My grandfather understood scarcity when he taught himself to read, write, and comprehend the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper commodities section, specifically the crop report. His aim was simple. He wanted to find the best prices to sell his crops on the local Florida market and support his family. He later expanded his knowledge, skills, abilities, and the right behaviors and other attributes (KSABOA) to benefit the community where he lived, worked, and played.

In the spirit of State Farm’s tagline, ‘Like a Good Neighbor,’ he shared his knowledge with local African Americans who lacked the skills or education to sell their products or goods effectively. He united the community of African American farmers, empowering them to sell their crops at fair market prices, thereby challenging the scarcity concept that had left the community lacking in resources and knowledge.

As my grandfather understood, and as you should, if you help other people get what they need and want, you can also get what you want. The community benefited weekly by gathering at my grandfather’s house to listen to him share his insights on whom they should sell their crops to, as the brokers often had their interests at heart. To help everyone succeed, my grandfather would ask each person about the weight and quality of their products or goods at the meeting. Next, he researched the current rates for those products and goods and then calculated the prices the farmer should get from the broker.

Grandfather made it even simpler by writing out the proposals to give to the brokers, thereby preventing them from cheating the local African American farmers.
He instructed each farmer not to negotiate but to stick to the “fair market” price written on the paper. This approach prompted the brokers to take notice and comply, or the farmers would bring their goods and products to other brokers within the area to obtain better prices.

The strategy built the community and made my grandfather a “STAR-a person with Skills That Achieve Results” for making things happen the right way. You could deploy the same strategy where you live today.

Please note how you can do the same. Find a product, good, or service everyone needs. Next, you get a group of people to work on getting a better deal for the community. When you’re one of the 29 million children between 6 and 18 years old living in public housing, find ways to help seniors and single families, and earn money to get products, goods, or services you and the community need.

Does this direction sound like a complicated plan?
Or is the plan one that requires you to sit down, think about it, and most importantly, take action?

Try these FocusJax proposals to live or earn potential ideas:

⦁ AI Prompt Engineer,
⦁ AI Prompt Content Creator
⦁ Errand Service,
⦁ Babysitting,
⦁ Elderly Watch,
⦁ Community Watch,
⦁ Personal Trainer,
⦁ Baker,
⦁ Blogger,
⦁ Photographer,
⦁ E-Book Author,
⦁ Bicycle Repairer,
⦁ Tutoring,
⦁ Dance Instructor,
⦁ Community Meals,
⦁ Massage Therapist (License Required),
⦁ Pet Sitter,
⦁ Podcaster,
⦁ Pet Watching Service,
⦁ Dog Walking Service,
⦁ Clothing Seamstress,
⦁ Hairstylist,
⦁ Gardener,
⦁ Uber/Lift Drivers,
⦁ Medical Assistance,
⦁ Mystery Shopper,
⦁ Vlogger.

Before you start a venture, please always review your local housing guidelines to ensure compliance and avoid violations. You can find contacts here: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/pha/contacts.

As my grandmother shared, my grandfather would say, “One match breaks easily, but a bundle is hard to snap.” The lesson—when we work together as a community, we create stronger results and a sense of shared purpose for all.

This idea of community economics is a powerful proposal that every housing agency should support. Feel free to share this with your agency.

As a reader, leader, dreamer, follower, or creator, you’re not just part of this journey—you’re essential to it. Your feedback shapes this blog, helps us grow, and strengthens our community. Please share your thoughts at focushawk@gmail.com, add me to your contacts, and share this with a friend.

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