Community Organizing

Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA)

Temple Beth El is an active participant in this interfaith effort to improve our communities. COPA is a network of 35 faith-based and nonprofit institutions in Santa Cruz. Monterey and San Benito Counties. COPA’s activities are based on the concept of “relational organizing”—a process of deepening and broadening our understanding of each other that identifies potential areas for action on behalf of our members. Relational organizing includes one-to-one meetings, house meetings, research actions, and community actions. This model can develop in two ways, one identifies and serves the needs of the congregation, and the other prepares us to work together for a better (broader) community.

Our primary action had been an initiative to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing in Santa Cruz County. Then our focus was on negotiating with Standard Pacific to develop housing on the Par 3 property in Aptos. The development was to have 90 units, a mix of rental and ownership, that will be affordable by very-low-income, low-income, and moderate-income households.

Andrew Goldenkranz leads the COPA Committee at Temple Beth El.

COPA RECEIVES AWARD

COPA, Communities Organized for Relation Power in Action, was awarded the Advocate Organization of the year from United Way of Santa Cruz for saving the health insurance program for undocumented children in our county known as Healthy Kids. This insurance program provides care to over 900 children county-wide ages 5-18. Members from Temple Beth El worked to save this program.