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The Community Benefits Plan will help individuals realize their potential, prepare residents for a competitive job market, offer our youth a future, and provide citizens with assistance in building that future. The Plan has five strategic areas:
Individual Growth
The focus: building life and job skills. The 5-year goal: reduce poverty and unemployment; raise per capita income. The Programs that will help accomplish this are:
- The Family Literacy Center Provides adult tutoring, and life-skills training in parenting and home management.
- GED classes Which enrolls participants in high school equivalency courses.
- Bridges for Digital Excellence Increases computer literacy, by donating a computer to families, in exchange for a commitment from adults to attend 8 hours of classes.
- Blueprints Helps individuals commit to constructive change in their personal lives through a series of self-examination workshops.
Business Growth
The goal: involving local entrepreneurs in the project. The 5-year goals: increase the number of local business start-ups by 20% each year; strengthen local businesses by providing training; encourage local businesses to hire locally; and establish a 25% local business participation for the Harbor Shores project. The Programs that will help accomplish this are:
- Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services Provides assistance and training to area entrepreneurs
- Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce Member-driven organization encouraging the growth of business through networking, advocacy, visibility and benefits
Students and Schools
The goal: support the Benton Harbor Area Schools and improve student performance. That means increasing attendance and MEAP scores, lowering drop-out rates, and helping teachers develop professionally. These are some programs designed to boost learning and achievement:
- SOAR An afterschool program has an emphasis on tutoring and homework, character education, drug and violence prevention, mentoring, and sports.
- LOT/Leaders of Tomorrow An afterschool program helping middle school students lift their math skills and MEAP scores.
Community
The goal: build a spirit of community within Benton Harbor, and strengthen a connection between Benton Harbor and the surrounding area. That means focusing on internal foundations such as home ownership. It also means focusing on external factors, building a culture of inclusion and diversity throughout the region. Programs:
- Housing and Homeownership Consortium Provides counseling to help individuals improve credit scores, and become eligible for quality home loans. Currently, the home ownership rate in Benton Harbor is just 35%. The concept: help residents manage finances and build assets, so they can buy a home, and bring stability to the community.
- Diversity Training Provides workshops to places of employment to help participants better understand the minority experience. By promoting diversity and awareness, people across our region become more invested in building a partnership with Benton Harbor.
Leadership Development/Citizen Participation
The goal: assist leaders to make city government as effective as possible, and inspire residents to become involved.
- Leadership Development Assisting city leaders with access to workshops on professional growth and management.
- Citizen Participation Promoting the formation of citizen organizations that can impact positive change in neighborhoods. Band of Brethren is an example of one such group of male role models, committed to improving education, wellness and economic empowerment.
Simply put, the Community Benefits Plan will help residents make internal change, and become partners in making external change in the community.
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