Metro chief operating officer Michael Jordan presented the overview of his proposed Community Investment Strategy to members of the Coalition of Communities of Color, a group founded nearly 10 years ago to address disparities and inequity of services experienced by minority communities.
Although only five members of the coalition attended Monday's briefing, the discussion was instructive in underscoring the importance of continual engagement with, and involvement of, communities of color to the Metro staff and councilors present, which included Councilors Rex Burkholder and Robert Liberty.
Recently, Metro and several community-based organizations joined together to pursue a Sustainable Communities grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If awarded, the grant will provide resources and opportunities for community-based organizations to collaborate more closely with Metro and local governments to implement a more coordinated housing strategy across the region.
Gerald Deloney from Self Enhancement, Inc. stressed the importance of addressing education and human capital. He also noted that some improvements to housing and neighborhoods can displace communities of color to outlying areas, as happened with some residents of what is now New Columbia in North Portland. He also noted that communities of color have not historically participated in the planning process, a point that Serena Wesley, also from SEI, agreed with. "We need to make sure the right people are at the table," she stressed.
Jordan stressed that Metro is still very much in the learning stages when it comes to effectively engaging minority communities and other underserved populations in decision-making around land use and public investment decisions. He cited his experience as chair of the Metro Policy Advisory Committee in 2002 when it advised the Metro Council on a significant expansion of the urban growth boundary. "Everyone at that table looked just like me," said Jordan, who is white.
Pei-ru Wang with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization emphasized the importance of having diverse representation in the development and implementation of the Community Investment Strategy. "I can't agree more with the importance of who is at the table," she said, stressing the importance of prolonged community engagement. "It is a long-term effort to build rapport and trust."
Jordan agreed. "When we do community engagement, it has to be deeper, broader and more sustained over time."