(MSCC) David Ward, Posted: January 17, 2023

MSCC Strategic Plan, Draft 6, Dated: January 17 2023

MISSION: to dismantle the causes of homelessness by building an equitable, just, and sustainable social infrastructure to ensure dignity, health, and home for all. 

Vision:  a thriving community where all people have secure Housing, good Health, and free from Hunger. 

Neighborhood Focus:  Midtown South Manhattan

STRATEGY 1: Strengthen Coalitions

• Convene cross-sector stakeholders to develop strategies to transcend poverty and homelessness
• Address the concerns of residents and local businesses
• Bring people together to share knowledge and resources

Tactics 

Current Status: 

Monthly Homeless & Housing Forums:  20-30 individuals representing 20-25 organizations and a few residents meet monthly.  The Forums are effective at building coalitions, promoting advocacy and encouraging community.

Action: (One Year)

• Prioritize committees for development; establish goals for each committee
• Consider whether the Forums should transition from discussion groups into a more formally linked Collective Impact model of stakeholders who are committed to working together within committees to develop cohesive strategies to combat homelessness.

Action: (Two to Five years)

Establish a “One-Stop Shop”: a physical location to bring together a few key social service providers where housing-challenged individuals can receive assistance and avoid being shuttled between agencies.

STRATEGY 2: Advocacy 

• educate about harmful policies and empower voters to take strategic action 
• lobby for improved housing, health access and other quality of life attributes

Tactics Current Status: 

The monthly Homeless and Housing Forum shares reports on and seeks coalition support for lobbying and advocacy efforts 

Action: (One to Two Years)

Through media attention, public pressure, legal reform, education:

Focus advocacy and lobbying in the short-term on:

• Conversion of hotels to housing
• Penn Station re-development
• Stop Medicare direct contracting
• Public Housing

Action: (Two to Five Years)

Focus advocacy and lobbying in the mid-term on:

• Medical respite beds and ER-Adjacent drop-in centers
• Street Medicine and Electronic Health Record Sharing
• Expand Insurance Enrollment
• Hire a Housing & Homeless Clinical Coordinator

STRATEGY 3: Build Community

• Bring residents together in person to build trust, respect and understanding
• Combat NIMBYism 
• Improve community members’ quality of life
• Improve access to social services

Tactics 

Current Status:

 Urban Farm.  Nearly 60 individuals are on an email volunteer list; 10-20 gather for garden chores weekly May – October; In 2021 three neighborhood shelters (?) received over 900 pounds (?) of fresh food. The Farm brings together small groups of volunteers with shared purpose to provide fresh vegetables to food-insecure groups, and educates about fresh food production

Action: (One Year)

• Hire part-time Farm Manager
• Expand farm operations.  

Action: (Two to Five Years)

• Establish an Arts and Culture Program.
• Organize a neighborhood beautification and environment committee.
• Strengthen volunteer involvement and establish an internship program

Organization-wide Needs

Management/Current Status:

MSCC is essentially run by two dedicated individuals, and a handful of volunteers.  The leadership is spread so thin that, while they have proved over the past (30?) years to be very effective grass roots organizers, coalition builders and lobbyists, they are often reduced to dealing with daily emergencies at the expense of long-term planning. 

Action: [Need time-line]

• Provide the uncompensated Executive Director with an appropriate salary
• Hire an Events and Production Coordinator who would execute short- and long-range planning and manage daily business matters. 

Communications/Current Status:

Main method is frequent e-mailed newsletters to a list of 1250.

Social Media and the website are inconsistent: Facebook has 120 followers, Twitter 258, Linked-In 9, Instagram 176, YouTube channel 38.  The website is out of date and difficult to navigate.  Board meetings take place approximately quarterly (?). The monthly Homeless & Housing Forum disseminates a great deal of timely information. Occasional press releases may not be sufficiently attention-getting

Action: [Need time-line]

• Hire a Marketing and Communications Manager.

CHALLENGES FOR THIS PLAN:

• Add statements of measurable goals to each action above. These should include:
  • Precisely what do we need people to do, What’s the behavior change?
  • What level of change?
  • Over what period of time?
  • who are those people: politically motivated legislators, bureaucratic city agencies hamstrung by red tape, social service agencies that are already short of resources, other?

• What specific actions would combat NIMBYism?

• Which communications strategies are best for achieving the goals of this plan?

• Define the resources needed in terms of personnel, space and money for each action 

• Where does the Home Urban Repair Team fit? 

• Job descriptions and salaries must be developed 
• for instance:
• Marketing and Communications Manager draft job description: 

• Revamp all communications to align with this strategy
• Upgrade website
• Keep all media up to date with the same messages
• Assure timely communication of events and plans
• Increase community awareness of MSCC
• Develop comprehensive marketing plan
• Consider eliminating some social media and concentrate on a few.