Allied Wellness Co-op Proposal An evolving concept draft
A concept is being developed to create a community based center that would serve the Allied -Dunns Marsh neighborhood, as well as others living outside the neighborhood who are in need of services due to the disadvantages of poverty. It would be based on a participatory, cooperative model whose purpose is individual and community development.
Vision Statement:
“A Center where community partners work cooperatively to strengthen individuals, families and the community through integrative services and activities that promote physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, economic, social and environmental wellbeing.”
Need:
Allied Drive neighborhood has been identified for some time as a “high needs neighborhood” . The average income level is $29,690 with many people living on less than $10,000/year, and the frequency of unemployment, unstable employment, and underemployment is very high. There is a growing “poverty belt” west and to the south of the Allied neighborhood. Such poverty leaves people without the ability to meet their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter and often results in high mobility which negatively impacts children’s educational experience. As is not uncommon, negative social issues either prelude or follow a life of poverty, resulting in high substance abuse rates, high numbers of criminal justice offenders, low educational and literacy levels, high numbers of distressed single parents. Additionally there is a high correlation of chronic physical illnesses, depression and poor family relationships to poverty. All of these things simultaneously are a cause and result of poverty which keeps the cycle of poverty going. Although there are a number of resources currently in the Allied neighborhood that are working well together as they individually and collaboratively address these many needs, there is a concern that services are only staving off crises and are not getting to the root of the problems. There is a need to approach these social determinants of health with a new format that provides capacity building so that people are motivated toward greater self sufficiency and holistic wellness.
Values:
It is our belief that when people believe that they matter and that they have something of worth to offer to others, they will participate in their community and work toward being fulfilled in their lives and relationships. When people are able to meet their basic needs they are freed up so that they can invest in their community and themselves. When people feel connected to their community and have a sense of belonging, and control over decisions, they are empowered to participate in their individual and community’s wellbeing. We value all aspects of life and recognize that physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, economic, social and environmental factors all contribute to one’s wellbeing.
- Individual worth is recognized and respected regardless of life circumstances
- Opportunities that promote holistic wellbeing are important and must be made available
- The importance of connectedness to other human beings is recognized and ways to nurture this must be provided
- We are dedicated to the values of social justice and believe that universal human dignity should be protected through the provision of basic needs assistance
- It is important that our neighbors are encouraged so that their aspirations can be met through self-determination
- Intrinsic development is a life-long endeavor and requires additional support when obstacles of poverty, lack of education, social inadequacy, and personal disadvantages occur
- Collaborative partnering expands the benefit of individual offerings so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
- We are committed to providing effective and responsible stewardship over the resources that are provided to us by the broader community.
Goals:
1.Social and economic integration into the labor market toward financial sustainability.
2.Personal growth that results in stability and holistic (mental, physical, social, economic, emotional, spiritual, and relational) wellness
3.Community investment through active participation by neighborhood residents
4.Family environments where children can thrive
5.Individual and community resources and capacities will be discovered and mobilized
6.To build a strong, safe, and supportive community that encourages all of its residents to
achieve their full potential.
Proposed format to meeting these goals:
Create a neighborhood based center that houses different service and holistic health promotion groups and agencies, such as faith groups, the Neighborhood Assoc., Time Bank, JFF service providers, Allied employment coalition, MAP, Allied Area Partnership Toward Recovery, Grassroots Leadership College, a food pantry, and a health office. There would be several small scale apprenticeship/entrepreneurial spaces focused on different employment fields.
There would be a larger community gathering space, offices and small group spaces available for these various entities to use. There would be a commercial grade kitchen that would accommodate a variety of events and serve as a training site for culinary related training programs, e.g. prepared bagged salads, canned BBQ Sauce, pre-chopped vegetables available for restaurant sales. The co-op could also serve as a distribution site for programs like SHARE or community gardens. The Center would have some basic exercise equipment/mats available in one of the community room spaces. There would be a room dedicated to child friendly care. Other employment based rooms such as a hair salon, a restaurant, and a green energy conservation focused shop/class etc. All services and programs would have a mission that guides activities to meet the above mentioned purpose.
Operations:
The co-op would be staffed by an executive facilitator whose responsibilities would be to facilitate communication and collaboration between the various entities, tracking co-op membership data, as well as to provide fund raising support for the co-op. A program director would be responsible for arranging classes and development activities and the associated outreach. Agencies and groups providing ongoing services e.g. JFF staff, Medic Clinic, Urban League, Madison Apprenticeship program, the food pantry etc..) would have their own funding base. These services would be seen as an integrated part of moving people toward self sufficiency and holistic wellness. Volunteer hosts will assist in administrative support. A paid maintenance staff person would be responsible for maintenance and cleaning.
In order to utilize these services, and to receive assistance, people would have to be a co-op member. To become a co-op member, one must participate in one or more of a menu of health promotion/development classes and activities offered by a wide range of groups. For example classes can be led by students from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, volunteers from Time Bank, UW Extension nutritionist, and groups like Grass Roots Leadership College etc.. The faith communities could offer a wide variety of spiritual, personal and community strengthening activities. The Neighborhood Association would have monthly meetings and activities throughout the month that build community. A new menu of activities would be offered on a quarterly basis. When you participate in one of these activities, you receive a co-op membership card for that month.
This equates an expectation that the cost of assistance is participation in your individual and/or the community’s wellbeing. This would mean that anyone in Madison could participate and it would not be limited to the Allied neighborhood residents, but due to its location it will be easily accessed by Allied residents. This shifts the center of the neighborhood activities from service to development. If residents don’t choose to become members, they can still access these same services elsewhere in Madison.
Administration:
Governance would be a cooperative model. A Board would have formal oversight of the co-op with each membership class having one or more representatives on the Board. (Possible classes might include service providers, neighborhood participants, staff, funders, community partners). The various classes would be represented by an elected member from their particular group. By-laws would determine the number of representatives from each class, and generally provide the agreed upon functions of the Board. It would be a collaborative venture that would respect the variety of individual missions while holding the collective wellbeing of the cooperative as primary concern. There would need to be intentional education and capacity building in cooperative processes and decision making, so that the process becomes an outcome of the cooperative model.
Rationale for a cooperative model:
Every community development best practice emphasizes community involvement and decision making. Multi-tenant nonprofit centers have proven themselves as effective ways to build sustainable, quality facilities for organizations that serve communities. They provide stable, affordable, mission-enhancing workspace that increases the visibility and effectiveness of their tenant organizations. It promotes collaboration that exponentially expands the effectiveness of any one entity. The cooperative model takes this a step further. A cooperative organization works for the benefit of its members, it is a democratically controlled organization where its members have a close association with the enterprise and have real investment in the success. Cooperatives are based on values of self-help, self-responsibility, and equality. Any economic benefits are distributed proportionally according to each member’s level of participation. There are 7,000 successful forms of multi-stakeholder cooperatives, also known as social cooperatives, in Italy. Type A cooperatives bring together members who are providers and beneficiaries of a social service , type B cooperatives bring together permanent workers and previously unemployed people who wish to integrate into the labor market. We are proposing a combined type A and Type B model.