Community Collaboration for Primary Prevention
Milwaukee Community Capacity Project
Project Description
The Milwaukee Community Capacity Project (MCCP) utilizes a community organizing approach to accomplish improvements in community health status. The MCCP is a homegrown model, developed to fulfill the need for community residents to take the issue of childhood lead poisoning to heart and "to home." This innovative effort received a "Simply the Best" Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in August, 2000.
The MCCP was created through a unique collaborative effort between the Milwaukee Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (MHD CLPPP) and the educational arm of state's largest advocacy organization, Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund (WCAF). The MHD CLPPP currently maintains strong relationships with 4 community-based organizations (CBO's) as part of the MCCP, in an effort to educate community residents and create the community empowerment needed to drive community-based solutions to the childhood lead poisoning problem. Previous experience has shown that building a solid value for lead-safe housing within the neighborhoods will go a long way in driving and sustaining housing efforts.
The MHD CLPPP has contractual relationships with four CBO's: Hmong-American Friendship Association (HAFA), Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development (LAND), Sherman Park Community Association (SPCA), and Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (SSCHC). Contracts with these organizations are intended for: 1) the development of targeted, neighborhood-specific initiatives for community education and awareness, 2) promotion of risk-reduction behaviors, and 3) development of community leadership and capacity to support primary prevention in Milwaukee. This is accomplished by community organizers who build a resident leadership group to design projects and influence decisions that increase lead-safe housing availability in each specific neighborhood. The MHD and WCAF work collaboratively to train the organizers in fundamental community organizing skills, lead poisoning prevention information, leadership development concepts, and strategic planning approaches. Furthermore, MHD and WCAF continue to work closely with each of the CBO organizers in a mentorship capacity to ensure success of the projects.
Over the past several months, each organizer has embarked upon a course of lead poisoning awareness/education and community leadership development. Through participation in basic community health education activities, (such as presentations, health fairs, neighborhood canvassing, community meetings, etc...), organizers have been able to raise awareness and concern for the issue, while at the same time identifying potential leaders in their community. The organizer then deepens the understanding of lead poisoning, while at the same time begins to build a relationship with potential leaders, by conducting in-depth 1-on-1 interviews (often in-home) with community residents. Community meetings are also held where these residents learn more about lead poisoning, participate in leadership training exercises, and begin to make decisions regarding what needs to happen in their neighborhood to meet residents' lead poisoning prevention needs. Activities, (such as community events, actions and forums), which arise out of these neighborhood Parents Against Lead (PAL) groups are utilized to further build PAL members' leadership skills--subsequently, such activities continue creating more community awareness and knowledge of childhood lead poisoning. In each of these projects, neighborhood leaders are beginning to outreach, educate and train new leaders--thus, demonstrating accomplishments in community empowerment. In this spirit, the projects are of a perpetual nature.
Project Partners
Hmong American Friendship Association (HAFA):
HAFA's service community is comprised of Indo-Chinese refugee families that are dispersed across the city, many of whom are isolated from other neighborhood community-based organizations due to language and cultural barriers. HAFA provides a broad spectrum of social services and referrals for this target population. A majority of these families live in high-risk housing for childhood lead poisoning. HAFA has been partnering with MHD in lead poisoning efforts since 1996 when lead information and hazard reduction was incorporated into a home ownership program offered by their organization. Currently HAFA conducts lead poisoning education and outreach, builds resident leadership for lead issues, and maintains a lead abatement crew under contract with the City of Milwaukee.
Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development (LAND):
The neighborhood that LAND serves has some of the highest lead poisoning rates in the city. The MHD CLPPP and LAND have collaborated on childhood lead poisoning prevention activities through the LAND Demonstration Project since 1995. This EPA-funded environmental justice initiative has provided the CLPPP an opportunity to implement and evaluate various programmatic and policy approaches to the prevention of childhood poisoning in a high risk geographic area. Current projects have begun to build and expand upon this well-established partnership. LAND is supporting prevention initiatives through community outreach efforts and community capacity building activities.
