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A Year of Exciting Changes

It's been another year of exciting change at Nexus Community Partners (formerly Payne Lake Community Partners), leading most notably to our new name and identity.

In 2009 we made a breakthrough in clarifying our niche, representing a culmination of a strategic re-thinking process begun in 2007. By building on lessons learned, a review of grants and thought leadership, and a comprehensive strategic planning process, Nexus Community Partners has emerged with a more focused mission and strategy.

Nexus recognizes that to achieve equitable and sustainable revitalization we must effectively link building the social, human and cultural capital of a community with the development of its physical and economic capital. As a result, our current activities focus  on two key community-building strategies: asset building and community engagement.

As a community building intermediary Nexus specializes in strengthening the social and human capital of the region’s most excluded communities—pre-developing community capacity to take advantage of the opportunities provided by established housing, economic and business development intermediaries and other organizations.

Nexus Community Partners utilizes a toolkit of revitalization strategies, including convening diverse community residents and leaders; acting as a cultural mediator between grassroots residents and mainstream funders and developers; community outreach and engagement; promoting civic participation; community organizing; as well as incubating model asset-building initiatives in the areas of workforce development, successful homeownership, digital technology access, and financial literacy.

This toolkit positions us as a community building specialist focused on strengthening the social and human capital of a community, including its capacity for collective problem-solving, mutual aid and assistance, and the development of a shared sense of identity. While Nexus has a history of community building programs, in 2009 community building became our primary mission and focus.

We’re excited to launch our new website and encourage you to learn more about the work of Nexus Community Partners.

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