The community building model of Beyond Housing is an intentionally integrated delivery system of programs that address the multi-faceted needs as stated by the residents of the area.  Moreover, the residents must own, believe in and be front and center of this delivery system.  Finally, we as facilitators of this model must create the circumstances where residents can be the catalysts of change in their community and continue to invest their time, energy and effort to sustain that change.

There, I have distilled down my twenty three years of experience in housing and community development into three sentences that I will call “the idea”.  I have just been very succinct or I have not done much since 1986 – I will let you be the judge.

Making “the idea” become reality will be the most difficult thing that Beyond Housing will ever do.  It will also be the most memorable.  Our notion of community engagement takes a great of patience and patience is not a long held commodity of Beyond Housing.  We are doers!  My friend, as well as the Dean of Webster University’s School of Business and Technology and a board member of Beyond Housing Benjamin Akande recently made me aware of the concept of “constructive impatience”.   Benjamin describes the idea in an entrepreneurial setting as follows:

“Entrepreneurs find great opportunities in the most risky areas. By creating a convergence between risk and opportunity they help turn risk and uncertainty into a powerful source of advantage. Entrepreneurs have a sense of constructive impatience. They want to make a difference right away and believe in the power of ideas. They are true pioneers who continue to create new paths and refuse to be relegated to the sidelines. They prefer to be in the game, even if it means that they are the only ones in the game.”  

My interpretation for Beyond Housing is that we need to push for the impact we hope to attain without losing our effectiveness in the community building process.  Our work in Pagedale is on the verge of blossoming into a great success after eight years “the idea”.  Now in 2009 we hope to expand to a number of other communities close by that also reside in the Normandy School District.  While we cannot deviate from our strategy of “the idea” we can deliver it with constructive impatience.  It is my belief that our commitment to community has been shown in Pagedale and that the leaders and residents there can open the doors of successful communication in the other municipalities we hope to move into.  Further, we hope accelerate the timeframe from eight years in Pagedale to something a bit shorter.  Let’s call it constructive impatience!

Building trust and respect in community does not and should not come easily.  We strive to make community better for the residents that live there today.  This can only be done long term if “the idea” is implemented with constructive impatience.