Virginia  Rural  Health  Association  December  11,  2014  

WHAT  IS  THE  NRV    LIVABILITY  INITIATIVE?  

The  Livability  Initiative  was  a  three-­‐year  regional  planning  process  which  provided  an  opportunity  for  the  New  River  Valley’s  residents  to  develop  a  vision  for  the  future  and  develop  strategies  that  businesses,  community  organizations,  local  governments,  and  individuals  can  use  to  make  this  future  vision  a  reality.  

Coming  Together  for  the  NRV  

•  The  Resources:  $1  million  grant  awarded  from  the  Federal  Partnership  for  Sustainable  Communities  –  February  2011  

•  The  Team:  –  2  staff  people  at  the  NRVPDC  –  9  person  Leadership  Team  –  16  Consortium  Partners    

Consor&um  Partners  

•  NRV  Planning  District  Commission    •  Montgomery  County    •  Pulaski  County    •  Floyd  County    •  Giles  County    •  Town  of  Blacksburg    •  Town  of  Christiansburg    •  City  of  Radford    •  Virginia  Tech    •  Community  Housing  Partners    •  National  Committee  for  the  New  River    •  Community  Foundation  of  the  NRV  •  New  River  Community  Action    •  Metropolitan  Planning  Organization    •  NRV  HOME  Consortium    •  New  River  Health  District    

Working  Groups  

•  The  Focus  Areas:  •  Housing  •  Arts  &  Culture  •  Economic  Development  •  Natural  Resources  •  Energy  •  Transportation  •  Community  Health  

•  The  Agenda:  •  Explore  Issues  •  Develop  baseline  conditions  •  Determine  trends  and  projections  •  Develop  goals  and  priority  strategies  

•  Funding:  –  Support  from  the  Robert  Wood  Johnson  

Foundation  

•  The  Working  Group  included  representatives  from:  –  New  River  Health  District  –  Virginia  Tech  Institute  for  Policy  &  

Governance  –  Area  hospitals    

•  The  group’s  charge:  –  To  identify  and  explore  key  topic  areas  

within  community  health,  gather  relevant  data  and  develop  goals  and  strategies  within  those  topic  areas.  

Incorpora&ng  Community  Health  

Public  Outreach  

•  Kick  Off  Summit  •  Online  &  paper  surveys  •  Spanish  language  and  lower  literacy  surveys  •  Small  focus  groups  and  community  meetings  •  Interactive  performance  •  Digital  storytelling  •  BUILT  NRV  planning  game  •  Community  priority  survey  •  NRV  Tomorrow  interactive  survey  

The  Livability  Report  

Report  available  online  at  www.cfnrv.org  or  at  www.nrvpdc.org    

Enhancing  Living  &  Working  Environments  

•  Provide  support  for  an  aging  population  •  Ensure  affordability  of  housing,  energy  

and  transport  •  Improve  transportation  options  for  

residents  •  Increase  the  energy  efficiency  of  buildings  •  Expand  renewable  energy  systems  

The  NRV’s  population  of  residents  age  65  and  older  will  double  in  most  communities  by  2030    

Meanwhile,  the  under  25  population  is  declining  in  Giles  and  Pulaski    

•  Trends:  

– 50%  of  the  NRV’s  housing  stock  was  built  prior  to  1974.  There  will  be  considerable  demand  for  new  single-­‐family  homes,  particularly  in  Montgomery  &  Floyd  counties  

– The  NRV  will  remain  car  dependent  with  limited  rural  public  transportation  options,  causing  a  significant  cost  burden  for  individuals  who  have  a  longer  commute  from  home  to  work  

Enhancing  Living  &  Working  Environments  –  Trends  &  Goals  

•  Goal  2:  Ensure  availability  of  housing,  energy  and  transportation  

•  Some  Strategies:  –  Provide  incentives  to  homebuilders  and  

developers  for  developing  affordable  housing  

–  Encourage  the  public,  private  and  nonprofit  sectors  to  work  together  to  increase  the  number  of  homes  near  job  centers  

–  Promote  the  maintenance  and  renovation  of  existing  manufactured  housing  subdivisions  (mobile  homes)  

