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Example 6: The importance of connecting placemaking, health, and community organizing

In Ashland, California, cross-sector partnerships between community development, public health, and city government are building community and reinvesting in housing.

Ashland, CA, is a community in unincorporated Alameda County struggling from decades of disinvestment, high unemployment, and amongst the worst health indicators in the county. The numbers of reentry residents is amongst the highest in the county, further impacting the area’s stability and needs. Despite all this, the community has strong bones to build on.

Located near Bay Area job centers with great transit and transportation options, Ashland has received important community investments with the new Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center clinic, the $23 million REACH Ashland Youth Center, and Ashland Place, a $40 million affordable housing complex with a planned healthy food retail space. The Alameda County Sheriffs’ Office, Hayward Area Parks and Recreation District, Alameda County Public Health, and others have launched new programs that are engaging youth and adults in activities that are building community and promoting healthy behaviors.

Read more from Build Healthy Places Network's blog.