Common Wealth Development's quarterly newsletter for residents, commercial tenants, workforce participants, and supporters LIKE YOU.

Letter from the Executive Director ‌ Happy New Year!   What. A. Year. Wow.    …But there are several lights at the end of the tunnel, and we have a lot of exciting things happening as we kick of 2021! We are eagerly awaiting the completion of our newest building, which will anchor our work in West Madison. Huge thanks to everyone within the Meadowood Neighborhood who have been working for years to make this vision a reality. Our goal is to have the building leased up in time for summer, so please keep an eye out for more news from Ashley Gohlke, who has done a phenomenal job with the project thus far.   We are excited to start recruiting for our 7th Year (!!!) of the Wanda Fullmore Youth Internship. While 2020 brought challenges to the program (and all our programming), we have an amazing team who were able to work with our fabulous partners at the City of Madison to deliver a phenomenal program and support a great group of youth. In addition to the Wanda Fullmore Internship, we also are actively recruiting for our award-winning Youth Business-Mentorship Program, which our team has also transitioned to an all-virtual format.    There are also some very exciting, dynamic small businesses that have come aboard our incubators. Rebekah highlights them in more detail later in the newsletter, but we are all very excited to see small businesses finding ways to continue on, given the challenges, and want to welcome them to our community.    Thank you, to everyone, for your ongoing patience and fortitude as we all continue to navigate this pandemic. On behalf of the staff and Common Wealth Board of Directors, I want to share that we will continue to be here for your and that we are committed to continuing to provide the top-notch quality of service and programming that Common Wealth has always provided. We could not do any of this work without you. Thank you, and onward.   Respectfully Submitted, Justice Castañeda Executive Director Common Wealth Development, Inc.

Healthy Housing

Housing Operation’s final quarter of 2020 had many of the same challenges that have been present throughout this complicated and unpredictable year. Throughout the crisis that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, Common Wealth Development has reiterated its commitment to our residents, their well-being, and their stability. We know that eviction will not solve the problems confronting our community and the residents that call our apartments home. Therefore, we sought to direct our energies towards working to keep our residents in their homes.   Thank You! Towards this effort, we express our gratitude to our residents. On top of the normal day-to-day economic challenges, households faced layoffs, furloughs, cutbacks, children schooling from home, and keeping their households and neighbors safe from COVID-19. Despite everything, residents still managed to honor payment plans, organize financial assistance, and coordinate donations and PPE for neighbors.   In addition, we are infinitely grateful to our community partners who administered and distributed critical financial assistance to our residents who lost income due to COVID-19. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the work of the Tenant Resource Center, Energy Services Inc., Joining Forces for Families, and Urban Triage for their support of our residents at this time.   We also must extend gratitude to our donors and supporters. Thanks to your contributions to our GoFundMe, we were able to distribute $15,000 of rental assistance to households affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Your gift has kept members of our community in their homes.   While COVID-19 may be occupying much of our time, we have also had several other noteworthy events this past quarter. Most importantly, construction on our new development on Raymond Road continues and is looking fantastic thanks to the stewardship and hard work of our development team! The building is slated to open in Spring/Summer 2021, and will add 11-units of affordable housing to the Meadowood community.   Upcoming: New Trees  This fall, through a collaboration with the Urban Tree Alliance, we were able to plants over 25 new trees across 7 of our east side properties. The Urban Tree Alliance is a local non-profit that works to identify and fill-in gaps in urban canopies to help combat environmental costs of urban living. With assistance from arborists from Madison Gas and Electric and employees through our STEP program, an exciting mix of redbuds, honey locust, elm, golden raintree, and hackberry have taken up residence at our properties.   While we may be saying good riddance to 2020, we also acknowledge that the road ahead will be long and will continue to demand our best in innovation and re-imaging how to how best to serve our residents and our community.

Equitable Economic Development

Youth Workforce Development Youth-Business Mentoring Program We are very excited for our youth who participated in YBMP this fall. We have had some amazing students participate in our virtual sessions and many are well on their way to starting at their first job! Some of the topics that youth learned through this training include: -         How to find and apply for a job -         Customer Service -         Financial literacy (including topics such as budgeting and credit) -         Wellness in the workplace and personal branding We are excited to share some information about the New Year! We have four YBMP sessions scheduled for the spring. If you or you know of a youth between the ages of 14 – 17 years old who are looking to learn more about how to be successful in the workforce and start a job, please consider applying! Training is held Monday through Friday, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm for two weeks. Due to COVID-19, we are currently holding these trainings via Zoom ONLY. Youth must have access to a computer with a camera and internet access. To apply, a youth must submit a youth application and have their parent or guardian submit the permission form. The links to the forms can be found on our website: https://www.cwd.org/youth-development/youth-business-mentoring/

Any questions can be directed to Annie Johnston, Youth Workforce Development Manager. She can be reached via email annie@cwd.org or by phone 608-256-3527 ext. 1561.

