Community Development through People and Place The Evolution of Focus: HOPE, Detroit, Mich.

Abstract

Problem: Impoverished communities in central Detroit face significant structural, economic, demographic, and other problems that negatively impact their quality of life. Focus: HOPE is using people– and place– based approach-es to reducing these disparities. Purpose: This study is conducted to explore how people-oriented CDCs differ from place-based CDCs in their strategies, challenges, and capacities, using Focus: HOPE as a before and after case study. Methods: Data from inter-views conducted by the author are used to analyze the success of Focus: HOPE’s community development capacities in their expansion from people to place. Results and conclusions: Focus: HOPE exhibits flexibility in pursuit of their mission by shifting to place-based strategies. The organization successfully employs its capacity, especially network capacity, in this evolution. Structural problems still need to be addressed through political capacity to achieve long-term goals.