Our Goals:
Community Involvement
Increase the number and diversity of people who are involved and volunteer in their communities and neighborhoods. Capacity Building
Strengthen neighborhood and community capacity to build identity, skills, relationships and partnerships. Public Impact
Increase community and neighborhood impact on public decisions. Livability and Safety
Provide tools and resour
ces to improve neighborhood and community livability and safety. Services
Provide accurate information and responsive and effective services to community members and organizations. Our Values:
The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) works towards a future where the community is a full and equal decision-making partner in all aspects of the City of Portland. We serve our increasingly diverse community through promoting collective civic engagement for all people in Portland, with a commitment to transparency, compassion, and relationship building. We strive to recognize and repair the disparities that exclude and harm the people of Portland. We strive to be authentic, accessible and accountable within government and the community. The values put forth here are intended as a guide and foundation for all our work. Inclusion - No one gets left out
We are committed to equal participation and the continuous development of organized and meaningful inter-cultural relationships. Our neighborhood system strives to fully engage residents of Portland from all cultural, social and economic walks of life. We aspire to understand and honor the diversity of ways in which our communities communicate and participate, and ensure that our processes and opportunities reflect that understanding. Shared Power and Governance
We continuously strive to level the playing field for those that want to participate. We seek the most effective ways to include and respond to the community and eliminate attitudes and behaviors that exclude or isolate community voices. We work for equal access, equal opportunity, and equity in our work, in ways that are culturally-diverse, culturally-specific, and multicultural. We incorporate the flexibility to adjust whenever necessary in order to eliminate barriers to genuine collaboration with community. Relationships - the cornerstone of our work
The foundation of our work is a belief in effective, equitable and collaborative relationships with government and community partners. We seek to maintain the highest community trust through accountability and transparency in our processes and decisions. We value our community relationships and show it by being flexible and listening - ensuring timely, accurate and helpful responses to those who work with us or seek our services. We approach our work with humility and the understanding that we learn together. We embrace and encourage youth input and involvement. Social Sustainability – people are our most important resource
We use an equity lens to make decisions collaboratively with community partners. We strive to provide more choices for people who may have fewer choices. We recognize that involving and connecting people with government and with each other results in the most sustainable efforts for the City. Adopted April 12, 2010
