Oakland Park Homeowner's Coalition

What is a Homeowner's Coalition?

Oct 12, 2007

WHAT IS A HOMEOWNERS COALITION?
How is it different from a Homeowners Association? Who are its members?
Homeowners Coalitions bring neighbors together in order to improve the livability of a group of neighborhoods. There are many neighborhood associations throughout Florida that help citizens make their voices heard in Tallahassee.
What is a Homeowners Coalition?

A Homeowners Coalition is a group of residents, business representatives, and other interested citizens who devote their time and energy to improve and enhance a well-defined, geographic area where they and others live. The neighborhood association meeting, like the town meetings of old, is a place to meet neighbors, exchange ideas, prioritize projects, propose solutions, develop legislative priorities and implement plans for the neighborhood.


Homeowners Coalitions are concerned with issues that affect the quality of life in the community. This can include issues such as zoning issues or traffic improvements, bills that impact their neighborhood as well as events that strengthen neighborhoods. Sponsoring neighborhood festivals, block parties, crime prevention activities and upgrading neighborhood parks are important projects for neighborhood associations.

Why Start a Homeowners Coalition?

Neighbors usually organize to:
?• Build a sense of community among neighbors;
?• Address a particular issue of the neighborhood;
?• Provide the neighborhood with an effective communication link with government officials and other influential groups;
?• Provide a voice for the neighborhood at the Municipal, County and State level;
?• Empower residents to work together in improving their neighborhood;
?• Organizing a Homeowners Coalition brings people together to form a collective, united voice. A well-organized group of people can be a powerful and influential political force.




Simple Organizing Tips

Organizing a Homeowners Coalition is a big job. While it may seem difficult at first, developing our coalition will be enormously exciting as people come together to address common problems, gain momentum and learn to work together as a group.

Keep in mind some important guidelines as we begin to organize:
?• Building an organization is a process. It cannot be done overnight. Be patient. Identify your priorities and build them step-by-step.
?• Set realistic goals. Start small and build upward. As your organizational capacity grows, start setting your goals higher.
?• How you treat people is crucial to your success. By treating people with respect and integrity, people will be more likely to become involved in the organization.
People join neighborhood groups for a variety of reasons. One of them is to get to know their neighbors and to feel a sense of community. So as we build our organization, we will be sure to have fun.
Please contact us at the Oakland Park Homeowners Coalition (O.P.H.C.) email address for more information and to sign up to be kept informed;
OaklandParkHomeowners@Comcast.net
We want you and your input!!! Please join us, invite your neighbors and help us work together to make Oakland Park the place we want to live, work and play in!!!