This brief presents case studies and promising practices for connecting hard-to-employ job seekers, men of color, and low-income residents to temporary and permanent job opportunities in the infrastructure sector. Featured are targeted first-source hiring and contracting programs implemented through community workforce agreements (CWAs), community benefit agreements (CBAs), and/or project labor agreements (PLAs). The document draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

This brief presents promising practices for wrapping young men of color in supports such as pre-employment services, transitional jobs, and job placement services. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

This brief identifies a number of promising programs and practices in the health-care sector that promotes access to economic opportunities for people of color and other individuals facing barriers to opportunity. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

Anchor institutions are large, place-based organizations, often public or nonprofit, that exist as core fixtures in local communities. This brief provides promising examples where anchor institutions have engaged in activities to advance economic inclusion, promote access to employment, and otherwise improve the circumstances faced by boys and men of color. It draws on a scan of national best practices originally developed for the City of New Orleans.

With a median household income of $110,292, Fairfax County, Virginia is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation—but not all residents share in this economic prosperity. As its population has grown and diversified over the past 25 years, inequities in income and opportunity by race and geography have also increased. Given that communities of color are expected to increase from 45 to 72 percent of the population by 2040, taking concrete steps to create pathways for the communities being left behind to connect to education and good jobs is critical for the county’s economic future. This study was produced in partnership with the County and other local leaders to support their efforts to build a stronger and more equitable county. Download the profile.

 

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Communities across the country that have lived for too long under the weight of discriminatory policing and mass incarceration are calling for a transformation of our policing and criminal justice systems. They are making it clear that it is time for policies to first and foremost reflect the concerns and solutions of communities most affected by flawed policing practices. The toolkit elevates 15 recommended policy reforms and showcases best practices, successful organizing efforts, and model legislation from across the country. (2015)

This brief, the first in the Beyond Confrontation Series, lifts up proven practices, as well as less tested but innovative and thoughtful efforts to address the use of force. It provides information to help communities better understand what standards guide the use of police force, how that force is applied across the country, and what strategies exist to minimize these acts of aggression. (2015)

This brief, the third in the Beyond Confrontation Series, explores the stark landscape of pervasive police militarization, and lifts up early examples of communities fighting to reverse the tide of militarization and restore a focus on community to local and state police departments. (2015)

Provides an overview of how stakeholders can advocate for and implement local food procurement policies in an equitable manner. (2015)

This brief, the fourth and final in the Beyond Confrontation Series, examines how leadership can build the values and institutional culture necessary to implement and sustain community-centered policing. The brief also highlights workforce management, information sharing, and accountability practices that integrate community policing into law enforcement agency operations over the long term. (2015)