When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, it decimated roads, power and infrastructure. In the small community of Villalba, government workers weren't able to access the people who needed help. But volunteers and staff from Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services were already there.
"We were the liaison," says Elizabeth Colón Rivera, Ponce's CEO. "We went to the municipality's emergency centers, offering our services and letting them know we had the resources, tools and water to help them."
To provide organizations and resident leaders with the tools and connections they need for the future, Ponce NHS and NeighborWorks America will be hosting a Community Leadership Institute (CLI) on the island. The event, to be held at the end of June, will bring together 200 community and resident leaders.
"Our theme is about rebuilding, revitalization, recovery and resiliency," Colón Rivera says. "We want to make sure our communities have enough preparation, tools and resources with all that can happen."
Often, she says, community members themselves need to take charge in the weeks before FEMA, the Red Cross, or even municipalities are able to help. They need training and connections to one another. Ponce is again serving as a liaison to help this happen.
Ponce and NeighborWorks had initially hoped to host a CLI in Puerto Rico several years ago but held off as Puerto Rico recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and earthquakes. Colón Rivera says she is glad to finally be able to bring people together.
"We will have organizations that have a lot of years of experience and organizations that have formed as a result of what has been happening in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria," she says. "We want to make this network possible. We want to establish working alliances and collaborations. Sometimes connections are as important as knowledge. You have to have both."
Michael "Mulei" Molina, relationship manager of NeighborWorks' Northeast Region, says federal
funding coming from the storms and earthquakes is only just now reaching the island. Nonprofits and community-serving organizations have borne the weight of recovery, but they need help with training and technical assistance. The CLI will provide that, he says, including workshops on team leadership, management, creating proposals — and even on creating a board of directors.
The event will also include a bus tour of communities, showcasing some of the work of previous CLI teams and Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership honorees. Ponce's Consuelo Ramirez, who turned a library into a safe haven, is one of this year's honorees.
Joanie Straussman Brandon, NeighborWorks' regional vice president of the Northeast region, says it is vital to provide a space where people can make these connections in person. A grant from NeighborWorks helped support the event, from planning to hosting. Part of the focus of the CLI will be on building capacity, she says. The event will also include showcasing the community projects associated with the yearly convenings. Those convenings — annual, invitation-only training events — are aimed at strengthening the voices and skills of community, resident and volunteer leaders. NeighborWorks' nationwide CLI will be held in October in San Francisco, California, this year.
