COMMUNITY PLANNING Oftimes under the sponsorship of Community Design Centers located around the country, VISTA architects and planners have been able to give community groups a voice in the planning process in their community. The Volunteers provide advocacy planning and design services. Community groups define their problems. Through design and models that the Volunteers draw up, community groups are able to see the impact of various options. This puts them in a better position to make presentations to city hall, the local redevelopment agency, the local FHA office, etc., giving them a more definitive voice in community decision-making. In the Albuquerque, New Mexico project, an architect designed 12 buildings--including a hog farm, a grocery store, a machine shop, a health clinic and a day care center. In the same project, Volunteers are preparing alternative urban renewal and zoning plans for a portion of Albuquerque. Specific findings of the sample survey are indicated below. SOCIAL SERVICE Day care, senior citizens centers, food stamps, welfare counseling, pre-trial diversion, drop-out prevention, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and legal paraprofessional training are among the words describing social service activities of VISTA Volunteers. Although most activities listed imply the provision of direct services, Volunteers are doing much more in order to leave the community in a position to solve its own problems. In Tennessee, the Project First Offender |