A new IRS requirement that tax-exempt hospitals conduct community health needs assessments encourages hospitals to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders. The authors of a recent report, published by the Commonwealth Center for Governance Studies, Inc., argue that this federal mandate presents an opportunity to improve community health and reduce health care expenditures. The report offers several case studies of effective and sustainable partnerships in California, Minnesota, Maryland, Florida, and elsewhere throughout the country.
Commissioned by the Baltimore Integration Partnership, a collaboration of anchor institutions, nonprofits, and public organizations focused on inclusion in Baltimore, this report from Karp Resources describes how anchors can create opportunities for local food vendors and strengthen the local economy. To help local vendors gain contracts with anchor institutions, which typically work with large food service providers, the report encourages anchors to create local preference requirements within their requests for proposals (RFPs), to support the certification of local- and minority-owned enterprises, and to institute local food price preferences.
Written by LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) Director of Research Chris Walker, this report highlights early-stage results from LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative. The report demonstrates how a comprehensive community development approach that targets investments in affordable housing, economic development, education, health, and safety can significantly raise incomes and decrease unemployment in low-income neighborhoods. Also included are case studies in Providence, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Chicago.
Published in 1993, this study, although somewhat dated, provides a very useful overview of the community land trust model as well as containing four case studies.
Eli Moore, Nadia Barhoum and Alexis Alvarez Franco
This new report from the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society identifies opportunities for community wealth building in Richmond, California. The authors claim that with the development of the Berkeley Global Campus, which is poised to become the largest employer in Richmond and the largest public investment in Richmond since World War II, UC Berkeley and the associated Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have a unique opportunity to reduce racial inequality and promote broad prosperity in Richmond. The Haas report provides several recommendations that these anchor institutions can adopt, including the creation of a working group to develop and monitor strategies for community wealth building and the creation of a fund to launch minority-owned businesses.
