Oakland is working to reduce racial disparities and promote economic security and opportunity for residents, especially those living in underserved neighborhoods in East Oakland. After partnering and engaging with communities in East Oakland, city officials created the Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors plan, which was awarded a $28.2 million multi-year Transformative Climate Communities grant from the California Strategic Growth Council. In 2021, city officials, multiple community organizations, and local residents will begin implementing five projects focused on halting displacement, building community wealth, and producing affordable housing across a five-square-mile area in East Oakland. The key to implementing these projects is building the organizational capacity of community organizations, primarily the Black Cultural Zone (BCZ).
Oakland is partnering with FUSE Executive Fellow Violet Pearson to support these initiatives to develop a comprehensive communications strategy, including a collaborative stakeholder engagement structure, and support internal capacity building for BCZ and project partners. Effective and efficient implementation of the plan will help ensure an equitable recovery from Covid-19 and economic security and growth in East Oakland for years to come.
