New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC)

"I think that things are always inspired by residents. I think that our true power comes through any sort of strategy that is community driven," While on WURD Radio Eco WURD Show with host P.O.C. to discuss Opioid Settlement funding, NKCDC's executive director Dr. Bill McKinney emphasized the importance of community driven and participatory strategies to co-creating solutions in Kensington. Community driven solutions are more sustainable because they are owned by those most affected by the outcomes. Co-creation ensures that power and ownership of processes and interventions remain with residents. Strategies that are community driven, trauma-informed, and comprehensive, a path for community healing can emerge and a resident-led vision for the community can take form. To learn more about our community driven process, Co-Creating Kensington, visit KensingtonPlan.org.

On October 30th at The Hive, we had the privilege of hosting a community-building conversation about Co-Creating Kensington: An ongoing, flexible, and participatory planning/implementation process in Kensington facilitated by social justice partner New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) and Impact Services. There, attendees grappled with what has been achieved and what lies ahead for this important participatory work that is applicable to all communities. Nearly 40 leaders representing direct service, policy advocacy, law enforcement, city government and philanthropy came together to discuss this matter in an effort to yield greater engagement, strength-based roles, and resources for community defined priorities. To hear more about these plans and how you can be involved, check out their website here: https://lnkd.in/emFFmd9u

We are still accepting donations for our annual Thanksgiving Giveaway at Visitation! Thank you to all who have donated so far, your donation will help make sure neighborhood families have a Thanksgiving meal this year. To donate to NKCDC’s Thanksgiving giveaway fund, you can use Venmo (https://lnkd.in/euXaD5VC) or PayPal (https://lnkd.in/edcD2-Ur) , and make sure to label your donation as "Thanksgiving Food Donation"!

NKCDC was recently awarded a state grant to build a new retaining wall, new fencing, and new gates at the former Greensgrow Farms! Thank you to Representative Joseph Hohenstein and Senator Nikil Saval for your support and the investments being made in urban agriculture and green spaces for Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond residents! This funding is a necessary investment to secure the future of this space. We want to honor Greensgrow's legacy and reiterate that this land will not be sold or developed for housing. NKCDC is committed to co-creating the future of this space with the community and ensuring that it remains an urban agricultural hub that is accessible to the neighborhood and the rest of Philadelphia.

Thank you to NeighborWorks America and HDC MidAtlantic for organizing the Neighborworks Association of Pennsylvania's annual retreat! We are grateful to be a part of NWAP and to collaborate with other members to increase access to affordable housing in Pennsylvania!

Last Friday, members of NKCDC’s staff, our Neighborhood Advisory Subcommittee, and several partners graduated from the Community Connectors Training Institute & Network! This year’s training centered on “Connecting People, Catalyzing Change!” to create a supportive space for participants to learn together, troubleshoot neighborhood challenges, and collaborate on solutions for an overall stronger Philadelphia. LISC Philadelphia’s Community Connectors Institute vests power in residents to address issues in the neighborhoods they’re from and to ensure solutions come from those with the lived experiences of residents. At NKCDC, we believe that when residents and stakeholders retain power and ownership over outcomes of their neighborhood, a resident-led vision for the community can take form and, collective healing and sustained solutions become possible. Thank you to LISC Philadelphia, HopePHL, HACE CDC, Impact Services and Asociación Puertorrique?os en Marcha (APM) for a successful training!

NKCDC’s 6th cohort of community healthy workers graduated from the 11-week training program today! The 12 graduates are now part of a network of Kensington residents who have trained to become Pennsylvania State Certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) thanks to funding from the PA Department of Human Services. Residents enter training with a lived understanding of the experiences that other community members go through, positioning them as trusted partners and community advocates. They go door-to-door connecting residents to critical resources and assist them in navigating complex social services and healthcare systems. These relationships build community capacity and empower residents to advocate for themselves and for their community’s health. The program jointly works to address social and environmental factors leading to poor health while providing professional opportunities for residents that equip them to advance in health-related careers. Thank you to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and Jefferson Health for your support and congrats to the 6th cohort of CHWs on graduating from the program!