–  Provide  incentives  for  repair  and  renovation  of  existing  housing  as  well  as  retrofits  to  promote  energy  efficiency  

Enhancing  Living  &  Working  Environments  –  Trends  &  Goals  

Preserving  Rural  Heritage  &  Community  Character  

•  Encourage  development  that  preserves  rural  character  

•  Protect  natural  landscapes  and  ecosystems  

•  Recognize  and  strengthen  natural,  cultural  and  historic  assets  

•  Support  arts,  culture  and  community  character  

•  Trends:  – National  forests,  state  parks,  and  privately  conserved  lands  will  continue  to  protect  important  natural  resources  and  will  increasingly  serve  as  a  draw  for  outdoor  recreation  and  tourism.  

–  Floyd  County,  in  particular,  can  expect  to  see  more  large-­‐lot  development  with  farmland  shifting  slowly  but  steadily  into  low  density  rural  residential  properties.  

– Montgomery  County  is  becoming  more  suburbanized  near  major  employment  centers,  with  more  dense  housing  and  commercial  development  along  its  major  road  corridors.  

Preserving  Rural  Heritage  &  Community  Character  –  Trends  &  Goals  

•  Goal  8:  Recognize  and  strengthen  natural,  cultural  and  historic  assets  

•  Some  strategies:  –  Restore  and  redevelop  downtown  

properties  –  Integrate  existing  community  character  

into  the  design  of  community  core  improvements  

–  Create  trail  systems  that  connect  town  centers  to  outdoor  destinations  

–  Establish  a  regional  destination  marketing  organization  and  develop  a  regional  marketing  plan  

–  Inventory  cultural  assets,  historic  sites  and  related  assets  in  the  NRV  and  identify  priority  sites  for  preservation  

Preserving  Rural  Heritage  &  Community  Character  –  Trends  &  Goals  

Making  the  Business  Environment  More  Productive  &  Resilient  

•  Enhance  education  and  workforce  readiness  

•  Support  the  infrastructure  needed  for  economic  develo  

•  pment  

•  Support  small  business  development  

•  Strengthen  agricultural  viability  

•  Trends:  

– Employment  in  Blacksburg,  Christiansburg  and  Radford  are  experiencing  employment  growth,  while  jobs  in  Pulaski  and  Giles  counties  are  in  decline,  particularly  for  those  without  a  college  education  

– Poverty  in  all  communities  in  the  NRV  exceeds  the  state  average,  and  job  growth  is  projected  largely  in  fields  requiring  higher  education    

Making  the  Business  Environment  More  Productive  &  Resilient  –  Trends  &  Goals  

•  Goal  10:  Enhance  education  and  workforce  readiness  

•  Some  strategies:  –  Link  job  creation  and  workforce  

preparation  strategies  to  create  opportunities  for  lower-­‐skilled  and  lower-­‐income  workers  

–  Develop  a  career  pathways  task  force  – Work  with  business  leaders  to  increase  

opportunities  for  practical  experience  – Work  to  regionalize  training  and  

education  resources  

Making  the  Business  Environment  More  Productive  &  Resilient  –  Trends  &  Goals  

Building  Healthy  Communities  

•  Ensure  access  to  healthcare  •  Create  healthy  environments  

•  Promote  healthy  behaviors  and  lifestyles  

•  Support  children  and  youth  reaching  their  full  potential  

•  Protect  and  improve  water  resources  

In  the  NRV,  the  mortality  rates  for  prescription  drug  abuse  are  3X  higher  than  the  state  average  and  rates  in  Giles  and  Pulaski  counties  are  4X  higher  and  6X  higher  respectively  

•  Trends:  

– Where  you  live  in  the  NRV  can  lead  to  significant  differences  in  access  and  consumption  of  healthy  food  

– With  the  exception  of  Floyd,  residents  across  the  region  generally  live  close  enough  to  medical  centers  and  hospitals  

– The  NRV  faces  significant  challenges  in  dealing  with  substance  abuse  

Building  Healthy  Communities  –    Trends  &  Goals  

•  Goal  16:  Promote  healthy  behaviors  •  Some  strategies:  – Coordinate  resources  to  reduce  rates  of  teen  pregnancy  

