The people of Harlem indicate that the gentrification proposed for the region will lead to a hike in house rent and their displacement. This shows a great need to establish strategies that will help ensure that the proposed developments do not disadvantage original residents. The establishment of new zoning and house laws will help to ensure that the native residents of Harlem are not displaced from the region due to a lack of affordable housing. All community members have to be included in the program to enhance its effectiveness. The program seeks to ensure that the proposed developments in Harlem lead to the prosperity of the native residents and the newcomers.
Components of the Community Needs Assessment
The people living in Harlem face a gentrification problem that leads to the socioeconomic displacement of businesses and residents who earn a lower income. It is challenging for the primary residents of Harlem to live in their original neighborhoods since the new people in the region often make them feel unwelcome. Many people from Harlem are against the idea of turning the town which they considered historical and culturally significant, into a modern town (Dollars & Sense, 2020). The people do not want their culture and history to be erased due to the various proposed development projects.
Gentrification in Harlem is likely to lead to the closure of up to seventy-one businesses owned by African Americans. Original residents of Harlem also believe that gentrification will attract rich people, which will lead to a significant increase in rent (Gorrild et al., 2019). Harlem people believe that an increase in house rent will make it unaffordable for them, thus forcing them to vacate. The proposed project will address the need by utilizing conflict transformation to address the gentrification problem in Harlem. Conflict transformation will help eliminate cultural and structural pitfalls that have resulted from gentrification.
Goals of the Program
One of the program’s main goals is to prevent the harmful effects of gentrification. Even though there is a need to develop Harlem to raise its standards, the process should not lead to the displacement of original residents. One of the strategies that will enhance the achievement of the goal is the establishment of new zoning and housing laws (Williams, 2020). Zoning laws make it very hard to find affordable housing, thus displacing people who do not have enough resources. This indicates a great need to establish laws that will help create affordable housing for the people of Harlem.
Another goal for the program is ensuring that the development established in Harlem benefit the legacy residents and business and not those seeking entry into the city. In this case, it might be necessary to negotiate with new investors for community benefits agreements which will help to ensure that legacy residents benefit in the long run (Tol, 2019). A loan fund can also be established to enable small entrepreneurs to purchase their buildings.
Program Evaluation Type
An appropriate program evaluation type for the proposed program is process evaluation. The evaluation method has the primary purpose of exploring the various features of the implementation process of a program. It also plays a significant role in helping to assess reliability, adaptability, and the quality of the implementation process (Scott et al., 2019). The program evaluation type can also help assess the different factors that can influence program outcomes. This can help to inform on necessary adjustments to enhance the chances of program success.
It can also help identify factors that facilitate or act as a barrier to program implementation. This can help to inform on necessary improvements to overcome the identified barriers. In this case, the evaluation method can identify the failure or success of interventions initiated in a project. It also helps assess the different services delivered through a program, those who benefit, resources used in the process, and encountered problems (TSNE, 2018). In this case, process evaluation can gauge whether an organization can deliver on projected outcomes.
Program Evaluation to Determine Outcomes
The type of program evaluation that can determine the projected program’s outcomes is outcome evaluation. The evaluation mode is a process that helps measure the final result using a systematically conducted assessment (Bhasin, 2021). A defined set of standards guides the process. It can assess how the knowledge and resources lead to outcomes and benefits that outweigh the costs. This can help to inform strategies on how to utilize available resources to enhance the possibility of positive outcomes in the future.
The evaluation method is effective for the desired project since it focuses on the outcomes of a program and not its implementation. According to Boothroyd (2018), outcome evaluation also helps assess the effect a program has on its participants. In this case, outcome evaluation will play a significant role in identifying whether the desired program will positively or negatively affect Harlem’s native people. It is also effective in informing long-term plans and decision-making processes. In this case, the process can inform the direction that a program is to take based on the identified outcomes.
Ethical Considerations
An ethical consideration to have during the development and implementation phase of the projected government program is confidentiality. In this case, all the information gathered from the participants in the course of the program has to be kept confidential. Confidentiality during program implementation helps build trust with the participants and the program members. The information generated through the program should only be shared with relevant individuals to ensure that participants’ privacy is protected.
Consent is another ethical consideration while developing and implementing the desired government project. It is necessary to obtain participants’ consent to share their information with others to enhance program implementation (Rabinowitz, 2022). Community members have to consent to the program implementation in their region. When developing and implementing the desired government program, it is necessary to consider ethical disclosure. In this case, the program’s staff must share the various conditions that define the program with the participants. Such conditions can include the various policies about privacy, available services, and the desired time limit. This helps participants to make informed decisions on whether to participate in a program or not.
Diversity and Inclusion
The program will partner with the community and faith-based members as one of the culturally sensitive approaches to address issues that might result from diversity and inclusion. This will help ensure that Harlem residents are familiar with the various initiatives that the program seeks to eliminate the problem brought about by gentrification. Partnering with community and faith members who are well known to the residents can help eliminate perceptions that the program’s proposed changes are forced by external actors (UNFPA, 2018). Community and faith members will enhance the possibility of the native residents accepting that the program is designed to help them. Such people can also help overcome the cultural barriers that are likely to face during project implementation.
It is also necessary to identify areas of collaboration to ensure that the native residents and the newcomers have common objectives concerning Harlem. In this case, it might be necessary to utilize evidence-based approaches to enhance the effectiveness of collaboration. Using evidence-based approaches will help convince the residents that the various initiatives being undertaken by the program aim to benefit them. In this case, they are likely to collaborate during the program’s implementation process and enhance the chances of success.
References
Bhasin, H. (2021). Outcome evaluation – Meaning, strategies, characteristics, advantages & limitations. Marketing91. Web.
Boothroyd, R. (2018). Process and outcome evaluation approaches. Web.
Dollars and Sense. (2020). A disappearing landscape: Gentrification transforms Harlem. Cuny.edu. Web.
Gorrild, M., Obialo, S., & Venema, N. (2019). Gentrification and displacement in Harlem: How the Harlem community lost its voice en route to progress. Humanity in Action. Web.
Rabinowitz, P. (2022). Choosing and adapting community interventions: Ethical issues in community interventions. Ku.edu. Web.
Scott, S. D., Rotter, T., Flynn, R., Brooks, H. M., Plesk, T., Banner-Martin, K. H.,… & Hartling, L. (2019). A systematic review of the use of process evaluations in knowledge translation research. Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 1-10. Web.
Tol, V., J. (2019). Yes, you can gentrify a neighborhood without pushing out poor people. The Washington Post. Web.
TSNE. (2018). Process evaluation vs. outcome evaluation. TSNE. Web.
UNFPA. (2018). Culturally sensitive approaches. United Nations Population Fund. Web.
Williams, M. (2020). How to protect longtime residents from the harms of gentrification. Business Insider.