Creating communities

HOW DOES Governor -elect Deval Patrick plan to make good on his vague but resonant campaign message -- "Together We Can"?

Patrick was hit by critics for a failure to specify what, exactly, his winning message means when it comes to actually governing. What are the specifics of hope, of community, of working together? What does "Together We Can" mean in the real world of legislative wrangling, competing agendas, and budget constraints? Those of us who toil in the community economic development field got it when Patrick first began spreading his message. We have long experience at turning intangibles such as hope, community, and cooperation into tangibles such as housing, jobs, and living wages.

And there is a lot of work to be done: Job growth is stagnant, and too many residents are either at risk of losing their homes or of never being able to afford one. For too long, the state has looked for top-down solutions to these problems such as swapping tax revenue for relocated high-end industries. That approach has left many communities behind. Patrick needs to focus on areas that will give some hope to those left behind over the past decade.

Community begins with a home. But that has become a lot harder to come by. State aid for affordable apartments has fallen 30 percent in the past three years. Expiring rent restrictions mean that 27,000 rented homes are at risk of becoming unaffordable over the next four years. A housing strategy must include new funding and legislation to help municipalities and nonprofit organizations preserve existing affordable homes. There also remains a need for legislation that clamps down on predatory lending, and provides incentives for sound mortgage loans to replace those now pushing families toward foreclosure.

Small business is the backbone of communities. From Williamstown to Provincetown, it is the small business owners and their workers who anchor town and city centers. They are the glue not just of community, but of the economy. According to the Enterprise Center at Salem State College , 35 percent of the new jobs created in Massachusetts from 1994 to 2004 were in sole proprietorships and small businesses. There are more than 424,000 sole proprietorships in Massachusetts and more than 700,000 people work for a business that has 20 employees or less. For too long they have been on their own. The governor needs to create a stable funding stream for small business development programs that provide training and technical assistance to local entrepreneurs so they can start and grow successful businesses.

Communities require private sector engagement. Patrick needs to create incentives for businesses small and large to play a more active part in the lives of their cities, towns and neighborhoods. In many states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New Hampshire, corporate contributions to community economic development programs are rewarded with an offset of state taxes. This encourages long-term partnerships between underinvested communities and their corporate buddies and results in not only private sector financial contributions but critically important internships and mentor relationships at all levels. The results are a more efficient and strategic use of political and financial capital and important leadership development opportunities for all involved. Massachusetts should implement its own version of such a program.

By bringing people together to solve problems with concrete results, grass-roots organizations create precisely the type of communities that Deval Patrick seeks -- ones where people recognize the stake they have in one another and act on it. And it works. Last year alone, Community Development Corporations engaged nearly 2,000 resident leaders to build 1,092 homes, create or preserve 1,700 job opportunities, and help 800 businesses. They attracted $200 million of investment and served more than 15,000 families. It works for a simple reason that Patrick should understand -- it works because together, we can.

Joseph Kriesberg is president of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations