Building Knowledge for Policy and Practice in Southern New Jersey
Community and Organizational Development
Community and Organizational Development
Partnership and collaboration are integral to our mission to improve the lives and life chances of people in South Jersey. Our work to develop communities and organizations centers on a commitment to bring more people to the table to seek solutions to challenging issues. We often serve as the backbone organization for collaborative projects and coalitions to facilitate community-based interventions.
In addition to researching and presenting findings, we also provide a venue for public, private and nonprofit leaders to engage constructively on issues that impact South Jersey. Since inception, WRI has tackled an array of policy problems including social service delivery, local government capacity, release and re-entry of violent offenders, civic engagement, housing affordability, and regional development. All of these projects have connected stakeholders, as well as students, with opportunities for discussion and collective action.
Current and Ongoing Projects
WRI evaluation project in Salem, New Jersey
WRI is partnering with the Forman S. Acton Educational Foundation in Salem County on a comprehensive evaluation project.
Availability of Housing for the Homeless in South Jersey
WRI Faculty Fellow Melanie Bowers is studying the availability and distribution of population-appropriate housing and homeless services in South Jersey.
South Jersey Strengthening Families Initiative Evaluation
Commissioned by Pascale Sykes Foundation, WRI is examining the impact of social services collaboration on child well-being, families’ financial stability, and relationships between children and caregivers.
Every two years, counties are required by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) to study community needs and evaluate current services using both a quantitative and qualitative approach. This year, WRI is partnering with the Human Services Advisory Councils (HSAC) in Burlington and Salem Counties to assess the strength of current services for children and families and identify local needs.
WRI is partnering with Cooper University Health Care as the evaluator on its Integrative Health Care for Veterans, Military, and First Responders Program. Established through a grant by the NJ Department of Health, this program expands the quality of care provided to members of the military through HeroCare ConnectTM― a partnership with Deborah Heart and … Continue reading Evaluating Integrated Care for Veterans…
To help the state distribute cuts fairly, and to help school districts plan for the future, it is vital that state and local policymakers in South Jersey are aware of the most financially vulnerable school districts in the region. This study provides actionable and pertinent school district funding information.
Today is Census Day! Do your part and get counted. When New Jersey residents are not counted, the state loses resources from the federal government. The census will help New Jersey to receive its fair share of services, federal resources, and political representation in Congress.
In South Jersey, a region challenged by high unemployment and low labor participation rates, the full impact of a declining labor force remains unclear. Research by WRI will help identify barriers to successful employment that both employers and employees face.
In January 2019, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that Camden, New Jersey was named a Bloomberg Philanthropies 2018 Public Art Challenge; receiving $1 million in funding a public art project that will transform sites plagued by illegal dumping into dynamic art spaces. WRI is a proud partner.
CDHW-IRG has provided seed funding to 14 projects, selected through competitive review, that have proposed novel approaches to addressing classic “upstream” issues that can impact health and well-being.
In summer 2019, the Community Education Building (CEB) initiated a vision alignment project in coordination with WRI to strengthen current partnerships, identify and resolve barriers to student success, and drive investment in future expansion and growth.
A new partnership between Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden (RSNC) and WRI has resulted in federal funding for an innovative new program for military veterans to become nurses and provide primary care to other veterans.
By developing opportunities to acquire and rehabilitate distressed properties, this program will help meet the need for affordable housing and create job opportunities that contribute to a more robust regional economy.
Rutgers-Camden NewsNow featured Sarah in its recent graduate spotlight series and shared the powerful story of how WRI connects classroom theory with real-world experience.
The NJ Population Cohort study will provide deep insights into state-wide health and well-being. WRI’s Sarah Allred is among those leading the project.
An important component of any serious effort to improve governmental capacity is an assessment of the skills, capabilities and development needs of the municipal workforce. While numerous studies have noted the need for governmental capacity building in Camden, none had provided an assessment of its employees. To that end, the Office of the Chief Operating Officer requested that WRI design a survey of development needs and technical skills of all levels of employees in City Hall. Questions probed employees’ understanding of governmental processes and operations, their educational attainment and training, allocation of time to critical activities, and their responses to motivation and incentive alternatives, as well as information technology skills.
