Jorge Rivas

Rebuilding Neighborhoods, Restoring Health

via Speak Fierce, Women of Color Resource Center

Just Cause Oakland (JCO) and the Alameda County Public Health Department are partnering to work on an important project focusing on the connections between health, discrimination, and the current economic crisis. They are launching the project with a new report: Rebuilding Neighborhoods, Restoring Health: A report on the impact of foreclosures on pubic health.

It’s no secret that low income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color often face environmental justice issues that impact their health, but the work of this project is to shine a light on the impact of economic justice issues on health by looking at the ways that the stress, overcrowding and homelessness, caused by foreclosures, pose direct health risks.

And this is just the beginning. JCO and Alameda Public Health are gathering information throughout the summer, to develop ideas that support engagement, knowledge and empowerment within communities with high foreclosure rates, so that neighbors can work together to strengthen the infrastructure and health of their neighborhoods.

To read the report visit www.justcauseoakland.org.

Posted at 10:41 AM, May 29, 2009 in Permalink | View Comments