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
Family Strengthening Network Evaluation
As part of the Pascale Sykes Foundation’s Family Strengthening Network collaborative, this evaluation looks at the relationship between family advocates and the families they serve, focusing on the impact that this relationship has on families’ outcomes.
Strengthening New Jersey DCF’s Kinship Navigator Program
WRI is working with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families on on a process, training, and outcomes evaluation of its Kinship Navigator Program.
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.
WRI is partnering on a statewide, collective ethnography designed to gather and transform the personal accounts of New Jersey residents, especially those who have faced increased marginalization or greater risk as a result of the pandemic, into the building blocks of a more resilient, compassionate and Healthy New Jersey.
Given the uncertainty that families face because of the public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, direct service work has become indispensable. WRI developed a qualitative evaluation project early in the pandemic to examine the range of responses from a group of direct service organizations as they acknowledged, responded to, and worked to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the families and communities they serve.
WRI is pleased to welcome entrepreneur and training facilitator John Childress to coordinate and lead WRI’s work with the Burlington County Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Planning Board (BCJDP). In this role, he will provide technical assistance to Burlington City, Pemberton Township and Willingboro for juvenile delinquency prevention planning and implementation activities, as well as support the Burlington County Partnership for Youth Success initiative.
WRI joins the Community Planning and Advocacy Council (CPAC) in Camden County as its research partner, focused on evaluating the efficacy of current services and assessing needs. The Human Services Needs Assessment in Camden County will employ quantitative and qualitative analysis using a mix of county data mining, stakeholder interviews, and virtual focus groups to determine the county’s priority needs and service areas.
WRI is working with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) on a training, process and outcome evaluation for New Jersey DCF’s Kinship Navigator Program (KNP). New Jersey’s KNP supports caregivers who have taken on the responsibility of caring for their relatives’ children.
WRI is partnering with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and Cooper’s Ferry Partnership to gather valuable information about the region’s workforce. The project, Seeking Work in South Jersey, aims to better understand the barriers facing both employers looking to hire and job seekers looking to connect or re-connect to the workforce.
In April 2020, WRI released a report written by Faculty Fellow Michael Hayes examining the 25 largest South Jersey school districts’ financial status and vulnerability to financial recession. This follow up brief examines the financial status of all 179 school districts in southern New Jersey.
In partnership with the Food Bank of South Jersey (FBSJ), WRI is evaluating the efficacy and impact of various health and wellness education programs that the organization coordinates throughout the region. The project is slated for completion in March 2021.
WRI is partnering with the NJ YMCA State Alliance (NJYSA) to better understand the perspectives of young people and stakeholders about building youth civic engagement in their communities through focus groups and interviews conducted with youth, young adults, and stakeholders. NJYSA initiated this project to learn more about how it could improve service delivery and increase civic engagement among young people.
Why is mortality so high in some counties compared to other counties? Is it because of long term care facilities? Population age? Pre-existing conditions? Proximity to big cities? Or is it related to community-level factors, like poverty, race and ethnicity, or community cohesion? A new study led by WRI Faculty Director Sarah Allred and Emily Greenfield, an associate professor of social work at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, will seek to understand these patterns, not just at the county level, but also at the municipality level.
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.
Are South Jersey school districts prepared for the next recession? ALL South Jersey school districts
This study examines the current financial condition of the largest school districts in southern New Jersey and also identifies those school districts that are most financially vulnerable to a potential economic downturn.
Are South Jersey school districts prepared for the next recession?
This study examines the current financial condition of school districts in southern New Jersey and also identifies those school districts that are most financially vulnerable to a potential economic downturn This follow up brief examines the financial status of all 179 school districts in southern New Jersey.
In 2013, facing high levels of crime, Camden, New Jersey transferred policing responsibilities to their surrounding county agency. The Camden County Police Department (CCPD) received a grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to explore the impact of this transition and identify lessons learned for other agencies. The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) at Rutgers University conducted this assessment and provided technical assistance to the department. This publication reports their findings on topics including arrest and clearance rates, “hot spot” crime locations, citywide distribution of service calls, and the effects of camera surveillance, liquor establishment checks, foot patrols, and multijurisdictional task forces.
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.