The United Way of Camden County (UWCC) engaged WRI to prepare a Comprehensive Community Assessment of all 37 municipalities in the County. The objective of this Community Assessment is to provide a broad array of data for the UWCC to use in orienting its community-building process. The study draws on Compass 2.0, a community-building model developed by the United Way of America and used as a community assessment and community-building tool by United Ways throughout the country.
Farmland Preservation and Agritourism in South Jersey
Prepared by WRI faculty fellow Robert Wood, this report examines agritourism in the context of New Jersey agriculture and the state’s farmland preservation program. Agritourism—a broad array of activities linking farmers and consumers more directly—is often seen as an important way to answer the question: Once farmland has been preserved, how do we preserve the farmer? New Jersey has the second largest farmland preservation program in the nation in terms of proportional acreage, but many traditional types of farming in the state are in decline. The report argues for a synergistic approach to the relationship between agritourism and farmland preservation, making proposals to enhance the potential of each to contribute to the other and thereby contribute to a continuing place for a productive agriculture in the Garden State.
The Greater Camden Partnership contracted WRI to coordinate a study to evaluate Camden Special Services District (CSSD) operating structure and analyze their relationship with stakeholders. WRI will focus on the coordination of CSSD operations with key municipal departments.
The Camden Special Services District project is vital to downtown Camden, as it promotes Camden as a clean and safe place to live, work, study, and invest. The CSSD enhances maintenance and security of the city’s main commercial areas. The study will assist the Greater Camden Partnership in bringing economic growth to downtown Camden.
How Are Businesses Being Affected by the Literacy of Their Workforce?
How are businesses being affected by the literacy of their workforce? How aware are businesses of workforce literacy issues? What kinds of literacy services would benefit businesses and their employees? Given that an estimated 42% of adults in the county lack literacy skills needed to be successful in family life and the workplace, these are critical questions for the county to answer.
Burlington County Workforce Investment Board’s Literacy Committee contracted WRI to explore these and other questions regarding workforce literacy in the county. Utilizing surveys and focus groups, WRI helped the Literacy Committee find the answers to these questions and formulate strategies to address the needs of Burlington County businesses and residents.
Smart Growth Forecast for the Counties of Southern New Jersey
WRI completed a Smart Growth Forecast for the counties of Southern New Jersey to assess the effects of urban sprawl in the region. The study assessed current land use practices in an effort to establish the need for better land use management in Southern New Jersey. This assessment involves the collection of data and creation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps to illustrate possible development scenarios in the region.
Smart Growth Forecast for Three Counties in Southern New Jersey
WRI conducted a Smart Growth Forecast for Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties in southern New Jersey. The Institute developed a land use simulation model to enable policymakers, planners, developers and community groups to see where potential new development should take place as well as to assess the extent to which existing urban centers needed redevelopment. This alternative approach advocates coordinated, comprehensive planning processes that encourage urban revitalization and open space preservation while promoting sustainable economic development.
On April 4, 2006, WRI convened the second South Jersey Regional Development Forum. This Forum featured a presentation by Barry Seymour, Assistant Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission on Destination 2030: A Vision for the Future. This presentation provided an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders at the Forum to discuss in a broader regional context the Growth Fit Model for housing developed by the Builder’s League of South Jersey.
South Jersey Regional Development Forum – A Discussion on the Growth Fit Model
On November 3, 2005 WRI hosted the first South Jersey Regional Development Forum which featured a discussion on the Growth Fit Model as presented by the Builder’s League of South Jersey. This forum was held in an effort to foster open and productive discussions of critical issues facing development in southern New Jersey. The outcomes of this discussion included: identifying the need for media support and an outreach plan to educate the public about these issues, the crucial nature of further discussions regarding these issues and the need to incorporate environmental issues into this discussion.
