The Just Communities Blog

News and Updates from Our Team

  • Development
  • Equity
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  • Sustainability

Social Vulnerability Index

The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is a tool designed to identify and quantify communities experiencing social vulnerability. It uses demographic and socioeconomic factors to help public health officials and local planners prepare for and respond to emergencies, aiming to reduce human suffering, economic loss, and health inequities.
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Backbone Starter Guide

The "Backbone Starter Guide" by the Collective Impact Forum serves as an essential resource for organizations involved in collective impact initiatives. It outlines the key roles and responsibilities of backbone organizations and provides practical guidance on how to effectively manage and support collaborative efforts.
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Story Circles: Tool for Community dialogue

The Story Circles page on the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture website offers guidelines and principles for conducting story circles, which are small group gatherings where participants share stories based on a common theme.
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Trauma-Informed Housing Toolkit

The Trauma-Informed Housing website by POAH (Preservation of Affordable Housing) offers a comprehensive toolkit designed to help housing providers adopt a trauma-informed approach to their services. The toolkit includes resources on understanding trauma, designing trauma-informed spaces, and becoming a trauma-informed organization.
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Recommendations for Trauma - Informed Design

The "Trauma-Informed Design Summary" provides an overview of the principles and practices of trauma-informed design. It emphasizes creating environments that acknowledge the impact of trauma and promote healing, safety, and well-being for all occupants.
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Building to Heal: A Framework for Holistic Community Development

"Building to Heal: A Framework for Holistic Community Development" is a comprehensive guide that emphasizes the importance of emotional, spiritual, and psychological health in community development. The framework provides strategies for relieving stress, promoting hope, and restoring relationships within communities to foster holistic well-being.
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The Tale of Two Zip Codes

A short video detailing life expectancy differences between people based on the built environment, policies, and access to health resources in their neighborhood, often due to racial and economic discrimination. The video shows how zip code can be more influential to health than genetic code.
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Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Community Report

This is the 2018 annual report from Capitol Hill EcoDistrict in Seattle, WA. This is a great example of an annual progress report for other EcoDistricts and communities to use as an example.
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A Placemaking Vision for Downtown Detroit

This report focuses on how the public spaces, and particularly the three major downtown parks, can be transformed, both in the long and short term so that they support this exciting commercial and residential rebirth in the downtown Detroit, and also become destinations in their own right.
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