and the an opportunity for researchers to provide useful institutions intended to serve them. These activities information about the work they do and how their include: specific research translates to the everyday needs 1. Continue development of institutional the community faces, but also to hear and learn from relationships that bring existing resources within residents about the most pressing needs they face. It grasp of the most vulnerable residents. should not go without saying that these interactions, 2. Establish core resident leadership of the SDCC most importantly, are essential for building trust and to through capacity building trainings. engage in future collaborations that strengthen local 3. Produce a mobile “community table” to launch resiliency. topic-based community-workshops and distribute ACDDC will already be working alongside Mi/My Montopolis resources. PT2050 researchers to provide training and tools to 4. Demonstrate the value of establishing a more develop deeper researcher/community partnerships permanent SDCC in the neighborhood and through the following activities: establish the necessary partnerships for long-term 1. Conduct a workshop with PT2050 researchers to success. explore community-engaged design processes AUSTIN COMMUNITY DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER 9