– Expand  substance  abuse  treatment  options  

•  Goal  17:  Support  children  reaching  their  full  potential  

•  Some  strategies:  – Provide  after  school  programs  to  support  at-­‐risk  youth  

– Expand  and  improve  quality  prenatal  care  and  early  childhood  programs  including  preschool  programs  and  daycare  

Building  Healthy  Communities  –    Trends  &  Goals  

From  Vision  to  Ac&on  

“It  has  become  clear  that  pursuit  of  the  vision  for  the  future  that  has  emerged  is  not  likely  to  be  the  responsibility  of  any  single  organization  

or  sector.    

There  exists  great  potential  for  collaboration  across  the  region  to  better  meet  the  needs  of  

citizens,  leveraging  all  sectors  of  society  including  local  and  regional  governments,  

private  businesses  as  well  as  non-­‐profits  and  voluntary  citizen  initiatives.”    

From  Vision  to  Ac&on  

•  Identifying  Leaders  •  Sharing  Information  •  Providing  Space  for  Collaboration  •  Building  &  Sharing  Resources  

•  General  Leadership:  – Community  Founda&on  of  the  NRV  

– NRV  Planning  District  Commission  

•  Health-­‐Based  Leadership  – Partnership  for  Access  to  Healthcare  (PATH);  consis&ng  of  50  public  and  private  partners  

– Local  universi&es  –  Virginia  Tech  – New  River  Health  District  

Identifying  Leaders  

•  Mechanisms  for  dissemina8ng  informa8on:  – Livability  &  Health  Final  Reports  – PATH  Mee&ngs  – Livability  NewsleOer  (Begins  2015)  highligh&ng  key  projects,  accomplishments  and  data  

– Annual  Informa&on  Exchange  with  community  leaders  

–  Informal  networks  among  partners  

Sharing  Information  

•  Contexts  for  collabora&on:  – Working  Groups  &  Networks  (PATH)  

– Community  Founda&on  ac&vi&es:  •  Third  Thursday  Society  •  “Sandbox”  type  events  

– Web/Social-­‐media  based  forums  

Providing  Space  for  Collaboration  

•  CFNRV  Grants  •  GiveBigNRV  online  giving  pla^orm  •  Addi&onal  grant  sources  for  collabora&ve  projects  

•  Shared  investment  by  partners  

Building  &  Sharing  Resources  

cfnrv.givebig.org  

Emerging  Programs  &  Partnerships  

Aging  Successfully  at  Home  and  in  Our  Urban  &  Rural  Communities    

2013  Norman  &  Nancy  Eiss  

Community  Impact  Grant:  Habitat  for  Humanity  of  the  

NRV  for  it’s  Critical  Home  Repair  

Lowering  the  Cost  and  Complexity  of  Residential  Solar:  Pilot  project    launched  in  Blacksburg!  

•  Funding  sought  for  health  impact  assessment  

•  Funding  sought  for  pedestrian  safety  improvements  in  downtown  Christiansburg    

•  Funding  sought  for  collecting  neonatal  health  data  

•  GIS  Mapping  Partnership  for  diseases,  well  and  septic  systems  

•  Cost  sharing  a  staff  position  at  the  Planning  District  Commission  focused  on  health  with  the  New  River  Health  District  

Emerging  Programs  &  Partnerships  in  Community  Health  

•  Integra&ng  community  health  into  a  variety  of  areas:  – Housing  – Educa&on  – Environmental  Quality  

•  Providing  a  model  for  regional  collabora&on  that  asks  us  to  define  topics  broadly  and  iden&fy  intersec&ons  between  topics  

•  Developing  new  avenues  for  funding  and  partnership  

So  what?  

•  In  rural  contexts  especially,  increased  collabora&on  oaen  means  increased  impact  

•  Health  issues  are  complex  and  need  to  be  addressed  with  that  in  mind,  that  means  a  greater  investment  of  &me  and  resources  

•  Effec&ve  funders  should  be  funding  both  the  costs  of  collabora&ve  planning  and  the  projects  that  emerge  from  that  planning  

So  what?...from  a  funder’s  perspective  

Questions  &  Discussion