Financial Literacy Workshops We offer free financial literacy workshops to groups around Madison and Dane County. If there is any interest in having Common Wealth staff provide a virtual training to your student group(s), please reach out to Annie Johnston at annie@cwd.org. Please note that we will be following Public Health guidelines for programming and we will be hosting these workshops virtually until further notice. If there is interest in having a virtual workshop, please reach out and we can discuss options. Looking Ahead: Wanda Fullmore Youth Internship Program Applications for the 2021 Wanda Fullmore Youth Internship Program will be available at the start of February 2021. This is a paid, 20-hours per week internship that gives students the opportunity to learn how their city works over the course of the 8-week program. In 2020, we shifted this program to be entirely virtual due to COVID-19, but may shift to a blended (some virtual, some in-person) version, which is dependent upon Public Health guidelines at that time.  Interns must have a City of Madison address OR be enrolled in an MMSD school and be at minimum 14 years of age. If you or a student you know is interested in applying for this exciting opportunity and would like to be notified when applications become available, please contact Annie Johnston, Youth Workforce Development Manager, at annie@cwd.org or 608-256-3527 ext. 1561.   Program for Entrepreneurial and Agriculture Training This program is a paid, 8-week summer internship where up to 9 youth work on a local farm in partnership with Neighborhood Food Solutions. This is an in-person program that works for 20 hours per week for the duration of the summer. Youth learn about food systems, farming, and financial literacy, and get to spend some quality time getting their hands dirty and building relationships with fellow youth and adults in the urban agriculture world. We typically have field trips as part of this program, and we were able to have two COVID-friendly field trips in 2020. We hope to have more of these in 2021, as visiting other farms and learning more about entrepreneurship is always exciting! However, we will be following Public Health guidelines to ensure the health and safety of participants. In order to apply to be in this program, a youth must have participated in our Youth-Business Mentoring Program (YBMP) at some point prior to the start of the summer. Any questions or for more information about how to apply can be directed to Annie Johnston, Youth Workforce Development Manager, at annie@cwd.org or 608-256-3527 ext. 1561.

Adult Workforce Development Is fully operational and ready to help with your employment needs! Call or email us to set an intake appointment and to discuss how we can help, Or Visit us at JOB SHOP at the Meadowood Neighborhood Center 5734 Raymond Rd Madison WI, 53711  Wednesdays from 9am until 1pm JOB SHOP provides drop-in services for anyone looking for work in Southwest Madison. Wednesdays from 9am - 1 pm at the Meadowood Neighborhood Center (5734 Raymond Road) Some of the available services are: Résumé Writing & Cover Letter’s (provided my UW’s Madison Writing Assistance Center) Online Job Applications  Public Benefit Applications Housing Searches Resource referrals FSET Enrollment & Case Management                                                STEP our comprehensive relationship-based employment initiative, is now fully operational again, to help meet your employment goals. Participants are hired by Common Wealth Development, as LTE employees and are paid a living wage, while working temporary STEP positions designed specifically with individual participant’s goals in mind.  Participants are paid for up to 10 hours a week ($13.62 per hour) to work at a community placement while simultaneously working on finding employment. Staff available to meet with community members, Mondays through Friday, 9-4 at our Southwest office, 5902 Raymond Rd. If you would like more information on STEP, or If you need help, finding job leads, doing a resume, enrolling in FOODSHARE or would like to explore what resources may be available to you and your family during these difficult times, just call, email us or stop by our Southwest office, to speak with us about your situation. Staff and community members must always wear masks during face-to-face interactions. CWD will be happy to provide masks when needed. Please contact us with any questions about our available services or to set up an appointment at the numbers listed below. John Wroten, Adult Workforce Development Manager, 608-516-5332 or john@cwd.org Or Marquis Sanders, Coordination of Care Specialist, 608-516-1582 or marquis@cwd.org

BUSINESS INCUBATORS Welcome MicroMyco Growers by Rebekah Stephens, Business Development Mgr. Mushrooms have always been one of my favorite foods. It started with the canned ones that my mother would throw in with her pot roast. She always said that eating them was like chewing on rubber bands. This cracked me up, but I could not relate. Although my experience cooking with mushrooms has been basic at best. I have recently been introduced to Oyster Mushrooms. So, imagine my excitement when MicroMyco Growers moved into Madison Enterprise Center. I recently did a walk-through tour of the space with Andrew Griffin and I must say he is a fun guy, get it…fungi/fun guy…I laughed…I digress. I was able to see the process in different stages. It is different than I thought and very interesting. He uses coffee ground waste to spore and grow them in these humid climate-controlled rooms. I could try and explain it, but I would not do it any justice. Keep your eyes open for MicroMyco Growers website launching soon micromy.co and contact Andrew with any questions.

