National Community reinvestment coalition just economy conference recap

I recently attended this year’s National Community Reinvestment Coalition #JustEconomy conference in Washington, D.C., the national event for community, policy, government, and business leaders who work for fairness in lending, housing, business, education, healthcare, media, tech, and everyday life.

With a wide range of sessions on community organizing and advocacy, fair housing, fair lending, access to capital and credit, workforce and community development, business, education, climate change, healthcare, impact investing, civil and human rights, and other topics, the conference proved to be an opportunity to reimagine community development.

Experts and advocates shared new developments, best practices, and innovative ideas to expand opportunities for people in local communities including open banking and ways to incorporate fintech products in consumers’ data to ensure eligibility for credit, homeownership, and other major life experiences. Colleagues from Cleveland, representing the mayor’s office, nonprofit workforce development programs and the city’s partnership shared lessons from their Built Environment Collaborative, a model for local systems-level change that fostered genuine cooperation across sectors to advance upward economic mobility and strengthen economic outcomes in the Greater Cleveland region.

The panel also explored the Built Environment Collaborative’s story, from the earliest meetings about training and matching Cleveland residents with career opportunities in high-demand trades, to the launch of a dedicated Barrier Removal Fund that provides necessary financial support for participants and small businesses. The Built Environment Collaborative is demonstrating portable, practical, and proven strategies that have gotten 1,700 people into built environment training programs, placed more than 360 in apprenticeships and jobs, and partnered with more than 100 local minority business enterprises.

The conference featured thought-provoking keynote addresses and conversations with prominent journalists, authors, and policy leaders such as author Heather McGhee who reminded attendees that, “movements work because they change people; it’s not a linear process.”

I came away with a renewed interest in recent research findings such as a study titled, “The Cost of Trust: How Social Norms, Class Distinction and Engagement Shape Economic Participation in Neighborhoods Signaling Gentrification” by Dr. Joyce Doyle Chief Executive Officer Aureum Solutions. Drawing on survey data and thematic analysis, the study explores how social norms, spatial routines, and class identity shape economic participation within a racially homogeneous yet economically stratified environment.

This conference was so informative, and it reminded me that we truly are in a unique period of time during which we can lead from the ground up. We need to use deep-rooted research from our communities and neighbors to help inform the rebuilding of trust as a tool to drive economic stability.

Thank you to our sponsor First Merchants Bank for including OUCAN in this year’s NCRC conference, and for including us in the global community development conversation.