Fair Haveners Seek Out “Inclusive Growth” – New Haven Independent

Report on Fair Haven Community Meeting for Inclusive Economic Development

Introduction and Context

A community brainstorming session was held in Fair Haven, hosted by the Center for Inclusive Growth, a nonprofit organization established through a partnership between Yale University and the City of New Haven. The meeting’s objective was to gather resident input for an economic development plan, aligning with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Center, funded by Yale, is tasked with developing actionable strategies for inclusive economic growth throughout New Haven.

Community Vision and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Residents articulated a future for Fair Haven that strongly resonates with several key SDGs. The shared vision emphasizes creating a safe, prosperous, and inclusive community.

• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): The primary vision expressed was for “clean streets and open doors,” where children can play safely outside. This includes calls for better street lighting, particularly on Exchange Street, and the development of accessible housing and transportation infrastructure.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): A significant part of the vision involves a community free from fear, where mental health is prioritized and destigmatized. Residents expressed a desire for an environment where families feel secure and community bonds are strong.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The ideal future includes a neighborhood where “there’s no such thing as stranger danger,” reflecting a desire for enhanced local safety and social cohesion.

Identified Barriers to Sustainable Development

Participants identified several critical barriers preventing the community from reaching its full economic and social potential. These challenges directly contravene the targets of multiple SDGs.

1. Economic Disparities and Lack of Decent Work (SDG 1, SDG 8, SDG 10):
   • Insufficient household income was cited as a primary obstacle.
   • A lack of local employment opportunities forces residents to travel outside the neighborhood for work.
   • A persistent demand for “living-wage jobs” was highlighted as a fundamental need.
   • Income inequality was starkly noted in a comparison between Fair Haven and the wealthier East Rock neighborhood, where residents have greater capacity to invest in their properties, contributing to visible disparities despite similar housing stock.
2. Health, Safety, and Education Challenges (SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 11):
   • Widespread drug usage, especially in proximity to a school, was identified as a major barrier to community safety and well-being.
   • Inadequate mental health resources and the stigmatization of mental illness were seen as urgent community needs affecting both adults and children.
   • The perception that local schools are “inadequately meeting the needs of all students” was raised as a significant concern for future development.

Proposed Solutions and Opportunities for Growth

The discussion yielded several proposals for fostering inclusive and sustainable growth, focusing on local assets and infrastructure.

• Promoting Local Economic Growth (SDG 8):
  • Highlighting local business success stories, such as the framing company Art to Frames, which provides local employment.
  • Proposing the redevelopment of vacant properties, including the English Station, a former Santander Bank, and a former Rite Aid, into centralized commercial hubs or community spaces.
  • Supporting small and mid-sized businesses through initiatives like the Center’s Neighborhood Opportunity & Capacity Building Acceleration Project (NOCAP).
• Strengthening Community Institutions and Partnerships (SDG 16, SDG 17):
  • Residents emphasized that progress must be rooted in long-term relationship-building, not isolated meetings.
  • A significant challenge identified was the “decades of distrust” toward outside institutions, including Yale.
  • Effective outreach was deemed critical, with recommendations for the Center to engage directly with community members at school drop-offs, food banks, and through door-to-door conversations to build the trust necessary for effective partnerships.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The article highlights significant concerns about community health, specifically mental health and substance abuse. Residents identify “drug usage” as a major barrier, particularly near schools. The discussion also emphasizes the need to address mental health struggles, which are described as an “urgent community need” and are often “stigmatized,” affecting both children and adults.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The quality of local education is directly questioned by residents. One of the identified barriers to the neighborhood’s potential is that “Schools inadequately meeting the needs of all students.” This points to a desire for more effective and equitable educational opportunities for children in the community.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The core theme of the meeting is “inclusive economic development.” Residents express a clear need for better economic opportunities, citing “Insufficient income in too many households” and the “Need to travel outside of the neighborhood for work.” The desire for a “living-wage job” is a recurring theme, and the Center for Inclusive Growth’s plan to support “small and mid-sized business owners” directly relates to fostering local economic growth and job creation.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • The article strongly emphasizes the issue of inequality between different neighborhoods. The comparison between Fair Haven and the wealthier East Rock, where houses look “so different” despite being structurally similar due to disparities in wealth and investment, is a central point. The statement, “We cannot survive as a community where three neighborhoods have wealth and every other neighborhood carries the burden,” directly addresses intra-city inequality. Additionally, the call for “disability-accessible housing, jobs, and transportation” seeks to ensure inclusion for people with disabilities.

5. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Residents’ aspirations for their neighborhood are deeply connected to this goal. They dream of “clean streets,” “better-lit streets,” and safe public spaces where “kids not scared to play outside.” These desires reflect a need for safe, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments. The discussion also touches on utilizing vacant properties for community and commercial development and the need for accessible housing and transportation.

6. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The article points to a breakdown in safety and trust. Concerns about drug use and the desire for a neighborhood where “families can sleep with there windows up” relate to personal security. Furthermore, the discussion about the community’s “decades of distrust” towards institutions like Yale and the need for genuine, continuous relationship-building highlights the challenge of creating inclusive and participatory decision-making processes.

7. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The entire initiative described in the article is an example of a multi-stakeholder partnership. The Center for Inclusive Growth itself “sprang from an agreement between Yale and city government,” representing a collaboration between academia, local government, and a nonprofit entity to achieve community development goals. The meeting is an attempt to include civil society (the residents) in this partnership.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The residents’ call to recognize “mental health struggles as an urgent community need” and to “create space for communities to thrive” by addressing them aligns directly with promoting mental well-being.
   • Target 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol. This is explicitly identified when a resident names “the drug usage” as a primary barrier to the neighborhood’s economic potential.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all. The concern about “drug usage… right by a school” and the general sentiment that schools are “inadequately meeting the needs of all students” point to a need for safer and more effective learning environments.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The Center’s “Neighborhood Opportunity & Capacity Building Acceleration Project (NOCAP)” program, which offers support to “small and mid-sized business owners,” is a direct implementation of this target. The common community need for a “living-wage job” also reflects this goal.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The article’s focus on “inclusive growth,” the stark comparison between wealthy and poor neighborhoods, and the call for “disability-accessible housing, jobs, and transportation” all aim to reduce inequality and promote inclusion.

5. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. The discussion about housing investment disparities between Fair Haven and East Rock and the need for accessible housing relates to this target.
   • Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. The residents’ vision of “clean streets,” “better-lit streets” for safety, and spaces where “kids not scared to play outside” directly corresponds to this target.

6. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The fear expressed by residents (“kids not scared to play outside,” “no such thing as stranger danger”) and concerns about crime related to drug use connect to the fundamental need to reduce violence and increase safety.
   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The critique of the meeting’s low turnout and the advice to organizers to engage in “continuous” outreach to overcome “decades of distrust” is a call for more inclusive and participatory processes.

7. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The Center for Inclusive Growth, born from an agreement between Yale (private university) and the city (public), and now engaging with residents (civil society), is a textbook example of this type of partnership in action.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Implied Indicators for Health and Safety (SDG 3, 11, 16)

   • Perception of Safety: A qualitative indicator would be an increase in residents feeling safe, measured by sentiments like “kids not scared to play outside” and families feeling they can “sleep with there windows up.”
   • Prevalence of Substance Abuse: A quantitative indicator would be a reduction in visible “drug usage,” especially in public spaces and near schools.
   • Availability of Mental Health Resources: Progress could be measured by the number of accessible mental health services and community members’ awareness of them, addressing the “stigmatized” nature of mental illness.
   • Adequacy of Street Lighting: A simple, measurable indicator is the proportion of streets, like “Exchange Street,” that are well-lit.

2. Implied Indicators for Economic Opportunity (SDG 8, 10)

   • Household Income Levels: An increase in median household income would be a direct measure of progress against “Insufficient income in too many households.”
   • Availability of Living-Wage Jobs: The proportion of residents employed in jobs that pay a living wage is a key indicator mentioned explicitly.
   • Number of Local Businesses Supported: The success of the NOCAP program could be measured by the number of small and medium-sized businesses it assists and their subsequent growth.
   • Proximity of Work to Home: An increase in the number of residents who can “walk to work” would indicate the growth of local employment opportunities.

3. Implied Indicators for Inclusive Institutions (SDG 16, 17)

   • Community Engagement Levels: The number and diversity of residents attending community meetings would be a direct measure of improved outreach and trust, contrasting with the “tiny group” that attended this session.
   • Level of Trust in Institutions: A qualitative indicator would be a reduction in the “decades of distrust” expressed by residents, measured through surveys or focus groups.

4. Implied Indicators for Urban Environment and Education (SDG 4, 11)

   • Street Cleanliness: The state of “clean streets” is a visible, qualitative indicator of the quality of the local environment.
   • Satisfaction with Schools: Surveys measuring parental and student satisfaction could track progress on ensuring schools are “adequately meeting the needs of all students.”
   • Accessibility: The number of housing units, public transport options, and jobs that are fully disability-accessible.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: newhavenindependent.org