CityLink Captures Crucial Court Case
Dear Volunteers and Supporters,
Friday morning I received the call we waited a year for..."Mark, we won!" Our attorneys called with news of our second victory in the courts and it solidifies our position regarding the CityLink Bank Street property zoning approval we have been working on for two years.
While an appeal to the State Supreme Court may occur, they take only a small percentage of the cases submitted. Our counsel does not believe this case has statewide impact.
I breathed deeply and said, "Thanks Lord for this important step, let's keep going."
You needed to hear the great news and I thought you would wonder what's next, so I wanted to get this note out to you quickly.
As Cincinnati fell to the 3rd poorest city in Ohio this year, with nearly 28% living below the poverty line, the need for CityLink and its integrated approach for those wanting to change their lives has never been greater. We are even more convinced with this new data of the importance to create this integrated opportunity for change.
Our progress with pastors in the West End and throughout the city signals the readying of Christ's church to demonstrate its relevance and His love. One of my good friends, Jim Strayhorn, who is Pastor of Bright Star Baptist in the West End, said, "It's a big win for us because it gets us one step closer to our goal" of helping folks looking to change the direction of their lives. And we do that by moving from belief to behavior.
Bottom-line, we knew from other integrated service facilities across the country that this would be a long and somewhat draining experience. But this legal endeavor has afforded us much needed development time which has dialed up progress in the following areas:
- A terrific team has been working on infrastructure systems for IT, volunteer management, personal life plans, and more.
- Roger Howell and Burr Robinson have been working with other social service providers in the core of the city on how to partner more effectively short and long-term.
- Tim Senff and Gene Ellington continue working other key neighborhood stakeholders.
- Tim and I have been working on micro-enterprise opportunities for CityLink to provide revenue and employment opportunities.
- Our board is working on the timing and strategy for our funding challenge to build this amazing integrated center.
- A committed team has identified 8+ multi-service centers nation-wide and are profiling for best practices on services, systems, and community impact
So, a great step in our journey has just been delivered. Please take a moment to thank the Lord for His help on this, and thank Him for the invitation to be included as we work on the things of His heart, multiplying the impact of His church by working together.
Blessings,
Mark Stecher
OneCity President
If you would like to discuss our decision or the development of CityLink further, please email citylink@onecity.org.
|
