Expanding Digital Access to Increase Educational Outcomes
While access to wifi and high-speed internet are often taken for granted, in Houston, more than 142,500 households do not have a computer, and over 267,000 households lack broadband internet access. These communities are often historically underinvested and present significant hurdles for residents, preventing them from harnessing the power of... Read more
Building Intergenerational Wealth in the Black Community
In 2020, New Orleans marks the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the 10th anniversary of the BP oil spill. From each disaster, the city has rebuilt, but Black residents have been largely left behind, with six times as many Black households living in poverty as white households. These economic... Read more
Targeting Health Inequities for Black Residents
The New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) recently conducted a comprehensive community health assessment to gain an inclusive picture of the health status of residents. The assessment revealed five main social determinants of health — crime and violence, insufficient infrastructure, unhealthy environments, lack of jobs and fair wages, and low-quality and... Read more
Transforming LA County into an Actively Anti-Racist Institution
The Covid-19 pandemic has sent public health and economic shockwaves across Los Angeles County particularly felt in historically underserved communities. The pandemic has been a catalyst for recognizing the social illnesses of anti-Black racism that have long plagued the county, including sharp racial gaps in wealth, employment, and digital access,... Read more
“Care First, Jails, Last”: Implementing Groundbreaking Alternatives to Incarceration
On any given night, more than 17,000 people are confined in the Los Angeles County jail system, more than 5,000 of whom have serious mental health needs. Black residents account for less than 10 percent of the county’s population, yet 29 percent of those imprisoned are Black. In recent years,... Read more
Implementing the “Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors” Initiative
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... Read more
Ensuring an Equitable, Effective, and Safe Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine
To help protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) implemented the largest vaccine distribution effort in its history. As the largest U.S. county, L.A. County’s vaccine equity efforts have been pivotal to the achievement... Read more
Launching a Nonprofit to Build Affordable Housing for Special Populations
Cities and counties throughout the Bay Area face a dire affordable housing crisis. In Alameda County alone, homelessness grew by 40% from 2015 to 2017, with 41% of those experiencing homelessness reporting that a serious mental illness (SMI) impacted their ability to obtain housing. The County has been experiencing a... Read more
Developing Environmentally Sustainable Approaches to Maintaining Roads
The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA) maintains 23,000 miles of car, bike, and pedestrian lanes per year. After power generation, paving streets is one of the leading producers of greenhouse gas in a municipality’s operations. StreetsLA is committed to finding new ways to pave roads, bike paths and... Read more
Creating a Strategic Plan to Broaden Economic Prosperity
Kansas City has enjoyed a renewal in recent years, with billions of dollars transforming its downtown. But not all neighborhoods in the metropolitan area have benefited equally. The mayor and city leaders want to refocus economic development to be more inclusive and align these strategies with other key objectives, such... Read more