Deep South Delta Consortium

Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas Delta

Overview:
To empower and transform poor communities in the region, by increasing the voice, assets, and visibility of community development corporations and strengthening the capacity of the collaborative to operate as a single project entity.

Context:
In the Spring of 2002, after many years of individual attempts to transform and re-build communities through the delivery of social services, organizing and voter registration, Consortium members organized themselves into a collaborative that would promote asset development or wealth creation as the most logical and effective way for low-income families and communities to enjoy a better quality of “quality of life.” The intense systemic poverty and persistent racism in the Delta region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi demonstrates a need for an innovative collaborative approach that cuts across state and county lines to help transform local economies

Collaborative Structure & Strategy:
Founded in 2003, the Deep South Delta Consortium (DSDC) is the result of seven mature community development organizations located across a 55 county area of the Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas Delta coming together to build state and regional support for the local community development industry and its constituents. The Consortium is headed by the 25 year old Quitman County Development Organization, a CDC which offers credit union, business, housing, after school and day care services to northern Mississippi families. The first such grassroots effort of its kind in the area, the DSDC intendeds to bring visibility and voice to this area of persistent poverty by creating a regional infrastructure with the collective capacity to build a tri-state agenda, influence public policy, attract greater public and private investment, and improve the economic well being of impoverished Black families in the Mississippi Delta.

Projected Leverage and Impact:
This collaboration is working to accomplish a region-wide impact and stimulate greater regional investment in grassroots led ventures. DSDC members plan to jumpstart economic change in the region through a more systemic approach, buy-in of strategic partners, and the proficiency to perform as a network. As part of their work together, they will begin to develop a regional policy focus and leverage individual policy efforts to advance their regional work together.

Direct Impact is anticipated the following ways:

• Ultimately profitable Credit Unions will be chartered in each community to provide future income to help to sustain Deep South Community Development Corporations.
• The region will have a newly trained network of grassroots leaders.
• The People's agenda will be adopted by Legislative Black Caucus in each state.
• Annual People's Convention convened.
• Significant increases in homeownership.
• IDA program established in each state.
• Advance the CDC philosophy through strengthening state and regional associations and becoming a funding intermediary.

Programs and Projects:
During the course of the grant, DSDC will

• Develop broad based grassroots constituency from DSDC member communities;
• Convene Delta Tri-state People's Convention;
• Develop annual Delta People's agenda to be presented at local, state, and tri-state levels;
• Identify and work with allies to advance agenda;
• Conduct first annual Delta Leadership Training Institute; and
• Expand credit union network in region by chartering of 4 new credit unions

Outcomes:
DSDC has identified three areas of initial concentration:

• Community Development Promotion : Advancing community development principles and practices in the region including documenting past and present sector achievements, identifying and developing the next generation of practitioners, establishing CDC networks within the tri-state area, and providing support and technical assistance for emerging community development organizations;
• Wealth Creation : Expanding financial services and programs including the chartering of five new credit unions in the region and creation of new financial tools that will help increase savings, credit access, and asset accumulation for many local families; and
• Policy Advocacy: Developing and training a grassroots advocacy coalition that will frame and promote progressive policy reforms.

Main Contact
Robert Jackson
Project Coordinator
Deep South Delta Consortium
rjacksonqcdo@yahoo.com