What is a community investment?
Community Investing is a strategy of using available resources to create a clearer future for the community. This process may include financial investments of large companies, local entrepreneurs or even private citizens and root organizations. In many cases, successful investment in communities includes a combination of all these sources.
The basic principle of community investment is that taking steps to improve physical facilities, educational opportunities or job opportunities today will lead to significant rewards for all concerned in the future. Investing today is small immediate awards for business, such as tax relief or other privileges offered by the local administration. At the same time, the community investment provided a platform that made the community more attractive to potential residents and generally improved the quality of life for all.
Many textile companies in the United States used this formula of community investment at the beginning of 20.century. Corporations would build large production facilities that provided local employment for residents. At the same time, the company would provide grants to local school systems and support literacy among the next generation of employees. In some cases, companies even built housing in the general area of production facilities and offered houses at extremely low rental prices to their workers. Until the mid -20th century, it was not unusual for the family to live in the same house in the so -called village of Mill for two or more generations, each generation working in a local mill.
The level of the impact of a community investment varies from one situation to another. Literacy programs, low -cost housing and programs that help unemployed and homeless people to get back to their feet are still important to many cities. Today, aspects of long -term investment in a given location, such as community options such as low health care costs, addictive renewal programs are importantOutbounds, substance recovery programs and create new recreational programs for the general population.
Community investment does not have to come up with a large company. Local efforts through the Chamber of Commerce, which includes the support of individual citizens, local businesses and non -profit organizations, can have a huge impact. Community gardens for increasing fresh products, collection centers that give clothes and food to people out of work, and classes organized at a local high school for people who have to acquire additional skills to get a job are examples of programs that can initiate any local community in itself. These types of self -investment communities not only help to satisfy needs, but can also increase the sense of self -confidence pride in community as a whole.