Empowering Rosewood Courts Residents Through Planning

Current Rosewood Courts residents are HACA’s key constituency and bringing them meaningfully into the planning process was a high priority. In order to engage Rosewood Courts residents, and more importantly to improve their ability to articulate their desires for Rosewood Courts and the surrounding neighborhood during meetings with more vocal and long-standing neighborhood groups, a number of activities were undertaken to improve their capacity and ability to participate in planning. The planning team met with only Rosewood Courts residents on multiple occasions to solicit ideas, information and opinions about what a new Rosewood Courts should look like.  Austin Interfaith mentored residents so that they could express their views concerning the future of Rosewood Courts before HACA’s Board of Commissioners and the Texas Historical Commission and in community planning meetings. This effort to build capacity of Rosewood Courts residents to actively participate in planning for the future has been a hallmark of the planning process.

Training was conducted with the Rosewood Courts Resident Council and other interested residents. These trainings provided basic information on understanding power, credentialing, qualities of leaders, levels of leadership, how to gather information on issues of cross-cutting concerns at Rosewood Courts. Outside of the apprenticeship program, approximately 10 residents attended a “house meeting” with Austin Interfaith and HACA Choice Neighborhoods staff to share their particular concerns and experiences regarding employment and childcare. The meeting assessed the interest of participants in canvassing other Rosewood Courts residents regarding their experiences with these particular issues.

Residents also went on a bus tour of other affordable housing projects throughout Austin to see what is possible at Rosewood Courts. Everyone was encouraged to stay involved in the planning process and has been kept informed through a monthly newsletter, The Rosewood Report.

Click Here to Download a Newsletter Detailing an Open House for Rosewood Courts Residents (50 k)