New Columbia is a bold, nationally-recognized HOPE VI project where the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) transformed the ailing World War II Columbia Villa into an eco-friendly community campus with housing and amenities for families, children and seniors. 

The campus includes parks, a community activities center, Rosa Parks School, Boys and Girls Club, and on-site senior services.

New Columbia  has received two prestigious national awards. The U.S. Department of Education Richard Riley Award recognized New Columbia’s Rosa Parks School as the school that best exemplifies the growing national trend of building schools as center of community.  And – New Columbia received the top 2007 EPA Award for Smart Growth Achievement.

Amidst all of these advantages, New Columbia faced several challenges:  

•       An 82-acre site with 2,500 people from 22 countries, including 1,300+ children, who had moved there over the past two years.  

•       Some of Portland’s poorest and most ethnically diverse citizens, living side-by-side with privately owned homes of higher-income families.

•       Struggles with how to build community among all of this diversity.

•       Intense public scrutiny and some skepticism about the likely success of the project.

•       How to extend community beyond the New Columbia campus

•       Aging groups wanted to improve services to the New Columbia population and needed a roadmap on how to do this.

Photo courtesy of New Columbia/
Housing Authority of Portland.

Photo courtesy of New Columbia/
Housing Authority of Portland.

New Columbia provided a prime opportunity for a “living laboratory” that could test the toolkit components.  In 2007, stakeholders from housing, aging, youth, transportation, environmental and multipurpose organizations met 9 times. The planning process was coordinated by Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services (the Area Aging on Aging ) in partnership with the Housing Authority of Portland. Using the toolkit, discussions centered on finding common ground, identifying the best ways to develop opportunities for engagement in the neighborhood  and building the capacity to adapt to the evolving needs of the community.

Benefits

The strength of this ongoing initiative is an inclusive focus that involves residents and partner organizations. The people who live in the community are involved in program development and see a direct benefit. Partners are seeing that working together on one project can get results for a number of organizations. Some key reasons partners remain engaged are: 1) the work at New Columbia helps them further their own organizational goals; 2) the advantages of working collaboratively with other organizations, such as less duplication of efforts and increased visibility in the community (recognition in the New Columbia newsletter); and 3) the potential to raise funding for their organizations to support work at New Columbia.   

Several initiatives were implemented that are improving quality of life in the areas of environmental stewardship, community safety, healthy lifestyles and youth development.  There is now enhanced interaction across generations, racial/ethnic groups and community-serving agencies.   Here are some highlights: 

Improving Health and Nutrition

Keeping New Columbia Green, Healthy and Vibrant

Enhancing Intergenerational and Multi-Cultural Experience

•     Over 20 Pocket Park events were held last year, more than doubling from the previous year. The purpose is to bring local agencies to New Columbia to share resources and support for the community. The events are for people of all ages and include activities such as: puppet shows; airbrushing tee shirts; sharing musical talent and folk dance. There are educational aspects to many of the events -- with some hosts coming from Red Cross to teach about babysitting and disaster preparation, and the Center for Family Success providing information on obtaining a GED, or awareness around positive parenting techniques.
   

•      K-Ching! (Kids Creating Harmony in Neighborhood Growth) -- is the Youth Employment Program – one for 12-15 year olds and one for 16-18 year olds, which has Urban League involvement.  Youth attend orientations and interviews, and are placed at locations around New Columbia -- the Boys and Girls Club, Trenton Terrace (the senior housing complex) and the University Park Community Center. 
   

•     Community Safety

·    New Columbia worked with community partners and residents to put together a large National Night Out event. The event promoted the ideals of a safe and strong community and to create solidarity by joining together to prevent crime. Community Builders, apartment complex managers, Portland Parks and Recreation Staff and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement jointly put this event together.

Sustaining Efforts at New Columbia  

·    New Columbia now has 6 new Resident Community Builders.  These individuals all live at New Columbia, and include youth and older adults.  They are working to build a strong community and are involved in various projects, including youth programs, helping out at the Trenton Place senior residence, the Boys and Girls Club, leading the Saturday litter patrol, assisting with newsletter distribution and participating on event committees. 

·   A community evaluation called “Community Speaks” is in process to gain a better understanding of how residents feel about their home and how the neighboring community views New Columbia.  Surveys and focus groups will glean perspectives about the current livability of New Columbia and solicit ideas about what else can be done to build even stronger engagement among residents, neighbors and partner organizations. 

Contacts: Molly Gray: mollyg@hapdx.org

Websites:
www.newcolumbia.org
http://multnomah.or.networkofcare.org/aging/home/index.cfm

Photo courtesy of New Columbia/
Housing Authority of Portland.

For product resources please click here.