About
America has long prided itself on being the Land of Opportunity where upward mobility is the national ideal. However, research increasingly shows that opportunity varies deeply with geography. Millions of low income families in the US live in communities that are disconnected from opportunity.
Neighborhoods that engender opportunity are safe from physical and social threats, including violence or trauma of any kind. They should be free of toxic compounds in the water, land, and air. They have excellent schools, affordable transit options, and ample access to nature. Their residents have access to affordable health care, and to social and mental health services. They have stores selling healthy and affordable food, include diverse peoples, housing types, and opportunities, with a prevalence of working families. Their governance is reliable, trusted, transparent and free from corruption, and their citizens are able to play a significant role in both its long-range planning and its short-term decision making. But many residents don’t live in such neighborhoods. Community Opportunity Fund supports the theory, programs, and data related to making affordable housing mini zip codes of opportunity.
What are Communities of Opportunity?
Housing location and environment can have tremendous effects on a wide range of life outcomes for residents including health, employment, education, and income. We envision Communities of Opportunity as places where housing is a steppingstone for improving residents’ wellbeing, which encompasses an individual’s health and wellness; education and employment opportunities; financial stability; civic and social engagement and standing; as well as environment and its impact on the individual.
Evolving beyond the notion of housing as a structure, Communities of Opportunity (CoO) encompass the idea that supportive services for residents are integral to housing and key to creating conditions for residents to thrive and access opportunities. Focused on creating opportunities for improving residents’ wellbeing, CoO programming is informed by residents’ needs and voices and developed in partnership with the community. This programming—carried out by Resident Service Coordinator(s) (RSCs)—includes but is not limited to RSCs working directly with residents to address gaps in opportunity, such as assistance with securing low-cost internet or accessing healthcare benefits; holding events and creating partnerships to address aspects of wellbeing; and resource sharing and referrals for further support.
Purpose
The purpose of the Community Opportunity Fund is as follows:
To assist persons with low and moderate incomes in obtaining access to a range of health, educational, cultural, social, and other services and activities that may enhance the quality, wellbeing and opportunity of their lives and communities;
To create and preserve stable communities by sponsoring, initiating, developing, financing, and/or operating a) affordable, elderly, and/or disabled housing; and b) community interventions that enhance the health, nutrition, education, economic, cultural, social service resources available to affordable, elderly, and/or disabled housing residents.
To sponsor, initiate, develop, finance or operate research projects that measure the effectiveness of sponsoring affordable, elderly, and/or disabled housing and providing related social services to its residents and surrounding communities.
To provide financial and technical support to those resident, not-for-profits, affordable housing owners, and stakeholders living and working in low-income communities who seek to achieve the foregoing purposes of the Corporation; and
To engage in any lawful act or activity in furtherance of the foregoing, as well as other charitable activities that combat community deterioration, lessen government burden and assist in the elimination of racial prejudice and discrimination, provided such activities are not in violation, or inconsistent with, the Corporation’s status as a charitable and educational organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.
