Urban Strategies, Inc.

 

strengthening families & building healthy communities

Home Our Approach History What We Do Partners Leadership Newsroom Careers Contact Us Contribute
Publications

March/April 2011
A LEAP OF FAITH

The Women's Foundation takes bold steps to break the cycle of poverty in Memphis

by Hannah Sayle, Memphis Business Quarterly

Memphis, TN – Urban Strategies Memphis HOPE featured with the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis in the Memphis Business Quarterly. To learn more about Memphis’ strategy to break the cycle of poverty in its communities click here. The story begins on page 62.


February 16, 2011
URBAN STRATEGIES ENTERS UNIQUE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT MAJOR JOBS INITIATIVE IN NEW ORLEANS

Strategic partnership with local and national funders and agencies will support training and employment for low-income New Orleans residents

New Orleans, LA. February 16, 2011 – Urban Strategies, Inc., has entered into a new partnership led by the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) to address workforce needs and improve career advancement opportunities for low-income, lower-skilled individuals in New Orleans. The Greater New Orleans Workforce Funders Collaborative (GNOWFC) will bring together public and private agencies to support the development of employment skills in the health care and biomedical sectors. NORWFC funding partners include Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the City of New Orleans Offices of the Mayor and Workforce Development, BioDistrict New Orleans, United Way of Greater New Orleans, GNOF and Urban Strategies.

Click here to read more and download entire press release.


February 15, 2011
URBAN STRATEGIES PARTNERSHIP WITH REDF TO SUPPORT MAJOR JOBS INITIATIVE
Link to California-based philanthropic organization will support job creation in low-income communities

St. Louis, MO. February 15, 2011 – Urban Strategies, McCormack Baron Ragan and Green Streets have entered into a new partnership with REDF to connect public housing residents in San Francisco and other California cities with employment opportunities that arise out of social enterprises that have promising prospects of expansion/replication as well as environmental and socioeconomic benefits to low-income communities. Green Streets is a resident and community owned and operated business and one of six such partnerships under an initiative led by REDF that hopes to put 2,500 people in social enterprise jobs in California by 2015. REDF was recently awarded a $3 million federal Social Innovation Fund grant by the Corporation for National and Community Service to support not-for-profit businesses that create jobs in disadvantaged communities. Through the partnership, Urban Strategies will receive a sub-grant that will be used to create jobs and support the development of employment training and opportunities through Green Streets, an environmental waste management and janitorial initiative.

Click here to read more and download entire press release.


January 13, 2011
A school where attendance pays - literally
By Rebecca S. Rivas, The St. Louis American

How does an inner-city principal get her elementary students and their families to commit to attendance and good behavior?

An incentive of $300 is a good start, as Principal Natalie Means of Jefferson Elementary, 1301 Hogan St., discovered.

In the fall, Jefferson Elementary offered 25 newly enrolled students $300 if they achieved 95 percent attendance, were not suspended and their guardians attended three out of four Parent Teacher Organization meetings by the end of the fall semester....

Click here to read the full story from The St. Louis American.


December 17, 2010
Some parents cash in on their kids' good behavior, attendance
By Elisa Crouch, St. Louis Post Dispatch

Click here to read the full story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.


August 30, 2010
St. Louis - Urban Strategies Partners with Jefferson Elementary School, St. Louis Public Schools and McCormack Baron Ragan To Offer Incentives for School Attendance.

Click here to read the full story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Click below for additional media coverage on the Jefferson Elementary School Incentive program.

Kate Casas’s Interview with Charlie Brennan (KMOX) 08-31-10 is posted at
http://kmox.cbslocal.com/?s=Urban+Strategies

Sandy Moore’s interview with Dave Glover (97.1 Talk) 08-31-10 is posted at
http://www.971talk.com/glover/podcast.aspx

FOX 2 News – Morning Show
http://www.fox2now.com/news/morningshow/ktvi-cash-for-school-083110,0,7666769.story

KMOV Newschannel 4
http://m.kmov.com/kmov/db_21848/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=XhMSEJ4k&src=cat

CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504744_162-20015050-10391703.html?tag=mncol;lst;1


August 29, 2010
New Orleans – Harmony Oaks Featured On NPR As The Nation Tracks Recovery Efforts Five After Katrina.

Click here to listen to the broadcast.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129448906


February 10, 2010
Hornets All-Star Guard Chirs Paul Dedicates Third Refurbished Basketball Court

NEW ORLEANS—Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul will be on hand to dedicate his third completed refurbished basketball court on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. at A.L. Davis Playground (2600 LaSalle St. in Uptown.) The dedication will include interactive activities including a basketball clinic, inflatable games, Ochsner and Elmwood Mobile Fitness Units, Hugo and Honeybees to encourage local youth to lead healthy, active lifestyles.

Click here to read more and download entire press release.

