Community Safety: Communicating
When it comes to using community development to improve community safety, the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island is pretty famous.
The U.S. Department of Justice has given a community innovation award to Frank Shea, the director of the local community development organization Olneyville Housing Corporation (OHC), and Lt. Dean Isabella of the local police force.
The White House has included Olneyville’s organizing strategies in a report of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has featured Olneyville in discussions of health, community development and violence prevention.
Closer to home, the Providence Journalhas covered their efforts many times over, and, perhaps most important, outreach to community residents is clear, consistent and effective.
Of course, the main driver of Olneyville’s great communication is how successful the work itself has been. The police and OHC have partnered together for years, including leading a community planning process with a focus on crime and vacant buildings.
Outcomes have included turning blighted riverfront area into a nine-acre public park and a drop in reported crime by 70 percent within 300 feet of the problem properties targeted by the Olneyville partners, according to a case study of the work in Olneyville (PDF) commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nancy Howard is a senior program officer at Rhode Island LISC, which has been a resource for the community safety work in Olneyville. She readily admits that being recognized by the White House was never part of the plan.
“The work happens and then you start getting some recognition and it builds,” Howard says.
She adds, though, that good communication around public safety is no accident. Being smart about communications can include thinking through how you communicate with various audiences for a variety of goals. The good news is that when you follow Howard’s tips below to write a good story or craft a clear message, you can use it in a variety of ways.
Don’t wait for a communication staff. “There’s almost never someone at a community organization who has ‘communications’ in their job description,” Howard says. “Everybody is busy doing other things.”
That’s no excuse not to carve out some time to communicate. Telling the story of what’s being tried and what’s worked is crucial for building ongoing support and participation from residents, foundations, local partners and other key stakeholders.
Find lots of ways to tell your story. Go beyond the press release. OHC makes sure to write regularly about its work with public safety in a bimonthly newsletter that’s published by a group of local organizations and is widely read in the community (it helps that it’s published in English and Spanish).
“They also tweak that same information and post it on Facebook and on flyers that they have on hand at public events and post on a bulletin board in the community square,” says Howard, who points out that when you write the story (as compared to a reporter), you can include exactly what you want to say.
Use communications to build better relationships. “Especially when you first are beginning the work, there can be animosity in the community around the police. Good communications can really help with that,” Howard says.
She suggests that any newsletter or website article should include a quote from the police, to help illustrate their role. When one or more officers attend a local event in their civilian clothes, get a photo of them in the piece, too, if possible.
“When you communicate that the police are people too, it helps humanize them and builds that bridge to working together,” she says.
Look for a hook (hint: crime sells). When you do try to convince a local reporter to cover your work, be prepared for the “if it bleeds, it leads” mindset about local news.
You can use that interest in crime to your advantage, though. Rather than a story about a shooting victim or a big drug bust in your neighborhood, call when there is new data that shows a drop in arrests in the community or for the ribbon-cutting at a local crime hotspot that has been rehabbed into affordable housing.
Newspapers and local TV need a news hook—so find one that is connected to the work that you want to highlight.
Stick with it. Whether working with reporters or publishing your own materials, persistence is important.
Don’t be discouraged if your first coffee with a reporter doesn’t lead to a story. Like everything in community organizing, creating a relationship is key. When you call with the next program or success, he or she will know who’s calling and what you’ve done in the past.
The same mentality should be in place for your own materials. “You can’t rely on just one outlet in the neighborhood,” Howard says. “Residents might not necessarily see that [one article]. Be ready to repeat yourself for it to really sink in.”