Community Anchors
What is a Community Anchor?
The term ‘community anchor’ is fairly informal in its definition. However, Stephen Thake defined a community anchor organisation in some detail back in 2007. (Read his presentation .pdf here).
In November 2008, the Third Sector Hub held an event in Grimsby along with the Development Trusts Association (DTA) and Community Alliance and funded by the Regional Empowerment Partnership. This event was a ‘self-assessment’ workshop for organizations to assess themselves against the criteria proposed for Community Anchors.
Thoughts from the DTA here
www.dta.org.uk/activities/campaigns/communityanchors/comanchordefinition.htm
Characteristics of a Community Anchor
8 characteristics are proposed:
1 A building: a physical space which is community controlled, owned or led
A Community anchor is based in a building. What is your building like? How is it used?
Who owns the building? – The community, local authority? Lease or Freehold
Who runs the building? Are there any restrictions?
Is your building open to the public, how welcoming is it?
How does the building that you use help you to achieve your objectives?
2 A focus for services and activities meeting local need
What services and activities are provided by or via the community anchor?
Are you seen as a focus for services and activities?
Are you meeting local need? How do you know this?
What needs are you not meeting at the moment?
3 A vehicle for local voices to be heard, needs to be identified and for local leaders and community groups to be supported
How do you listen to local voices and include them in your plans?
How do you encourage and facilitate other agencies listening to local needs
How do you support local community groups? Are you able to give them help and support, funding advice, practical support?
How do you work with local community leaders? How are these identified?
4 A platform for community development, promoting cohesion while respecting diversity
What are you trying to achieve through your community development work?
Is your organisation a model of diversity, including age, gender, ethnicity and disability?
How do you celebrate your local community and enable it to celebrate itself and its diversity?
5 A home for the community sector which is supportive of the growth and development of community groups
How do you work with other organisations from the voluntary and community sector?
What role do you have in helping their growth and development?
Is your own governance a model for others?
6 A means of promoting community led enterprise, generating independent income while having social, economic and environmental impact.
What proportion of your income is earnt?
Are you delivering public services, running local businesses, trading within the community sector?
How do you balance generating income with social, economic and environmental impact?
As well as your own community enterprise, how do you promote other to engage in community enterprise?
What links do you have with the private sector? How are you encouraging your local economy?
What does your generated income allow you to do that you could not otherwise achieve?
7 A forum for dialogue within communities, creating community led solutions.
How do you facilitate community dialogue?
What is a community led solutions?
Do you have a mechanism for identifying issues and then agreeing solutions?
8 A bridge between communities and the state which promotes and brings about social change.
What links do you provide between the state and the community?
Are there links between the community and service delivery, and / or links between the community and the state decision making?
What social change are you looking to promote in your community?
Have you been successful?
How do you maintain partnership with the state and independence?
Communitybuilders programme
Communitybuilders is a £70m investment fund which takes forward a government commitment to build more cohesive, empowered and active communities.
Communitybuilders will seek bids from organisations, often known as ‘community anchors’ with the aim of helping these anchor organisations work towards long term financial stability so they can meet the needs of their communities for generations to come. There are many ways that anchor organisations can become viable over the long term including through the taking on and running of assets, taking on contracts for service provision and the establishment of a social and community enterprises.
Communitybuilders will provide a mix of loans, grants and non-financial support at different stages of the project cycle, supporting both existing organisations and newly formed organisations.
By the end of June 2009 a national delivery organisation will have been appointed to manage and deliver Communitybuilders. Access to the fund should then be possible from July 2009. The DTA is encouraging organizations interested in applying to start preparing now.
Watch this space.
Basic information on Communitybuilders programme
www.communities.gov.uk/communities/thirdsector/communitybuilders
The Development Trust Association (DTA) has updated information appearing here:
http://www.dta.org.uk/activities/campaigns/communityanchors/Communitybuilders.htm
Useful Links
Development Trusts Association (DTA)
www.dta.org.uk
The Community Alliance
www.comm-alliance.org
Regional Empowerment Partnership – The National Empowerment Partnership in Yorkshire & the Humber
www.yhep.org.uk
Community Matters
www.communitymatters.org.uk