Case study 10 Nijmegen A future for everybody

Define the social issue(s)

The social issue is the need of restructuring the neighborhood of Wolfskuil by involving the inhabitants.
The neighborhood of Wolfskuil has a great deal of inhabitants with a weak or vulnerable socio-economic
background. The mean age is higher than average. There is a large share of minorities and there is a
great difference between them and the native residents. There is also a difference between traditional
residents and newcomers, all of these differences putting a threat on the social cohesion. The people
(particularly youths) are not involved in the neighborhood, there is also nuisance on the streets.
The urgency of solving the issue is not as high, considering that there are some signs that the
quality of the social climate is slowly increasing.
Analyze the constraints and opportunities of the social business
Constraints:

The project costs around 150,000 Euro (25,000 Portaal & the municipality, 100,000 Province of
Gelderland) and the greatest part of the money is used to pay the process manager (hired from
an external consultancy firm)

Economic crisis

The idea of a self-sufficient neighborhood center has 2 problems: the dependence on subsidies
from the municipality and it would increase independence of the demands of the municipality

Opportunities:

Building houses according to different social classes and to their needs in order to integrate
people by making them interact more

Involving inhabitants in the project leads to development of new ideas

The project is focused on inhabitants and has as an end mean to help them be able to take care
of themselves in the future

Ethnic minorities are difficult to involve in projects

Assess the strategic alliances/ social networks

The project is set up by Housing corporation Portaal in collaboration with the municipality of
Nijmegen

Plan to collaborate with the professional soccer club Nijmegense Eendracht Combinatie (NEC)

Strong collaboration with the community, residents are regarded as co-producers rather than
passive consumers

Investment in Hobby Centre (place where residents practice their hobbies together)

Fundation Dagloon gives homeless people the opportunity to work for a small reimbursement

The involvement of the community helps them bond more, through making them create
something positive for their neighborhood on their own

Assess the innovativeness of the social organization

In general, the project fits the spirit of the new WMO law of societal development very well.
The process manager started the project with a neighborhood safari, people were asked about their
neighborhood , intentions, how do they work together; some people were asked to come help with the
Kuul contract week(apart from professionals).
The solution to the peoples problem lies in collaboration.

How does the organization ensure its financial sustainability?

The Neighborhood Factory is composed from the inhabitants and is supposed to become self-sufficient
by delivering particular services or products by and for residents. Through this, people receive a sense of:
participation, getting together and a sense of ownership.
Residents will have to manage and maintain a neighborhood center. If everything goes well, they have to
generate income from this and one way or another and they should reinvest this money back into the
neighborhood.
People can work with local entrepreneurs, cleaning of back alleys, organizing activities. Maintenance,
which is now the responsibility of the municipality, could be handed to such an organization.

Sustainable practices

Consideration of alternative funding strategies and self-funding

The revenue model (distribution of earned income)