Harambee Community Center Campaign FAQ

1. What is the broad impact of Urban Concern on the South Linden community?

Urban Concern strives to maintain quality, holistic programs integrated around healthy families and long-term leadership development. The strength of the Urban Concern programs is not as much in the individual programs themselves, but rather in the integration of these programs and the way in which they facilitate relationships that transform lives.

Harambee Christian School (HCS): The mission of HCS is to empower students to become agents of positive change. HCS opened in 1998 with 15 kindergarten students. Currently, HCS serves 81 students in grades K-5. Over 70% of HCS students qualify for free lunch. These low-income students achieve above the national average in both reading and mathematics on the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Students also get hands on experience with technology, economics and service opportunities.

After School Program (ASP): 35 students per day attend the ASP for a safe learning environment. To date this school year, 90% of the students who attend the ASP have completed their homework each night. The ASP is staffed mainly by individuals who have been developed from within the community. A large constituency of volunteers serves nearly 100 hours each month in the ASP. The ASP has served the community since 1990. Huntington, Nationwide and the City of Columbus have funded the ASP for several years.

Parent Partnership: In 1998 parents at Urban Concern formed Parent Partnership to provide resources and support to parents in the South Linden community. Parent Partnership seeks to come alongside parents to help them build healthy families, especially through monthly support meetings and life skills classes. Other Parent Partnership activities include an adult literacy book club, emergency relief, the Christmas with Dignity program, and the Useable Dollar Store that gives parents the opportunity to exchange volunteer hours for vouchers that can be used to buy household items. Parent Partnership motivated and mobilized parents to give 1397 hours of community service in 2005.

Mentoring: Relational mentoring takes place in the context of various one-on-one and small group meetings and Bible studies. Urban Concern provides weekly meetings for students and adults to learn the Bible and build relationships. Approximately 100 students and 40 adults participate weekly. Over 70 middle and high school students meet in small groups with adult mentors where they openly discuss various issues, such as family, violence, sexuality, and drugs. A Twelve Step Program for adults also meets weekly. Another group meets weekly to mentor men, especially ex-offenders, to become responsible members of their family and community. Finally, the Urban Concern office has become a place where individuals come for employment and social service referrals. In a typical week, the staff at Urban Concern refers more than 10 adults to various jobs and social services.

Summer Job Club: Boys & girls who are 12-13 years old have participated in the Summer Job Club since 2002. Participating students receive classroom instruction on basic job skills, as well as real-world work experience that benefits the community. They receive a stipend for their labor. Half of the stipend is deposited in a savings account for use when the student graduates from high school. In 2005, 18 students participated in the Summer Job Club. Upon completion, 100% of these students stated that they aspire to graduate from high school. 92% aspire to graduate from college or technical college. This program has become a model for other community development organizations around the U.S.

2. How will the new facility allow Urban Concern to have a broader impact on the community?

The new facility will allow for a broader impact by increasing our visibility, capacity & accessibility.

Our current facilities are not large enough for community gatherings. The largest meeting space that we have will comfortably seat about 30 adults. Large events have had to take place off site. For example, every week over 70 students leave the community for meetings. Family and parent gatherings for the school are impossible in our current facilities.
School classrooms will be designed to allow several more students per class. We will expand enrollment by 30%. This allows us to maintain small class sizes and a family-like environment, while impacting more children.
The community center will enhance and complement the city’s recent redevelopment of the ‘four corners’ area of South Linden.
Current plans include an unfinished second floor allowing for cost-effective future expansion.

3. How will the new facility impact student learning?

All students will have a much better learning environment with adequately sized classrooms and better lighting.
ASP students will have a quieter, more controlled environment than the city recreation center, where there is less control and sometimes negative influences.
Students who attend the ASP will have access to the school’s state of the art technology, books and materials. For students who attend Harambee School, this will mean much greater continuity between the instruction at school and tutoring in the ASP.

4. How will safety & logistics improve in the new facility?

It will be easier to maintain security at one location than at multiple sites.
A single facility eliminates the need for transportation between locations and the associated risks.
The site will allow parents to safely pick up and drop off their children.

5. Is the project sustainable?

Urban Concern enjoys a broadening base of support. Xenos Fellowship is deeply committed to Urban Concern. This is evidenced by their support over the past 15 years. Additionally, individuals from Xenos pledged $2 million toward the Harambee Community Center Capital Campaign.

Other local businesses and churches have also generously and consistently supported the work of Urban Concern over the years.

The After School Program receives its primary funding from the City of Columbus through its Capital Kids program. Finally, the Ohio EdChoice voucher program is likely to provide new revenue for Harambee School beginning in the 2006-07 school year.

6. Is the community behind the project?

In the fall of 2005, Columbus City Council unanimously approved the sale of the Bonham Avenue property to Urban Concern. The Greater Linden Development Corporation (GLDC) and the South Linden Area Commission have voiced their support for the project. Clarence Lumpkin, Chair Emeritus of the GLDC, has agreed to serve on the Harambee Capital Campaign Committee.

7. What will happen to the existing Urban Concern buildings?

Urban Concern will continue to operate and maintain Harambee Park on 13th Avenue (the current 4th-5th grade building). The other owned facilities will be sold to responsible individuals who have the best interest of the community at heart. Potentially, these facilities can be converted back to residential properties and sold to families who have been impacted by Urban Concern.

8. Does the new facility provide opportunities for future expansion of programs?

Yes. Current plans include an unfinished second floor that will provide space for expansion. There are many exciting possibilities. We are studying the viability of a community medical clinic, preschool and high school/vocational school. There is also the possibility of expanding the elementary school.

9. Is HCS a charter school?

No. HCS is a private school, funded by donations and tuition. Tuition at HCS is based on family income. Because most families are low-income, HCS relies on the support of various individuals, churches, foundations and businesses for funding.

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