They are not run by professionals who talk the talk of resident empowerment but balk at putting residents in positions of power, who recruit residents for boards intended to rubber stamp decisions conceived and carried out by staff, or who bring residents in for input after development goals have been established, sites selected, occupancy options defined, and blueprints drawn up. Professionals should be brought on board by the residents, rather than the reverse. Residents know what is wrong with their neighborhoods, know what they need for a better life, and have a very good idea of what is needed to fix what is wrong. They can make intelligent choices rather than having professionals make choices for them. In effective community development organizations, residents represent a strong community voice whose leadership is supported by the insights and skills of a professional staff.
Leaders identify the most effective role their organization can play.
There are multiple paths to improving a neighborhood. Community development organizations often think of housing development and neighborhood revitalization as synonymous yet the role of housing developer is only one of a number of roles available to groups seeking to improve housing, and for many organizations, it is not the best use of their power, resources and capacities in meeting the housing needs of the residents it represents. CTAC sometimes finds itself pressing organizations to broaden their vision of the roles available to them. Neighborhood needs are targeted Community development organizations often become identified with a particular form of housing, such as limited equity cooperatives, and see their role as facilitating or developing that particular type of housing. Specialization is not inherently a bad thing, in that it enables an organization to do what it does best.