By Dr. Claver L. Pashi, PhD
With an introduction by Trenton Davis

Part of the Jubilee Dream involves imagining a new economy. In forgiving the debts of our neighbors, reclaiming of the land by its rightful owners, and identifying the underlying cooperative economy that holds our communities together, we open the possibilities to a new ‘good’ life that is more accessible and equitable to all. However, in the United States, this dream comes with a price tag and a lot of red tape.

Our system restricts economic freedom — it’s incredibly difficult to start a business as a low-income entrepreneur. Often, our neighbors have ideas and talents that are valuable, even if they are ‘small’. We mustn’t always consider scale and funding rounds. We mustn’t always place value in profitability; we should, instead shift our mindset to that which invests in reclaiming our land and a sense of place. In business, this practice of sustainability goes by many names — micro-business, social enterprise, place-based investment, asset-based community development. J-RAB, INC.’s Business and Service Coordination Center is actively working to assist in building residents’ capacities so they can take their economic development into their own hands.

The Jurisdiction-wide Resident Advisory Board (J-RAB), a public housing, resident driven and owned organization, actively works in partnership with the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), an asset management organization serving individuals who have made a choice to live in public housing. There are approximately 11,000 public housing residents residing in 23 public housing developments situated in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority. This partnership combines the vast resources of CMHA with talents and commitment of local stakeholders. At its 2nd Annual Resident Empowerment Conference held in June 2016, J-RAB, INC. showcased its Business and Service Coordination Center (BSCC), which had just opened its doors in May 2016. J-RAB, INC. has developed a local small BSCC to assist Resident Owned Businesses to improve their capacity and abilities to take advantage of missed HUD Section 3 employment and contracting opportunities.

The BSCC facility is designed by the residents and for the residents. It is a social entrepreneurship business facility developed to nurture the needs of starting and developing Resident Owned Businesses (ROBs), and low to very low-income entrepreneurs, to be able to effectively compete for Section 3 sanctioned Housing Authority, City and County contract opportunities and projects. This model, through its staff, network of partners, and online resources, also facilitates capacity building training for public housing residents and low to very low-income individuals, to prepare them to be ready to access contracting, subcontracting, and training opportunities generated through HUD Section 3 regulations (primarily) and other income generating opportunities (secondarily).

The BSCC further offers its public housing resident members, and low to very low-income entrepreneurs, access to various services of general management skills, marketing, accounting, legal, banking, and much more at an affordable cost. The small businesses served through the BSCC have shown and exhibited a high level of motivation and potential for growth. We continue to see these small businesses aligned with mainly four industry categories where there are high levels of potential growth for them in the community. These categories include:

  • Construction Services
  • Janitorial & Landscaping
  • Professional Services such as accountants, architects, advertising services, graphic designers, data processing, etc.
  • Resident Management Development

J-RAB strongly believes that the support provided by public housing residents, its network of professional providers, and CMHA, has helped to create a successful and sustainable environment for potentially investing in the skills, talents and gifts that are so much embedded in these public housing developments/communities.

J-RAB INC is in the business of promoting a strong partnership with the residents, with CMHA, and with the community and other partners within the city of Cincinnati. Such partnerships aim at allowing J-RAB to empower, advocate, inform, support and educate all residents who have made a choice to live in public housing. As one resident said: “Living in substandard public housing does not mean we have substandard education” (Ms. Luwana Oglesby, Stanley Rowe Towers B, and President of the Resident Council). This says it all. There are very talented individuals who have made a choice to live in public housing.

 

This article was originally published in StreetVibes newspaper and is reprinted here with permission.

Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash