Research Project Ideas

Today I spent most of the day helping to set up the Freret Neighborhood Center for summer camp. I got to paint a box to be their "treasure chest" full of prizes for good behavior--I put a giant mosquito on one side because Kate told me to use their field trip to the swamp for inspiration :)

But in the afternoon I took a break from that to talk to David about a potential research project--let me type up my notes before I forget what they mean.

Potential Questions to answer:

--Broadly, what can residents do when they have a lot of vacant properties in their neighborhood? (what works, what doesn't, etc.)
--How successful is NHS's CBI initiative? Aspects to concentrate on include the physical (are homes being renovated?), the social (are residents involved/engaged?) and the property owners (what are their intentions? how well does the campaign address their needs?)
--Speaking of property owners--what are their intentions in more detail? What do these intentions say about the neighborhood, this type of approach? (this could do more than just evaluate NHS)
--What are some "best practices" for neighborhood organizations? David seemed to like the idea of looking at what other cities/organizations are doing--even just page long case studies. Possible cases include organizations in Flint MI, Detroit, Chicago ("Troubled Building"/CIC) and Broadmoor NOLA.

Data available:

--Results of the Freret property campaign (survey June 2008, letters Feb 2009) --Incoming results of the Milan campaign (survey March 2008, letters June 2009)
--Anticipated results of the 7th Ward campaign (survey June 2008, letters TBA)
--The beginnings of a "data set" of who volunteers/does what, using Sales Force (to track community involvement)
--Anything I do myself?

We also talked about how NHS is hoping to administer a grant from the city to rehab houses, which led to a discussion on soft-second loans. Basically it's a loan that covers part of your mortgage (only part--the "second" part that you're not getting from the bank because you don't qualify for it/can't afford it). It is different from a typical mortgage in that it might not have to be repaid if it's the kind that can be forgiven, or if you have to pay it back, you don't owe any interest. Either one helps you build equity in your home for less than it would cost if you went through the traditional mortgage process. It's confusing and I still don't fully understand the entire process, but David drew a pretty chart. Charts make me happy.