HOW ONE COMMUNITY EMPOWERED ITSELF TO BEAT CRIME, DRUGS

City Of Ottawa Sees Ledbury-Banff As Model For Change

Only a few years ago, the Ledbury-Banff area was one of the city's
most notorious. Gangs, guns, drugs, poverty, and unemployment seemed
to be the only notable attributes of the area, just south of Bank
Street and Walkley Road.

This is not the case anymore.

Instead, at a community forum yesterday, it was held out as a shining
example of a new approach to community-building led by empowered
residents supported by government and social service agencies. It's
such a success that the City of Ottawa is hoping to use what it
learned in Ledbury-Banff to find ways to help every troubled
neighbourhood in the city.

The approach, called No Community Left Behind, targets
neighbourhood-level problems specifically identified by detailed
demographic and statistical analysis.

Deputy city manager Steve Kanellakos, who is responsible for Ottawa's
community and protective services, admits the city doesn't really know
the effectiveness of some of its social programs or others it helps
fund. He feels that the new approach will show the city what programs
have the most effect, and it could end up saving money on programs
that don't measure up.

"I think this is a much, much better approach to using public
resources and community development than what we've been doing, and
we're going to go hard and fast at this," Mr. Kanellakos said. "What
we're talking about is driving city services into the neighbourhoods
that need them and into targeted areas inside those neighbourhoods
that residents there feel, and data show, will have the greatest impact."

In Ledbury-Banff, a neighbourhood dominated by social housing, surveys
show residents feel safer, youth are doing better in school, and
people are healthier than they were just a few years ago.

"The turnaround has been amazing, and it shows what people can do when
they care enough to get involved and try to change things," said
Sylvie Manser, a longtime resident of the area who chose to stop
complaining and tried to do something.

Ms. Manser helped found the Banff Community House and became its
director. The house runs myriad health, recreation, education and
employment programs for all ages and has played a major role in the No
Community Left Behind approach.

The effort started in 2005 with a small group of citizens meeting with
officials from the police, city, and social-service agencies. A survey
was done to see what residents believed the neighbourhood's pressing
needs were, while socio-economic and health indicators were compiled
and examined.

After this, specific programs were developed to address the needs in
ways that fit with the makeup of the community, which is home to many
new Canadians.

Ms. Manser said one by one, the programs started and the results came
fast.

One of the problems was youth crime; interviews and surveys in the
community suggested a lack of recreation opportunities was
contributing. Police patrols were stepped up, and sports fields were
built, a basketball court was constructed, leagues were formed and
coaches were found. The youth crime rate dropped.

Abid Jan, co-ordinator of No Community Left Behind for the South East
Ottawa Centre for a Health Community, said the "transformation has
been amazing."

He said one of the best indicators of success in neighbourhoods like
Ledbury-Banff is how safe people feel. He said initial surveys in 2005
showed only 46 per cent of people in the area felt safe. By 2006, the
number jumped to 60 per cent. Last year, 80 per cent of people in the
area felt safe. Ottawa police boasted of their improved relationships
with residents and began using the area as a case study.

Mr. Jan said the good thing about the approach is that it works
regardless of the problems facing a community -- from crime to
obesity, teen pregnancy to poor diets.

"The program is designed to identify specific problems in small areas
and then to get grassroots plans to deal with them," he said. "It
works because people get involved."

Ms. Manser agreed.

"When people are prepared to do something about problems, they will
change," she said. "That's the key. Get involved, and good things happen."