“In 2021, then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined his counterparts in 14 other states in negotiating settlement agreements with four pharmaceutical companies that would enable millions of dollars to flow into cities and towns across Pennsylvania to address the enduring harms of the ongoing opioid crisis. Under the terms of the agreements, officials at the county level determine how the money from the settlement is spent in their communities, and a newly created state panel, the Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust, leads the oversight and administration of those funds,” Dr. Bill McKinney, Carla Sofronski, Sterling Johnson, and Britt Carpenter write in an editorial for the Philadelphia Inquirer. In June, the trust found that $7.5 million in opioid settlement funding going to Kensington schools, parks, eviction and foreclosure prevention, and home repairs was a misuse of funds. The City of Philadelphia appealed that decision and last Thursday, after the City presented its appeal, the trust voted to reverse part of its decision. Last Thursday, the trust found funds used for Kensington schools, parks, and rent and mortgage prevention were a proper use of the funds while funding for home repairs and small business support was not. While this decision won’t impact the funds already earmarked for home repairs or small businesses or any of the other disbursed money, it could reduce, withhold, or impact future funding for Kensington from this opioid settlement agreement. “Kensington has some of the highest rates of trauma-inducing conditions such as poverty, housing instability, drug-related crime, and more. All of these experiences also create a type of trauma that research indicates has a direct link to substance misuse and overdose.” “While we fully understand how essential it is that the funds are spent effectively, we also hope the trust pays heed to experts in research, substance use prevention, and healing. Listen to the community and stakeholders with firsthand knowledge of our challenges. All of these are priorities the Kensington community itself has identified as crucial to addressing the opioid crisis.” Read the full editorial from NKCDC’s executive director and the leaders at the PA Harm Reduction Network, the Philadelphia Community Land Trust, and Philly Unknown at the link in bio. You can read more on what the Kensington community has identified as crucial for addressing the opioid crisis and quality of life at kensingtonplan.org/reports.

Klean Kensington is a community-based and resident-driven initiative to beautify and green blighted properties in Kensington while providing opportunities for teens to make money. The Klean Kensington Gardens at 708 E Hilton Street and 804 E Willard Street are spaces for neighbors, teens, children, and community organizations to connect in. Klean Kensington is working to activate and reclaim spaces that have been blighted or abandoned in Kensington. As one of several Rite Aid Healthy Futures microgrant recipients, funding will support the purchasing of vegetables, flowers, and composting soil to rejuvenate the beds at the Hilton Street Garden, as well as new meditation labyrinth at one of Klean Kensington’s spaces. Working in collaboration with other gardeners and organizations in Kensington, Klean Kensington works to strengthen health and wellbeing in the neighborhood by providing a safe space for residents to gather and connect. Want to see the Klean Kensington gardens yourself? Join us on October 5th for the Kensington Gardens Tour from 12PM-4PM! You can also get involved in the garden by reaching out to Jeremy Chen at [email protected]!

Kensington was once home to hundreds of textile mills that provided economic opportunities for residents. With the passing of the High Act of 1956 and a decline in the manufacturing economic base of Kensington, the population transformed from a majority white population to a majority Latino and Black population, leaving residents of color stranded on an island of disinvestment. Soon after, the drug trade replaced manufacturing as the primary economic driver of Kensington. Today, the historical lack of investment, systemic racism, and the resulting trauma has led to significant challenges related to safety and trash along the business corridors. Small businesses are burdened not only by high rates of violence, but also higher insurance costs, higher costs of maintenance and repairs, vendors refusing to come to Kensington, and reduced numbers of customers. To ensure sustained outcomes and solutions for economic development in Kensington, we need trauma-informed, participatory, and comprehensive strategies and investments. Learn more about how we can make current and future strategies for economic development more effective in Co-Creating Kensington: Alignment at the link in our bio or at https://lnkd.in/eyura-J6