CASE STUDY #2: LYNDALE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

CO at Work: How a Minneapolis group builds upon relationships among neighbors, block by block.

The Lyndale Neighborhood Association (LNA) has received national attention for its work in Minneapolis, making the transition from a crime-infested, transient community to one of the most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods in the city. The area's recent renaissance - new housing, revitalized retail areas, and community-based services for families and children - is due in no small part to the work of hundreds of residents organized by LNA.

LNA takes pride in its reputation as an organization that empowers the community. Based on the philosophy, "We're not building a community organization, we're building a community," staff was cut dramatically several years ago, and the organization now depends on the talents and abilities of residents to define its goals, create projects and implement solutions to neighborhood challenges. Hundreds of residents are involved in LNA's work each month, and the organization focuses on building resident leaders. LNA supports with technical assistance and funding any project residents want to take on, providing an incentive for residents to become organizers and gather support for desired projects. This level of involvement holds true for virtually all of the group's community initiatives. Even young people plan and implement programs to serve their needs.

Through a decentralized network of block clubs - 48 of the neighborhood's 52 blocks participate - LNA's organizing approach emphasizes strengthening relationships among neighbors, finding common interests, and developing mutually supportive skills and needs, and then building on these relationships to shape how problems get solved. Residents who work with LNA choose to be involved in every aspect of the systems that provide them with services, both to avoid being relegated to "client" or "customer" status, and to ensure that the community controls how its needs are met and develops its own capacity to meet those needs.³⁰