During Idea Collection, hundreds of ideas were collected from community members. Then, during Proposal Development, community-based nonprofits turned these ideas into reality by proposing a project they can implement for the REPAIR Zone.
To ensure proposals are reflective of the community's ideas, the Advisory Committee for each REPAIR Zone created program concepts that capture the variety of ideas submitted. Program concepts provided Proposers context for the needs in the community, considerations for who the program should serve or how it should be implemented, and a goal for what should be accomplished within the one-year timeframe for the project.
Click the REPAIR Zones below to read the unique program concepts for each:
- Arleta - Pacoima
Environment & Climate:
Propose a program that addresses the need for more beautiful, clean, and well maintained public spaces in the community. The program should involve community volunteers, especially youth, in the creation and maintenance of the beautification efforts. These efforts should be mindful of long-term maintenance needs, and if inclusive of plants, should consider native and drought-resistance varieties, especially along the highway entry and exit ways for clean ups.
Other forms of beautification, such as public art and murals that celebrate local culture and heritage, and activities that involve the broader community and businesses are encouraged. Within a year, the program should implement at least two large scale beautification projects (one each in Arleta and Pacoima) or four to six smaller events across the REPAIR Zone that include the community in the design and implementation.
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a program that activates public spaces with recreational activities for the whole family, especially youth, and educates the community on healthy living and wellbeing. The programming should promote play and movement through activities such as sports, fun runs, and games for all ages, and access to community resources and education, such as nutrition, health care (including dental and eye exams), and workshops. Within a year, at least two large scale events should be planned (one each in Arleta and Pacoima) or four to six smaller events across the REPAIR Zone that promote a sense of community and connect people to needed resources.
Other:
Propose a program that responds to the various needs in the community to engage and empower youth and involve their families. Consider programming that takes families to local nature hikes, nature retreats, and so on for the purpose of bringing families and communities closer together. This programming should be accessible and free to families, including food, entrance fees, and other associated costs. Also, expand offerings for youth such as arts and culture programming, gang reduction activities, and activities that engage youth for extended hours for families with working or stay at home parents. Consider grants for students, families, and communities to participate in youth programs.
- Boyle Heights
Housing & Transportation:
Propose a program that provides basic rent assistance to Boyle Heights residents within the City of Los Angeles, regardless of legal status. In an effort to avoid displacement, the program should prioritize long-time tenants with a higher share of the financial aid and allow for a broad scope of verification to confirm tenancy
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a program that provides free or subsidized wellness programming memberships for individuals, families, households, and extended family members. Programming, such as what is provided at the YMCA, should include access to swimming classes, nutrition classes, weight training, community building events, and be inclusive of children, youth, and families.
Environment & Climate:
Propose a program that can implement clean and green activities throughout the community such as pressure washing of sidewalks, clean ups, tree planting, and new green spaces. The program should include job opportunities for local community members and local day laborers, as well as include the community in “Community Clean Up Days.”
- Harbor Gateway - Wilmington - Harbor City
Health & Wellbeing:
To meet the variety of health and wellbeing needs in the REPAIR Zone, consider the following concepts:
- Propose a program for youth in the community to develop or enhance their skills.
- Propose a program that will reduce the burden of untreated mental health issues and focus on making mental health services more accessible (24/7).
- Propose a program that empowers individuals to thrive. Programming should provide environmental, social, and economic healing programs free of charge to the community.
Environment & Climate:
Propose a community beautification and maintenance program that creates a vibrant, clean, and green urban environment where residents are actively involved in the transformation of their communities. The program should be a holistic approach that aims to tackle environmental and community-related issues, ultimately making the city a better place to live, work, and thrive.
Education & Access to Information:
Propose a program that provides skills education in a supportive and enriching environment for youth to thrive academically and personally. Programming could be inclusive of after-school tutoring, life and study skills workshops, literacy and math focused lessons, and/or career and trade program exploration. Consider how the community can be brought into the programming to create community connections through volunteering, resource fairs, and other services that are inclusive. Within a year, the hope is to inspire the next generation for a brighter future.
- Mission Hills - Panorama City - North Hills
Environment & Climate:
The community is concrete-heavy, with issues of poor air quality, low tree canopy, and high heat. Landscaping is often overlooked and underfunded, but would add value, beauty, and a unified look to the community. Propose a program that provides landscaping to create a beautiful, green, and cohesive outdoor space to mitigate these issues and create a sustainable future. There should be a component for skill building that provides internship and wage opportunities, especially for young people in the Zone.
