COLLABORATION
FACT SHEET
If individual
members of a community can do many things to help prevent substance
abuse, groups of people—working together—can have
an even greater effect. "Collaboration is a mutually beneficial
and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations
to achieve results they are more likely to achieve together
than alone," say two experts on collaboration.11
Community,
interagency, and intra-agency collaborations are three common
types. Collaborations often begin with just informal networking.
Agencies may next develop cooperative agreements and share information,
but not define a shared mission or structure. They may then
move into a phase of coordination that includes some planning
and division of roles. Ultimately, these partners may arrive
at a full collaboration, which may include a shared mission
statement and set of goals; interagency agreements that spell
out tasks and responsibilities for each member agency; commitments
of resources; and revised policies, procedures, and systems
(e.g., for record-keeping) that are compatible and mutually
supporting.
One study
of organizations across States, each involved in at least one
collaboration, identified these characteristics of an effective
partnership:12
- The collaboration
addresses an important need and has broad support and involvement
from the community.
- Membership
is inclusive (8 to 14 partners is not unusual).
- Decision-making
is shared; decisions are made by the group, not by a small
cadre or one person.
- Members
focus on how to work well together: They are committed to
taking time and building trust, and they see the collaboration
as a long-term effort.
- Participants
are frequently required to change the way they do things.
COLLABORATION
ILLUSTRATION
Community
Group Uses Nuisance Abatement Laws to Clean up the Neighborhood13
Nuisance abatement
has been part of common law since the 16th century. Members
of the Butcher’s Hill community of Baltimore put this common
law to good use. An abandoned house in their neighborhood had
become a magnet for drug use, drug sales, and other criminal
activities. After notifying the owner that they would board
up the property if he failed to do so, a group of residents
sealed off all possible entrances to the house, using construction
techniques specifically developed to keep buildings secure from
trespassers. They also cleaned the yard and sealed the entrance
to the property. Community residents then sued the owner for
the cost of labor and materials— approximately $350—and
the District Court awarded them the full amount. The group now
plans to use this technique to clean up other drug houses in
their community.
This concept
can be applied to any vacant property that creates a nuisance
to neighbors by interfering with their right to the quiet enjoyment
of their own living space. A property might reasonably be considered
a nuisance if, for example, it is used for drug dealing, has
become infested with insects or rodents, or otherwise presents
a physical danger or health threat to neighbors.
Any neighbor
of such a property, whether an individual person or group, business
owner, church, or other entity in the vicinity of the nuisance,
can sue the owner of the property. Nuisance abatement law provides
that as long as the neighbors provide adequate notice to the
property owner, behave reasonably, and do not disturb the peace,
they have the right to deal with the nuisance in an appropriate
fashion if the owner does not, and then sue the owner for the
cost of remedying the nuisance; the court then has the authority
to order the owner to repay those costs. "Abating"
the nuisance might include cleaning up the yard around the property,
boarding up the building, or turning off the water.
The process
an individual, group, or business should follow for this type
of nuisance abatement is as follows:
- Identify
the nuisance property.
- Gather
evidence, such as: Who owns the property? What is the nuisance?
Are the police aware of the problem? Has the property been
raided by the police?
- Give the
owner notice and request that the nuisance be abated.
- After a
reasonable amount of time, take action to abate the nuisance.
- Sue the
owner for the cost of the action.
