The 2004 Rutgers Bloustein Community Development Studio partnered with Newark’s New Community Corporation (NCC). Located in Newark’s Central Ward, NCC’s size and breadth of activities set it apart from other CDCs. NCC is involved in housing construction and management, job training, welfare-to-work training and services, retail trade, childcare, senior care, health, security, and education. NCC receives many requests for information about its methods and activities from other CDCs, the media, and the interested public. Responding to these questions helps fulfill NCC’s goal of extending its knowledge beyond Newark and building the capacity of the non-profit sector. More than two hundred nonprofits visit NCC each year, and NCC devotes extensive executive staff time for phone calls and visits from other organizations, and provides information through their website, a videotape, and publications. NCC staff asked the studio to develop materials to allow them to more easily share their expertise with others. Reflecting the organization’s program priorities, the studio created how-to documents on the following topics:
- NCC’s Vision and Approach to Community Development
- Understanding the Development Process
- Developing Senior Housing
- Navigating the Political Landscape
- Providing Community-Based Healthcare
Students developed print materials that allow NCC to more easily share its expertise and experiences with others.