Photo Credit: Michael Elliot

Tax Deductible PISB- 501c3

The violent crime rate in South Bend is 7.39 per 1,000 citizens compared to 3.14 for the state of Indiana and 4.0 for the nation. The number of violent crimes in South Bend is clearly disproportionately high with more than twice the average for Indiana. The average citizen has a 1 in 135 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in South Bend as compared to a 1 in 318 chance in Indiana. By way of comparison, Evansville, another Indiana city with roughly the same population, there is a 1 in 236 chance of being a victim of a violent crime.

Additional Information: Community Revitalization Through Entrepreneurship

Project Impact addresses the challenge from business development as well as individual development. For business development PISB utilizes workshops through its Common Unity Center, a collaborative effort with the Michiana African American Chamber of Commerce, SCORE and Goodwill Industries. Through this collaboration, community based businesses are identified, prepared and then connected with business opportunities. The goal is business creation, development and growth that lead directly to hiring of individuals from the community.

For individual development, PISB provides life skills and job readiness training, but also collaborates with other community organizations providing similar training. With these other organizations, PISB participates in the Business Advisory Council program led by Goodwill Industries, connecting trained individuals with local corporations committed to provide job opportunities to BAC program participants.

PISB recognizes that traditional methods of preparation and placement alone are not enough. Therefore, in collaboration with Goodwill Industries and other community organizations, PISB has championed a paradigm shift in addressing the challenge.

In 2011 PISB brought businesses and non-profits together at the Pfeil Innovation Center to map out a new approach. Rather than taking the typical approach of allocating the most effort and resources toward the “most likely to succeed” and artificially influencing success metrics for job placement programs in underserved communities, PISB introduced a strategy of capacity building. While others focus on the minority of individuals who have already demonstrated the highest probability of becoming successful, the new paradigm focuses on strengthening the majority who need the most help and moving them up a success continuum.

Through the collaboration of for-profit and non-profit businesses and the application of the latest Innovation process planning and training PISB, introduced a unique experiment. Rather than replace the traditional processes, this new approach is designed to reinforce overall initiatives. The outcome is more individuals who can benefit from the traditional programs designed to be more effective working with individuals who already possess the fundamental skills needed for success.

 Both the business and individual development solutions employ a simple, duplicatable process:

1. Education and preparation

2. Support and development

3. Competency and Capacity building

4. Connection to networks, marketing and business growth

The business development track works with community entrepreneurs to develop opportunities within the community. These businesses are at different levels of development and receive support from the collaboration of the Common Unity Center, SCORE and Goodwill Industries. Through preparation businesses are prepared to handle opportunities. They are then coupled with opportunities that generate immediate income while developing the newly learned skills and building capacity. These businesses include all stages of development from start-up to established businesses. They cover all industries from construction, to retail to network marketing. 

 The individual development track works with individuals looking to be prepared to be employed by companies or interested in becoming entrepreneurs. As with the businesses, they too are at different levels of development. Those needing the most preparation participate in the “get ready to get ready” level. Others may only need some basic coaching and refresher support before being connected to opportunities. Collaboration with Goodwill Industries and their Business Advisory Council provides access to local companies that have expressed the desire to hire individuals who traditionally slip through the cracks and remain the most difficult to employ.  Individual training emphasizes financial literacy and principles from the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Project Impact utilizes the services of trained and licensed social workers. 

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