From San Francisco, California to Flint, Michigan, the nation is facing an escalating housing crisis. Skyrocketing rents, inadequate infrastructure, and stagnant wages have deep implications on both the prosperity and the health of families. With the housing market failing to serve the vast majority of Americans, PolicyLink and The Kresge Foundation partnered to develop a new equity framework that highlights how the confluence of health and housing can potentially drive better outcomes in both fields. The groundbreaking report, "Healthy Communities of Opportunity: An Equity Blueprint to Address America’s Housing Challenges," weaves together insights from health, housing, and economic security to outline a case for progressive, equity-focused policy.

This webinar, hosted by PolicyLink and The Kresge Foundation, discusses post-recession housing challenges facing households in America, and the housing policy priorities that would create smarter, healthier, resilient, inclusive communities. The webinar featured national leaders focused on how thoughtful, coordinated investments can shape the next generation of healthy communities.

Exposure to a traumatic event places a young person at risk of: a lower reading proficiency, a lower grade-point average, and more days of school absences. Throughout their lifetimes, many young students living in underserved communities will experience one or more traumatic events-putting them at risk of chronic absenteeism and lower academic proficiency. During this webinar, Sue Fothergill (Attendance Works) and Rachel Donegan (Baltimore Promise Neighborhood) discussed: the impact of traumatic events on a student’s learning and trauma-informed strategies to improve academic and attendance outcomes for students living in Promise Neighborhoods.

A robust case management system is critical to tracking progress and improving outcomes for children and their families, along the cradle-to-career continuum. During this webinar, Mary Bogle (Urban Institute), Tara Watford (Youth Policy Institute), and Karin Scott (Indianola Promise Community) shared best practices for building a case management system that is: rooted in the Results-Based Accountability framework, tracks participation and performance, provides the opportunity to course-correct, and drives Promise Neighborhoods and their partners towards the achievement of a common set of results and indicators. 

The capacity to leverage policy advocacy and systems change is critical to scaling up and sustaining efforts to ensure that youth living in Promise Neighborhoods are healthy and connected to the necessary services and supports to prepare them for college and career success. During this webinar, Rosa Ramirez Richter (Healthy Schools Campaign) discussed best practices to achieve healthy nutrition and active living through policy advocacy and will highlight successful efforts in Chicago to build a parent-driven coalition that successfully reforms food and wellness policies at the district-level. Mk Nguyen (St. Paul Promise Neighborhood) and Patrick Ness (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation) shared St. Paul Promise Neighborhood’s successful efforts to achieve and sustain Promise Neighborhoods results by: building a diverse and effective coalition, partnering with community residents, and forging strong relationships with elected officials at the local, state, and federal level.

Parent and community engagement is critical to achieving and sustaining Promise Neighborhoods results. Moreover, research demonstrates that children whose parents are involved in their reading and learning are more likely to have stronger academic performances and fewer absences. During this webinar, Marilyn Joseph (Harlem Children’s Zone) and Alysha Price and Michelle Martin (Northside Achievement Zone) lifted up strategies to ensure that parents are: reading to their children, preparing them for college and career success, and equipped with the skills and access needed to meaningfully contribute to the achievement of results at every stage of the cradle to career continuum (GPRAs 12-14).

During this webinar, Caitlin Smith (Social Solutions) presented updates to the PNI Impact Report and answered related questions. Jose Mireles and Monica Martin (Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood) shared strategies to align programmatic staff and external partners with the framework and activities required to secure high-quality collection, input, management, and reporting, of data

During this webinar, Margaret Libby (MyPath) discussed national data and best practices to secure financial capability for underserved youth. Martha Nemecek (Youth Policy Institute) lifted asset-building strategies to build and sustain youth financial capability in Promise Neighborhoods.

This webinar features best-practices and effective strategies Promise Neighborhoods are using to promote the age-appropriate functioning of young children in their communities. In doing so, this webinar aims to equip Promise Neighborhoods and other community leaders with the knowledge, tools, and resources to turn the curve on the baseline indicator for GPRA 2: the number and percentage of three year-olds and children entering kindergarten who demonstrate age-appropriate functioning. The following experts are featured on this webinar: 
-Michelle Palo, Project Services Director, Northside Achievement Zone 
-Andre Dukes, Family Academy Director, Northside Achievement Zone 
-Maureen Seiwert, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Executive Dir. of Early Childhood Education for Minneapolis Public Schools 
-Dianne Haulcy, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Office of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges

On Tuesday, March 29 at 2 p.m.EST, the Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink hosted a webinar that lifted up strategies to utilize federal tools to build youth and family financial capability in Promise Neighborhoods. We were joined by Anamita Gall (ICF International) and Dr. Deborah Moore (Indianola Promise Community), who shared best practices for using federal tools, such as the Assets for Independence Initiative, to: break the cycle of generational poverty, ensure that students live in stable communities, and integrate financial capability services into Promise Neighborhoods strategies to improve outcomes for all underserved children and their families.

This webinar features best-practices and effective strategies Promise Neighborhoods are using to promote the age-appropriate functioning of young children in their communities. In doing so, this webinar aims to equip Promise Neighborhoods and other community leaders with the knowledge, tools, and resources to turn the curve on the baseline indicator for GPRA 2: the number and percentage of three year-olds and children entering kindergarten who demonstrate age-appropriate functioning. The following experts are featured on this webinar: 
- Michelle Palo, Project Services Director, Northside Achievement Zone 
- Andre Dukes, Family Academy Director, Northside Achievement Zone 
- Maureen Seiwert, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Executive Dir. of Early Childhood Education for Minneapolis Public Schools 
- Dianne Haulcy, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Office of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges