The Eastside Community Network (formerly Warren/Conner Development Coalition) has been spearheading community development on Detroit's east side for over 30 years. 

They work with residents and partners to drive lasting, positive change in their neighborhoods and communities. This positive transformation is achieved through resident engagement, multi-sector collaborations, advocacy, leadership development, and innovative approaches to land development.

Suzanne Cleage, the Director of Neighborhood Growth, recently spoke with us about her work at ECN and how she benefits from serving on the Detroit URC Board: “I gain the ability to connect with other community leaders and researchers to gain insight and knowledge around health disparities.  It also gives me the opportunity to represent my people.”

How did you first get involved with Detroit URC?

ECN has been involved with the Detroit URC since its inception in 1995. We were known as Warren Conner Development Coalition back then.  As staffing changes occurred, different individuals get appointed to the Board.  When I began my employment at ECN in 2015, a part of my responsibility was to represent ECN and the residents of the eastside.

The mission of ECN is to develop people, places and plans for sustainable neighborhood growth on Detroit's Eastside.  How has Detroit URC helped you advance your mission?

Improving the health and wellness through a holistic approach, as well as addressing community/place-based needs, provides for sustainable neighborhoods. In working to address social disparities in health related issues, we continue to educate and empower residents to change their behaviors for a better tomorrow as well as advocate for better living conditions.

Working with the Detroit URC and its affiliated partners has helped ECN by providing educational information at Summits (ECN educational forums which address specific community concerns), and providing evaluation and consultation on health initiatives administered in the 48213 zip code, also known as the Chandler Park Healthy Neighborhood Initiative.  The Detroit URC sat on the executive committee through the planning and implementation phases of that initiative that addressed type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

I also appreciate the fact that community input is valued in the decisions which impact Detroiters.  The Detroit URC continues to believe and support equity and community participation in all the work they do. I have had the pleasure of reviewing grants and CBPR academy submissions to ensure the community voice and participation are always at the forefront.

Are there other ways in which your partnership with the Detroit URC is helpful for you and ECN?

Through the Detroit URC, ECN has developed a wonderful lasting partnership with U of MI School of Information and Technology.  This new partnership has led to bi-monthly meetings with residents to establish neighborhood tours and create entrepreneurs in our community.  The School of Information has also volunteered for over a year now- providing hands-on computer/technology assistance to residents on the second Saturday of each month in our “Bring Your Own Device” workshops.  ECN has also been able to support researchers in the School of Public Health with a lung cancer screening tool by recruiting residents, and hosting focus groups that provided resident feedback and evaluation of the materials aimed at reducing the disproportionately high rate of lung cancer among African American males.

What initiatives are you currently working on?

We have neighborhood planning happening in the McDougall Hunt neighborhood- which is an extension of the communities that we've historically served.  We are working on offsite credits for green infrastructure to build capacity in one of the neighborhoods that has more open space.  We are working to re-establish the Mack Ave corridor as a viable business corridor, building a business association and connecting communities, the Grosse Pointes, along the corridor.  We are working with 100 residents to remove barriers to poverty through our Partnership for Economic Independence program.  We are creating entrepreneurs through our partnership with ProsperUS Detroit and Southwest Economic Solutions. We have recently opened a satellite office on Mack Ave to connect with residents. This site will also house our computer lab in which we will work to bridge the digital divide in our community.

In terms of youth development, we have, in partnership with Southeastern HS, created a speaker series with the 10th grade class on leadership, advocacy, community building and organizing. We also have a youth center, "the Vault," which provides after school programming Mondays -Thursdays.

What are your goals for next year?

My goal is to continue to build upon our existing work.  For example, we are working on the opening of the computer lab and the building of community using our new space -- “Mack Market” on Mack Ave.  We also want to connect more businesses and neighborhoods together- advocating for better conditions in our communities. We also want to create sustainable self- sufficient communities, empower young minds, and develop leads in our community.  Lastly, we want to increase voter awareness and engagement among residents and continue to work with government/city departments on behalf of residents

What do you wish more people understood about ECN?

I wish they understood that we work from a holistic approach- addressing all aspects of quality of life- not just housing.  Community development has evolved into so much more.  It's the new social justice voice for communities.

For links to previous interviews, please click on a name below.

Lidia Reyes-Flores, Executive Director of Latino Family Services

Guy O. Williams, President and CEO of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice 

Sheilah Clay, President and CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization

Angela G. Reyes, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation

Are you committed to engage in collaborative research? The Detroit URC has announced a funding opportunity that may enhance your efforts. The Small Planning Grant Program, now in its tenth round of funding, seeks to facilitate new, equitable collaborative relationships between academic and community entities and enhance their capacity to conduct and disseminate research focused on the social and physical environment and health equity, and translate research findings into action, with the aim of improving the health and quality of life of Detroit residents. The grant program funds two types of grants: 1. Partnership Formation and Maintenance and 2. Project Development.

Eligibility

Members of the Detroit URC Community-Academic Research Network (CAR-Net), as well as academic researchers and community entities who are not CAR-Net members but are committed to engage in collaborative research, are eligible to apply.

Funding Level

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded, with a grant duration period of one year. The number and amount of awarded grants is based on the quantity and quality of the submitted proposals.  

Planning Grant Program Round 10 Timeline:

Click here to read more, read the Request for Proposals, or download the application form.

This opportunity is supported by MICHR and the University of Michigan.

The Detroit URC has been awarded an Administrative Supplement from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to enhance knowledge and skills in the use of innovative methodologies in the behavioral and social sciences, in partnership with the communities involved, to examine and address health inequities. This funding builds on the existing CBPR Partnership Academy, which has been conducted successfully since 2014. Participants from all cohorts of the CBPR Partnership Academy will be eligible to extend and augment their accomplishments, ensure career development, and foster sustainability.

The Administrative Supplement supports these academy participants through a number of activities, including:

• Up to $45,000 in Pilot Project grant funding
• Online learning forums, featuring topics identified by participants
• Mentoring activities and by-request consultation with national experts in CBPR
• CBPR Partnership Academy Symposium, featuring presentations from all three cohorts of the Partnership Academy in Michigan in May of 2019
• Widespread communication and dissemination efforts, including several dedicated e-newsletters and website features

Click here to learn more about the CBPR Partnership Academy. 

Latino Family Services provides a service system in Detroit that assists and supports families in their efforts to improve their social, health, and educational functioning; enhance their community environment; and increase economic self-sufficiency.

Executive Director Lidia Reyes-Flores recently spoke with us about her work and involvement in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR).

How did Latino Family Services first get involved with the Detroit URC?

Latino Family Services has been a part of the Detroit URC since it was established in 1995, and I got involved when I became the interim CEO in 2010. My background was in business, not the nonprofit world, so I had to learn all the ropes. Getting oriented to the Detroit URC was very refreshing because everyone is so supportive of each other. Everyone is so open with each other – it’s one place where I don’t feel stressed.

The first year I was on the Detroit URC Board, I was just trying to absorb as much as possible, learning about what everyone does and how they do it. As I got to know everyone, I learned what CBPR is all about. I come from a community-based family, so I’ve done wrap-around and distributive justice, which is part of what CBPR is – finding out what everybody does and how to integrate it into everybody’s life.

The Detroit URC is a great support system for everybody because you get so much from all the partners. You get involved and it becomes like a family. I could go to any one of the partners and ask for help with whatever I need. You feel comfortable enough to do that. I think it’s very rare in any kind of setting.

How does your involvement in CBPR help you advance the work of Latino Family Services?

It helps a lot. I enjoy getting out and talking to people about the research coming out of projects like Insure Detroit. At conferences, I like to talk to people and encourage them to check out our work.

The Detroit URC has come a long way. I want to make people more aware of the role the Detroit URC has played, let them know who they are and where they came from, who started all this, and where we’ve gone with it. Now that I’m working on health education projects, I meet people who don’t know what CBPR is. And I just tell them “you’re doing it and you don’t even know it.”

What benefits does Latino Family Services gain from being on the Detroit URC Board?

Resources. This connection between all of the partners that we have here, it’s like a resource center to me. If I need to do new work, I have people to ask. For example, Guy Williams, he’s one of the first people I met here. I didn’t know him, but he joined the board when I did, and we built a relationship based on that. I asked him for support getting some administrative skills in a nonprofit environment. I know I can go and ask partners for advice. That benefits me, and it benefits my organization. It’s a good feeling that you can help people – money couldn’t buy that.