Partnership will establish a community-driven neighborhood “trust”.
Sacramento City Council voted to invest $5 million in redevelopment funds for The Center at Sierra Health Foundation (The Center) to purchase and rehabilitate two buildings in the heart of Oak Park.
The Center will serve as a trustee for the buildings and revenue generated will be invested in Oak Park.
- 3301-3307 Broadway (currently home to Heritage Peak Charter School) to become a 20,400-square-foot space to house a workforce development and employment initiative for the medical and health-related fields
- 2330 Alhambra Blvd. to relocate the Heritage Peak Charter School
Oak Park is home to more than 24,000 residents, 34% of whom live in poverty. Approximately 18% of third-graders are reading at grade level.
New revitalization efforts are under way, but continued efforts are needed to ensure that the entire community benefits from the momentum.
In addition to rehabilitating two historic buildings, this partnership will develop sustainable interventions to generate revenue to invest in the Oak Park neighborhood, creating a neighborhood “trust” working in collaboration with the Oak Park Neighborhood Association and the South Oak Park Community Association and other community members to determine how funds should be invested.
The partnership will also generate jobs specifically targeting local residents for community economic development and to create a healthy, vibrant neighborhood.
It also will leverage the multi-billion dollar health care assets proximate to the Oak Park neighborhood and strengthen the ties of existing educational and workforce initiatives.
Moreover, the partnership will foster street activation on Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard, enhance neighborhood engagement and stabilization by preserving these buildings as community assets and improve the linkages between Oak Park’s K-12 educational system and workforce pipeline initiatives targeted to underserved individuals and communities.
“There is a great need for jobs, investments and efforts that support community leaders and residents,” said Chet P. Hewitt, President and CEO, Sierra Health Foundation and The Center. “This project will support improved quality of life for the Oak Park neighborhood and its residents, while promoting community ownership and leadership in local economic development.”
“This collaborative partnership between the community, public, and nonprofits is years in the making – and can’t come at a better time to ensure that residents benefit from increased investments in Oak Park. It’s rare that a project can truly address multiple complex issues including educational advancement and opportunity, workforce development, and need for community-owned assets – in partnership with the impacted community,” stated City of Sacramento Councilmember Jay Schenirer. “This project, with its triple-bottom line, hits all of those marks and when successful will be a national model for local community economic development.”
“As the first suburb of Sacramento, Oak Park is truly the heart of this city,” said Alexandria White of the South Oak Park Community Association. “Its rich history and diverse people are what makes the neighborhood special. We need to preserve it at all cost. This collaborative effort will hopefully infuse a much needed inspiration for our underserved area. The South Oak Park Community Association remains dedicated to bring empowerment to the local residents as we enter this exciting journey with our new community partners and become a model for the city and the nation.“
“Since the dawn of time, good work has evolved around teamwork, and today, successful organizations in any sphere of life rely on a teamwork ethic with people working together towards a common goal,” said Joany Titherington, President, Oak Park Neighborhood Association. “The Oak Park Neighborhood Association is excited and proud to be part of a team whose goals are to create community inclusivity, educational opportunities, pathways to employment and economic synergy.”
Sierra Health Foundation and The Center have a long history of investment in the Sacramento region and engaging community residents in improving quality of life in their neighborhoods. Sierra Health Foundation is a private foundation working to forge new paths to promote health and racial equity in partnership with communities, organizations and leaders. The Center works to promote health and racial equity in communities throughout California with local, state and national partners.
The foundation and The Center has been working in Oak Park through the Black Child Legacy Campaign, Sacramento Building Healthy Communities (HUB) and the recent Promise Neighborhood applications. Given its investment, community building and program management and history of partnership in Oak Park, the City of Sacramento approached Sierra Health Foundation as a partner to further stimulate economic development in the area.
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Sierra Health Foundation forges new paths to promote health and racial equity in partnership with communities, organizations and leaders. For more information, visit www.sierrahealth.org
The Center works to promote health and racial equity in communities throughout California with local, state and national partners. www.shfcenter.org