Sherman Park Community Association (SPCA):
SPCA is Milwaukee's largest neighborhood-based organization. SPCA serves an area that both borders and includes Milwaukee's inner-city. The goal of SPCA is to improve the quality of life in Sherman Park by working with other groups on community-wide issues. The community served by SPCA is both socioeconomically and ethnically diverse. Housing in the SPCA neighborhood is some of the oldest in the city, and varies widely in condition. Based upon age of housing, number of children under the age of six, and poverty rates, the probability for childhood lead poisoning is one of the highest in the city as well. SPCA is well-organized and poised for community capacity building around childhood lead poisoning issues.
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (SSCHC):
The SSCHC serves a diverse population, including a majority of Latino and Hmong families. The SSCHC has been working to raise community awareness regarding childhood lead poisoning on Milwaukee's near southside since 1995, when it began its Lead Outreach Project. SSCHC is able to demonstrate real improvements in incidence rates and lead levels since the onset of this project. SSCHC moved further into primary prevention efforts by assisting the MHD in voluntary lead hazard reduction programs aimed at low income rental housing in their service area. Expanding their efforts for community capacity building have been a logical "next step" for SSCHC.
Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund:
Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund (WCAF) has acted as a leader in childhood lead poisoning prevention. Their aggressive action to combat childhood lead poisoning calls, in part, for community empowerment through education. Wisconsin Citizen Action Parents Against Lead Task Force (WCA/PAL) has successfully redefined the childhood lead poisoning problem through mobilizing community action. WCAF continues to develop media-attracting events that serve to further raise community awareness and support for the primary prevention of lead poisoning. WCAF was instrumental in the design and inaugeration of the MCCP. Currently within the MCCP, WCAF provides training, technical assistance and mentoring of lead poisoning staff at each CBO to support community leadership development efforts.
Project Results
The MHD has thus far been successful in partnering with these organizations in a meaningful, supportive way, and we have seen increased community awareness and involvement, as well as an increased value for lead-safe housing, develop. Over the past two years, we have trained 6 individuals with no previous experience in community organizing; 3 have stayed in positions supporting the MCCP. Six additional staff members from the various CBO's have also received training, thus infusing the MCCP philosophy further within the organization. In a six month time frame, (July, 1999 December, 1999), a total of 66 community presentations were conducted by MCCP-funded staff. Over 335 in-home, one-on-one educational/relationship-building visits were conducted in this time frame as well. Numerous days were spent in door-to-door canvassing efforts. Furthermore, each MCCP organization has developed a Parents Against Lead (PAL) group made up of residents from their neighborhood. Each of these groups is in varying stages of leadership development training. These neighborhood PAL groups have also planned and carried out a total of 5 community awareness and education events in their own neighborhoods, reaching between 400 - 500 community residents in total. Over 45 residents throughout Milwaukee are continuing to be neighborhood PAL leaders, and are involved in an in-depth way with lead poisoning prevention initiatives. It is this level of community participation that influenced a ground-breaking Primary Prevention Ordinance to be passed in Milwaukee which that is requiring owners to fix high risk rental properties BEFORE children are lead poisoned. In addition, currently community residents are driving policy makers to assess other sources of revenue for the creation of lead-safe housing, including a lawsuit against the lead paint/pigment manufacturers, and helping to formulate strategies for future HUD funding.
It is critical to note that the strength of this community education and capacity-building effort lies within the ability of the community organizations to reach residents in a very localized way. Each CBO, by virtue of its experience, and by using organizing methods to include residents, is able to identify community needs and respond in an effective manner. Distinct educational needs are discovered in each neighborhood, and distinct strategies designed to meet those needs. For example, projects and products resulting form work with HAFA are primarily in the Hmong language, as well as delivered in a culturally appropriate way; projects with the SSCHC are largely in Spanish, and reflect the Latino populations needs; efforts with LAND and SPCA often result in products that are uniquely African-American.
Project Success
It is important to be aware that the depth of involvement in the community empowerment and capacity-building process also needs to be ensured. The success of these projects truly lies in dedicated individuals from all organizations (MHD, WCAF and each CBO) and residents that are included in these partnerships, and who are "up to their elbows" in this great community work-in-progress. Trust is an elemental factor in the MCCP, and success has required the consistent, honest involvement of each organization in all steps of the process.
For more information about this project:
Sara Schubert, Primary Prevention Specialist
City of Milwaukee Health Department
841 North Broadway, First Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 286-5537
sschub@milwaukee.gov