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| Vision For
Accessible Services: |
| In 2020, Cape Codders
will work together in a cooperative process to ensure: a preventive
health care system with comprehensive community based healthcare
and health programs for children; reliable and affordable child-care;
preventive programs such as Head Start; mixed use village centers
and a range of housing types; adequate affordable housing; local
food production; nutritious, affordable and accessible food; and
adequate wastewater infrastructure. |
| Goal For Accessible Services: |
| Cape Cod residents
will be able to afford and obtain reliable access to housing, food,
water, health care, education, child care, energy, transportation,
communications, recreation, and other services. |
| Status and Prospectus
for Accessible Services: |
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Having
access to services - whether they be related to basic needs, social
services, employment and/or our community’s infrastructure and natural
resources - is important to every resident and visitor to Cape Cod.
As a community, we strive to meet the basic needs and social
services - such as adequate housing (and utilities), nutritious
food, and quality health care - of all of our residents.
However, to live economically self-sufficient lives, people also
need access to transportation, education, communications and child
care. Additionally, we would wish that all residents and
visitors have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives, taking advantage
of the rich arts and cultural community, the natural environment
and the various recreational activities available in each of our
towns.
Currently
we know that many residents cannot afford housing as the affordability
gap increases each year for homeowners, but decreases for housing
rentals as some renters move off-Cape; we know that some residents,
including children, do not have enough food to eat; we know that
the percentage of uninsured in our community is increasing; and
we know that Cape Cod families are having trouble affording child
care - vacancies in licensed child care facilities are increasing
while the waiting list for child care tuition assistance is also
increasing. Furthermore, the Cape’s current zoning regulations,
which often encourage housing, business and services to be spread
apart, underlie inaccessibility of services for many people.
If Cape Cod could make progress in supporting the workforce through
more accessible educational opportunities, mass transportation that
covers a greater area and time schedules, communication systems
that encourage telecommuting and skilled technology jobs, and child
care programs that match the needs of employees, residents would
have a better chance of obtaining a more consistent self sufficiency
wage to take care of their own basic and social service needs.
The
good news is that people and organizations are working together
towards common community goals more frequently and with greater
impact. Forum-goers mentioned that this was the key to success,
and we can see examples of this in on Cape Cod:
- the Lighthouse
Health Access Alliance brought over $8 million to the Cape
and Islands to improve access to healthcare. Its outcomes
include a Mobile Health Link Van that provides health screening
and health education to underserved populations; and a medical
interpreters program that educates bilingual/bicultural people
to work in the health care field to help reduce language and
cultural barriers to health care.
- More educational opportunities
exist now, particularly as the Cape
Cod Community College offers new certificate programs and
partnerships for degree programs on Cape Cod.
- Innovative development patterns
are being created to co-locate business, residential and other
services and programs in common areas, which will lessen transportation
and energy barriers and lead to more vibrant, diverse and accessible
communities.
- In regards to environmental issues
and the wastewater challenge, the
Barnstable County Commissioners established the Wastewater Implementation
Committee (WIC) as an advisory committee to Barnstable County.
The committee serves as a regional forum on wastewater issues
for sharing information and coordination between towns, the
county, and state programs. The exchange of information
at this forum provides an opportunity to reach a regional consensus
on funding, management, technology, policy and other issues
related to wastewater and develop this consensus into a new
regional wastewater management plan. The goal of the WIC
is to address wastewater issues in a manner that incorporates
good science, appropriate technologies and acceptable legal
and financial means of implementation.
- The Flex
Route provides a flexible public transit option on the Lower/Outer
Cape and is a model for other regions on Cape Cod.
- The Business
Round Table (BRT) is a group of business people that is
united with environmental planners in seeking mutual protection
of Cape Cod’s water resources, environment and quality of life
in the face of sprawling development.
Accessible services
strongly correlates with the Self-Sufficiency Standard indicator.
When wages and salaries match or exceed cost of living, residents
are able to take care of their own needs and access the services
they not only need but also desire. This is true for both
the individual and the community; as incomes increase, a community
is better able to support the services, such as education and senior
centers, that the community believes are important.
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| Actions for Accessible
Services: |
| This is
a list of high-priority actions that, if taken by targeted audience,
would accelerate progress toward the 2020 vision and long-term goal.
Development
- Develop alternatives to septic systems:
cluster systems, composting toilets.
- Not just redevelop, but “un-develop”
through Transfer of Development Rights.
- Reduce the “ecological footprint”
of individuals (the resources that each of us use in our daily
lives).
- Work on getting density right, and
this will be environmentally and economically beneficial.
- Growth must pay for itself and the
past.
- Promote natural landscaping – less
water, less chemicals, reduced lawn size.
- Replace rail system– we never should
have pulled up the tracks.
- Implement comprehensive wastewater
treatment to protect and improve water quality.
Government/Policy
- Create tighter integration of disparate
government structures; accelerated integration requires leadership
rather than provincialism.
- Government needs to act as partner,
facilitator, convenor of smart growth.
- Policies are needed that regard
waste as a resource – reusing water, biosolids, trash, etc.
- Boards of Health should use their
powers to control growth, require septic maintenance, and control
fertilizers and air emissions.
- We need to require septic maintenance
– use Tri-town system to require scheduled pumpouts.
- Promote land use policy and legislation
that is needed to accomplish our vision, even if it is not popular
(for example, the National Seashore).
- Promote laws and regulations that
are creative solutions for child care, health care, housing, etc.
- Increase density in village centers
via village center zoning.
Economic
Development
- Employers must step up to the plate
to provide services: workforce housing, infrastructure investment,
health services.
- Encourage economic development that
links to quality of life issues (the “underlying economy”).
- Work to provide job opportunities
for people with broad and diverse skills.
- Encourage the creative economy.
- Create a health plan for artists
and other entrepreneurs.
Health
Care
- Examine access to health care from
the providers perspective, and ask if we have the infrastructure
they need.
- Increase the use of technology to
integrate health providers information and reduce duplication.
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