Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1367407
PolicyLink and PERE 96 An Equity Profile of Orange County Ten (plus one) steps to an equitable Orange County 4. Invest in early childhood education and other early interventions. There are long-term benefits to ensuring a child is on a path to opportunity early in life. Targeted investments in high-quality, early childhood education in those neighborhoods with "very low" and "low" Child Opportunity Index scores will help increase school readiness among kindergarteners. Because a parent's resources greatly shape the development of a child, investing in the county's youngest residents also means investing in their parents. Implications 5. Ensure affordable housing for all. Equitable growth strategies need to ensure that all residents—renters, homeowners, and home- seekers—can afford to live in Orange County and contribute to the local economy. Santa Ana and Anaheim rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in rent- burdened households among the 100 largest cities in the country. Given the scale of homelessness and housing unaffordability, multiple tools are needed to address the problem—and specific tools are needed for renters, homeowners, potential home buyers, and the homeless. Possible policy and program solutions range from early interventions to prevent chronic homelessness to tenant protections, rent stabilization, affordable housing bonds, and community land trusts. 6. Embed and operationalize a prevention- oriented approach to advance health equity. Emerging strategies intended to improve the collective health of Orange County's residents must include a more intentional focus on upstream prevention. This means explicitly tackling the social determinants of health and wellbeing, rather than primarily engaging in efforts that emphasize increased availability and coordination of clinical services and treatment. To eliminate health disparities and create a landscape that fosters health and wellness, Orange County should take a comprehensive approach with strategies that bridge social, physical, and economic factors through new policies, stronger systems, and improved organizational practices. (continued)