Housing & Transportation:
Due to overcrowded housing, rising housing costs, and low wages, people experiencing homelessness in the community, as well as people at risk for homelessness, may lack connections to housing and services. Propose a program that provides housing navigation services for the unhoused, and additional services that fill in the service gaps for the unique needs of the REPAIR Zone. Services should be focused on the elderly, people with disabilities, families, children, students, and LGBTQ+ community members.
Ideally, the program includes a peer-to-peer component that connects formerly unhoused people in the community to act as peer mentors that help through sharing their own experiences to navigate available services. The goal is to empower unhoused and at-risk folks in the community with resources and community connections that uplift and guide them toward housing security. At the end of the year, the program should provide a roadmap for how to continue these services, with an emphasis on the service gaps that are unique to the community that still need to be filled.
Health & Wellbeing:
A significant portion of the community lives in overcrowded, multi-family housing, with little access to the outdoors. Additionally, food insecurity is a problem, and fresh produce is often seen as too expensive. Propose a program that will create community gardens to increase access to fresh produce and an opportunity for people to grow their own food, learn new skills, and work towards self-sufficiency instead of relying on foodbanks. Ideally, create multiple gardens accessible to all three communities in the Zone.
The goal of the program should be to improve health and food security by growing fresh, organic produce; improve physical and mental wellness through gardening; and build community connections through programming and committees that oversee the garden activities. One year in the garden will encompass learning about all four seasons of planting and harvesting, with time for community members to be mentored and to share their skills with new gardeners.
- Skid Row
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a program that will address the unique needs of women's wellbeing and mental health in the Skid Row community, while offering additional health-related services to all in the Skid Row community Consider services that provide healthy and hot meals, access to clean water, free wifi, referrals to health and human services, and narcan access to prevent overdoses. This program should be collaborative with grassroots organizations inside and outside the community, be offered outside traditional hours, and hire local community members to staff.
Housing & Transportation:
Propose a program that addresses the urgent need for increased access to affordable housing and support services. The program should be inclusive of vulnerable populations, and provide a comprehensive range of services, including funding for rental stipends, job training, and social support, including pro-bono legal services. This can be a program that hosts partnerships with institutions or organizations that are training legal providers. Within one year, the goal is to significantly reduce homelessness and improve housing stability in the community, ensuring that a substantial number of individuals and families have safe and stable housing.
Employment & Financial Security:
Propose a program that addresses the pressing need for increased employment opportunities and job-related resources in the REPAIR Zone. The program should be inclusive of all community members, with a particular focus on the homeless population. It will provide a range of services, including job placement, job training, and trade programs. Within one year, the goal is to significantly increase employment rates and financial stability in the community.
- South Los Angeles
Education & Access to Information:
Propose a program that provides job skills training and development for youth. The goal is to empower youth by expanding their horizons, providing them with valuable skills, and enabling them to secure meaningful employment. Consider focusing on vocational training and creating job pathways, such as in cybersecurity, AI, coding, culinary arts, and tech support to help bridge the digital divide. The program should set a precedent that underscores the importance of offering youth multiple educational and career pathways, thereby transforming their lives and building stronger, more resilient communities.
Environment & Climate:
Propose a community street cleaning and beautification program that will not only beautify the neighborhood but also empower community members to take an active role in shaping their surroundings, fostering a strong sense of pride, cooperation, and belonging. Consider programming that focuses on actively maintaining clean streets and alleyways, as well as provides community education about how to report illegal dumping and properly dispose of trash, bulky items, etc. By providing a clean, beautiful environment and recreational spaces for residents and their pets, the program aims to inspire a greater sense of community engagement, artistic expression, and neighborly cooperation.
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a comprehensive health care program that creates a safe space for youth, adults and seniors. The program will include access to mental health and wellness services, services for folks at risk for substance abuse, physical exercise, and trauma informed care. There will be a fixed location for the program, as well as mobile/traveling elements to reach areas of South LA that haven't previously had access to this type of outreach. Local organizations will also have the opportunity to partner and provide targeted care to their direct community.