Resident Returns Home


February 8, 2010
Former C.J. Peete resident, Ms. Triege Cotton, returns home to Harmony Oaks

Photo Featuring: Ms. Triege Cotton, former C.J. Peete resident and first head of household to return to Harmony Oaks; Mr. Alvin Harrison, Area Manager for McCormack Baron Ragan; Harmony Oaks Neighborhood Association represented by Jacqueline Johnson, Debbie Holmes, Pat Franklin and Jocquelyn Marshall Ms. Darlene Sanville, Urban Strategies Senior Case Manager

To view the video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7TRcRo9Ylk

Resident Returns Home


NNSP Conference


November 10-13, 2009

Washington D.C.

For more information: http://www.insightcced.org/communities/nnsp.html/nnsp-conference-schedule.html

Workshop and plenary descriptions: http://www.nnsp.org/nnsp-conference-sessions.html

Registration link: http://www.greenmoonsolutions.com/nnsp2009/



Urban Strategies Wins $1 Million Federal Grant for Community and Housing Revitalization Efforts in New Orleans
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/09/28/daily76.html
St. Louis Business Journal | October 2, 2009


Coming Home: One Woman's Return to New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina
http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/ coming_home_one_womans_return_to_new_orleans_after_hurricane_katrina?Page=1
Essence.com | As Told To Wendy L. Wilson | August 28, 2009


4 Years After Katrina, 90 "Magnolia" Housing Project Families Get Ready for Homecoming
http://www.bet.com/News/ Four_Years_After_Katrina_New_Orleans_Residents_Prepare_for_Homecoming.htm
BET.com | Tanu Henry | August 28, 2009


Defying economy, New Orleans keeps rebuilding
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/03/ nation/na-rebuilding-new-orleans3
Los Angeles Times | By Richard Fausset | April 3, 2009


Work starts on overhaul of C.J. Peete public housing complex in Central City
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/
news-1/1231396240311270.xml&coll=1

The Times-Picayune | By Katy Reckdahl | January 8, 2009


New designs hope to avoid past problems in public housing complexes
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/ new_designs_hope_to_avoid_past.html
The Times-Picayune | By Katy Reckdahl | May 12, 2009


Click here to download the pdf version of Urban Strategies' book, The Neighborhood and Its School in Community Revitalization: Tools for Developers of Mixed-Income Housing Communities.

If you would like a hard copy, please contact Urban Strategies at 314-421-4200.

This project was funded by the Ford Foundation. The contents of The Neighborhood and Its School in Community Revitalization: Tools for Developers of Mixed-Income Housing Communities reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or practices of the Ford Foundation.

(File is approx. 13M and may take a few minutes to download)

 

Urban Strategies' New Orleans Revitalization!

Harmony Oaks, Formerly C.J. Peete, was Launched into the National Spotlight during Katrina Anniversary

Tremendous progress is being made at Harmony Oaks, formally C.J. Peete Public Housing in New Orleans, and the country is starting to take notice.

As the nation’s focus turned to New Orleans and the four year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina last week, many national and local media outlets directed their attention to the progress being made at Harmony Oaks.

Outlets from Essence.com (the on-line version of Essence magazine) and Marketwatch Radio to BET.com News (the online version of Black Entertainment Television news) and Family Network Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio interviewed Urban Strategies President Sandra M. Moore and/or former C.J. Peete residents.

Anderson Cooper from CNN also made a personal visit to the Harmony Oaks site to show the building progress of this new mixed-income community during his coverage of the anniversary on Anderson Cooper 360. 

The BET.com news story detailed two former residents’ struggles over the past four years, highlighted the opportunity for previous residents to return to the new mixed-income Harmony Oaks community and showcased Urban Strategies’ role in preparing residents to move back to an array of community and supportive services.

BET News also interviewed Jocquelyn Marshall, C.J. Peete Resident Council President and Community Center Manager, after her testimony at the U. S. Congressional hearing in New Orleans on Friday, August 21.

In the tradition of Essence story telling, news editor Wendy Wilson wrote an “As Told To” piece after interviewing Moore about Harmony Oaks and former resident Antoinette Morton about her journey of leaving C.J. Peete and her excitement about moving into the redeveloped community.

Additionally, more than 15 national and regional radio interviews occurred with Moore days before the anniversary discussing Harmony Oaks, the significance of mixed-income communities, community and social services being offered and the need to raise social investment funds.

The first rental units are scheduled for occupancy in the coming months, but there is much more work that needs to be done.  More than $40 million in private investments needs to be raised to fund and sustain the community and provide supportive services for the returning residents.

Learn how you can help by calling
877-330-2979 or visiting ‘Contribute’.

 

 

 


Copyright 2010. Urban Strategies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Urban Strategies, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) corporation headquartered at 720 Olive Street, Suite 2600 | St. Louis, Missouri 63101 | (314) 421-4200