CSSP Releases "Making a Difference in Your Neighborhood" Handbook

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) has released Making a Difference in Your Neighborhood: A Handbook for Using Community Decision-Making to Improve the Lives of Children, Youth and Families. In response to requests for more practice-oriented and strategy-focused information, we hope this handbook will provide communities with the “how to” guidance that is needed to take the first step in community change efforts.

Based on CSSP’s work in communities throughout the past 20 years, this handbook highlights communities across the nation and the specific steps they have taken to drive change and improve the well-being of all residents. The handbook provides practical recommendations and tools that community leaders, residents and stakeholders can use to challenge inequities, improve the well-being of children and families and build the capacity necessary to transform their communities into a places of opportunity. To guide community transformation efforts, this handbook explores the key components of the community-decision-making process, which includes:

• Developing an inclusive results agenda
• Supporting community stakeholders and investors as accountable partners
• Using timely, relevant and reliable data to assess the community’s needs and progress
• Creating an action plan that is aligned with the community’s needs and vision
• Ensuring that community change strategies are sustainable and can create lasting impact

CSSP looks forward to hearing about how your community uses this guide to create and sustain more equitable opportunities for children, families and all residents. You can share your stories and provide feedback about this handbook and other existing tools by e-mailing us at communitychange@cssp.org.

For more information about the Community Change work at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, please click here.