Health Equity and Well Being

Community Based Crime Reduction News Innovations in Community Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Funding Ends In partnership with the Madison Police Department, the City of Madison Community Development Division and research partner Jeffrey Lewis, PH.D, the CBCR funded activities ended on December 31, 2020.   We implemented activities under the CBCR grant by using an approach of funding local organizations with direction from the neighborhood advisory team of residents and stakeholders of approximately $850,000.   Over the past 4 years, CBCR used focus groups of neighbors; surveys, and community meetings to gather information that informed three strategies identified as evidence-based, upstream approaches to address concerns around public safety and well-being to supporting parents, foster safe passage for youth, and enhancing positive communication between police and the community. Several local organizations were funded to create and provide programming under the strategies. These activities included: mentoring for middle and high school aged youth, providing opportunities for adults to interact with youth in after-school settings, creating safe and productive activities for youth in their neighborhoods, providing parenting support for non-custodial dads, and a driving licensure program for young adults 18-24 years of age.   We thank the below organizations for their work and effort as well as the individuals who serve on the CBCR Advisory Team, now known as Southwest Madison Action Coalition (SMAC) as it transitions in its new focus of advocacy for Southwest Madison. Several of these organizations have received funding from other sources and some activities may continue in our area in 2021.   For more information on SMAC, contact Jennifer Lam (https://jlam.smac@gmail.com) or Courtney Carlson (https://ccarlson.smac@gmail.com)   Meadowhood Foundation-People on Premises (Safe Passages) Intentional Mentoring- (Mentoring) Charles Hamilton Houston’s Dear Diary (Mentoring) Meadowood Neighborhood Center (Community Engagement) 100 Black Men of Madison-(Project Soar) Toki Middle School-Family and Community Engagement Operation Fresh Start-(Drive Program) Urban League of Greater Madison-(Fatherhood Project) Madison Police Department-(Community Policing and Community Safety Workers pilot through Focus Interruption)

Financial Navigators Madison residents seeking help with financial concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic can contact a new, free hotline to be connected with a “Financial Navigator” – a person they can talk to about their financial concerns. Financial Navigators are available at no cost to provide guidance, over the phone, to help residents access available programs and services to manage income loss and other financial concerns they may be experiencing. With one-on-one discussions, they will help to address personal financial issues, identify immediate steps to manage expenses and maximize income, and make referrals to other services such as bill paying assistance, government benefits and other programs that may come from future stimulus packages. To access the Hotline, residents can visit: www.cityofmadison.com/financialhotline and fill out a short interest form, or they can call (608) 315-5151 Mondays through Fridays from 11 am - 7 pm or Saturdays, 12 pm - 5 pm to sign up. They will be contacted within 48 hours, Mondays through Fridays, by a Financial Navigator to begin their personal session. Call back hours are Mondays through Fridays 9 am – 6 pm. Hotline sessions will last about 30 minutes and address residents’ most pressing needs. Residents are invited to sign up for as many sessions as they like, but there is no guarantee they will be matched with the same Financial Navigator. Organizations across Madison can also refer clients directly to a Financial Navigator by sharing the link or helping them fill out the interest form. Financial navigation sessions are available directly in English, Hmong, and Spanish, with ASL and other languages available through the City’s interpretation services.

Marquette Minute News from the Marquette Neighborhood Association

Meadowood Neighborhood Association By Terry Evanson, President mtevanson@gmail.com; (608) 271-6846 We are all grieving for the loss of life and hardships experienced here in Dane County and throughout the world in 2020. For those of you who have lost loved ones this year due to the pandemic or other causes, I extend my heartfelt sympathy. With vaccines available and soon to be distributed, we all look forward to the easing of restrictions on social gatherings and a return to something approximating “normal”. The last nine months have spotlighted the importance of our immediate surroundings. We now spend our working days, as well as our evenings and weekends, in our homes. Travel restrictions mean we are spending significant time walking our neighborhood streets and recreating in local parks. People I meet are friendly and (even wearing masks) smiling, and exchange greetings. We all long for and need human contact. My New Year’s wish is for greater peace and resilience in our country and world. I commit to work toward that goal by encouraging greater unity, safety, and neighborliness in my own community – the Meadowood neighborhood. I ask you to join me in this effort. As we slowly move to a post-pandemic world, may we deeply appreciate the truths we’ve discovered during the pandemic – that cultivating and exhibiting human kindness, affection, forgiveness, love and care for one another is the bedrock that sustains us and gives us the strength to survive whatever challenges we face. The efforts of Community Safety Workers (CSW), Sheray Wallace and Mike Alston, are one way our neighborhood is exhibiting these qualities. The goal of the CSW is to help families and individuals in crisis get the help they need, reduce police calls and improve neighborhood safety. In less than two months, they served 16 clients, provided resources such as food and rent assistance and referred several people to mental health resources. Outcomes have been quite positive – pre-crisis problems are being addressed and clients and the police are happy with the results. The MNA Board is assessing neighborhood activities for 2021. We hope to develop a calendar of neighborhood activities as it becomes safe to gather again. Our first activity of 2021 will be a Virtual BINGO game on Saturday, February 20, at 7 p.m. Please see a separate article in this newsletter on how to sign up and participate. We look forward to “seeing” you and your family there virtually. Wishing you and yours a Happy 2021! See you around the neighborhood.

Common Wealth Development news@cwd.org P: 608.256.3527