Beyond Housing - Pagedale

On Thursday, a speaker came into class to speak with us about her program "Beyond Housing", which provides homes and services for impoverished communities that need support. One of the key focuses of her presentation was how decisions for the program are made--which relates back to the various forms of data collection we have talked about throughout the semester. Ms. Baldwin discussed how Beyond Housing gets information from all their shareholders before any programs are created or any decisions are made. Shareholders include anyone who is affected by a decision such as the residents, board members, and anyone holding a financial interest in the community, just to name a few. Ms. Baldwin spoke of the use of focus groups to gauge potential interest. I believe this would be the best way to make the best decision possible. Beyond Housing would not want to create a program that the community members have no interest in, and likewise the investors do not want their money to go to waste.
Beyond Housing is an inspiring story. To even begin to transform an impoverished community with a rampant crime problem to a community that one day parents will not be ashamed to raise their children in must be a monumental task. I would not even know where to start. Ms. Baldwin's research to find out what the residents want or will use is an important step in transforming the community. It is important that Beyond Housing just does not do what they think is best for Pagedale, but do what is actually best for the residents. You can build all the buildings and stores that you want, but if the residents do not want them in the neighborhood or do not use them, you are right back where you started, except you lost a few million dollars. Ms. Baldwin spoke of the resident's request for a grocery store in the community since the closest one is not within walking distance. The decision to put in a grocery store was easy, but finding a grocery store that was willing to come to Pagedale was difficult. The store is putting a huge financial commitment into a less than stable community. It is a difficult decision, but I respect the store that was willing to give Beyond Housing and Pagedale a chance