- Southeast Los Angeles
Housing & Transportation:
Southeast LA lacks access to affordable housing and the pandemic exposed that Black or African American people are overrepresented amongst groups facing houselessness and displacement. To address this issue, propose a program to provide rental assistance and wraparound services such as counseling, access to food, workforce development, and any other tools or life skills needed to support our unhoused neighbors in transitioning into permanent housing. This program should prioritize groups that disproportionately feel the burden of homelessness, or have a tougher time accessing resources, including seniors; formerly incarcerated people, transition age youth, and children experiencing poverty.
Education & Access to Information:
Educational disruption is an issue that affects the community often, and impacts the wellbeing of the members of the community. The pandemic has also exacerbated educational disparities for Black, African American, and Latinx students in particular. The proposed program should provide financial aid, financial literacy, college application workshops, mentorship, and emotional support to low-income and other historically marginalized students in Southeast LA, including students currently in High School (Juniors and Seniors) as well as those who have had their education interrupted due to personal or systemic barriers. Upon completion of the program, students should receive a stipend to support them with college, trade school, or other educational training programs and related expenses.
Health & Wellbeing:
Mental health is often stigmatized in Black and Latinx communities. Access to mental health and wellness services is limited and there are not enough services to address these needs.The pandemic exacerbated issues of isolation, anxiety, depression, and domestic violence. It is critically important to make these investments in mental health and well-being for residents in Southeast LA who face greater health issues due to systemic racism. The proposed program should provide free, high quality, culturally responsive mental health services and other wellness interventions that support the physical, mental, and environmental health of all residents in Southeast LA in order to improve quality of life.
- West Adams - Baldwin Village - Leimert Park
Environment & Climate:
Propose a program that supports, develops, and sustains a community garden and garden-based programming. Programming should prioritize youth-engagement and produce distribution (such as through farmers markets, give-aways, community-supported agriculture programs, etc.). Programming could also address the need for a more beautiful, clean, green, and well-maintained community through education on and promotion of existing City services available for greening the community, tree-planting and maintenance (including sidewalk repair and maintenance), and street clean-ups.
Education & Access to Information:
Propose a program that addresses the racial disparities in educational outcomes by providing innovative and holistic educational services for youth and/or young adults in this community.
Programs must cover services for either:
- K-12 grade aged youth that will enhance and/or supplement the standard school curriculum for reading, writing, and STEAM learning; OR
- Young adults (aged 16+) to attend trade school or apprenticeship programs such as union-based or independent film-industry, behind the scenes apprenticeship programs, green-jobs training programs, etc. to learn trade skills, access unionized jobs, and explore career opportunities.
Proposed programs should include an outline of the curriculum and learning goals, go beyond tutoring in order to effectively improve student outcomes by the end of the year, and include a certification process where applicable.
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a program that provides mental health and wellness services to the community. Consider how to activate a physical space as well as provide mobile or street outreach services to connect folks to the available resources. The services should include mental health, substance abuse, and healthy living education and resources, such as by providing healthy food distributions and other wellness activities.
- Westlake
Education & Access to Information:
Propose a program that addresses the issue of limited programs for youth and young adults both after-school and outside of school. The program should provide opportunities for youth and young adults to widen their interests and skill sets while also providing the resources to access them, including cost and transportation. Within one year, the hope is that this opportunity will allow them to transition into further education or the workforce.
Health & Wellbeing:
Propose a comprehensive safety program that targets the root causes of the neighborhood safety issues through classes such as CPR, crisis intervention, substance use and prevention, mutual aid or activities that promote community engagement to address the community’s safety needs. This initiative should aim to enhance safety and provide an alternative to police intervention with the goal for residents to have a better sense of safety and wellbeing in their community.
Housing and Transportation:
Propose a program that addresses the urgent needs of homelessness and housing affordability. The program should be inclusive and provide programming, services and/or stipends that assist with addressing the housing needs of the community. Programming should include, but not be limited to, legal assistance, eviction prevention, and affordable housing navigation. Within one year, a considerable amount of residents within the REPAIR Zone should receive assistance or service in regards to their housing needs.
How were the program concepts created?
The following process describes how hundreds of ideas were summarized, sorted, and eventually narrowed down to the three program concepts for each Zone.
First, ideas were summarized and sorted into six categories: Housing & Transportation, Environment & Climate, Education & Access to Information, Health & Wellbeing, Pandemic Impact, and Other. Then, the three categories with the most ideas were prioritized, and those ideas were clustered into common themes. Finally, the largest clusters were reviewed by the Advisory Committee, and they composed the program concepts from these ideas.