Responding to stakeholders in the South Jersey region, WRI was approached to help explore ways to better manage regional development. Under the leadership of WRI, a Regional Development Forum was organized, bringing together diverse stakeholders for candid policy discussions about development issues. The group, comprising builders, environmentalists, planning experts and policy advocates came together to identify common goals and generate recommendations for improving planning, with special consideration for southern New Jersey, the fastest growing region in the state. The group came to consensus on a county-centric planning model, entitled Growth Fit. A document titled “County-Centric Planning and Development for New Jersey“ details the model. A document titled “Legislative Draft,” composed by WRI, presents a policy recommendation for county growth fit planning.
South Jersey’s Views on Sprawl, Development and Regional Identity
The report, “South Jersey’s Views on Sprawl, Development, and Regional Identity,” is based on surveys surrounding the issues of suburban sprawl, development and regional identity. Survey responses from South Jerseyans help to understand the myths related to South Jersey’s identity, and the cycle of valuing open space while urban flight and suburban development increase demands for those lands to be developed. Valuable for its description of South Jerseyans’ values and preferences.
This report offers three different viewpoints for incidents of Part I crime in Camden City. The report, based on data collected from the Camden City Police Department, provides longer and short term looks at one of Camden City’s most pressing policy concerns.
Towards a Metropolitan Complex: The Camden HUB Smart Growth Report
Written at a critical time for Camden County, “Toward a Metropolitan Complex: The Camden HUB Smart Growth Report” describes the looming peril of a decreasing tax base and increasing health and social service demands in Camden County. WRI considers the current and impending state of affairs in this report, and offers a sound solution for regional development that employs and conserves environmental, institutional, social and infrastructure resources.
Affordable housing in South Jersey has a unique set of constraints and factors compared to the more populous regions of the state, and as such current policy may not appropriately address the issues of this region. This projects aims to narrow the focus of affordable housing from the statewide debate, to one centered specifically on Southern New Jersey, with the ultimate goal of creating a new dialogue and recommendations specific to this unique region.
Camden Capacity Building
WRI and the Rutgers School of Business conducted an administrative staff capacity building project for the City of Camden. The first phase included a planning retreat for top level administrative staff that took place at the Camden County Boathouse.
The retreat focused on goals for the new administration given the current economic climate, as well as issues of communication, governmental process and accountability.
The capacity building project focused on and develop the knowledge, abilities, and desired behaviors of city employees to improve institutional structures and processes so that the City of Camden can meet its mission and goal to serve Camden residents in a sustainable and efficient way.
Evaluation of New Jersey’s Workforce Development Services
Funded by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD), the WRI and the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, collaborated on an evaluation of the services provided by LWD with an emphasis on the One-Stop Career Centers (OSCCs), occupational training, and the Parolee Employment Placement Program (PEPP).
WRI led the evaluation of the Parolee Employment Placement Program (PEPP). Staff utilized quantitative and qualitative research methods, including stakeholder interviews, focus groups, surveys, and an outcome analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program as well as its sustainability.
WRI conducted an outcome evaluation of Healing Communities’ Mentoring Component, operated by The Philadelphia Leadership Foundation and funded by the Open Society Institute. The Mentoring Component took place in Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD. WRI assessed if the Mentoring Component positively affected its clients, specifically looking at educational improvement for young black males and employment accessibility for adult black males. The evaluation included record reviews, interviews, and focus groups, as well as statistical analysis of inputs and outcomes to determine the effectiveness of the Healing Communities mentoring intervention.
Municipal Government for the 21st Century
WRI provided a broad assessment of Gloucester Township’s current operations and created recommendations on how the municipality could adjust to the current budgeting necessities in New Jersey. The report focused on the implementation of problem-solving collaborations to combine services and reduce costs between and among municipalities and surveyed best practices from across the country.
Needs Assessment for the United Way of Salem County
WRI conducted a needs assessment for United Way of Salem County (UWSC). UWSC is charting a course for the future that encompasses resource allocation, funding opportunities, project development, and goal achievement. The needs assessment has helped the organization to pursue this path and best accomplish critical goals for its community. The comprehensive review of available data specific to UWSC around their four priorities of education, income, health, and youth development, provided critical timely information necessary for the organization to plan effectively.
