NYAPRS Note: A key theme that has emerged out of national, state and local healthcare redesign efforts is the critical importance of the social determinants of health. Interestingly, the following NYS initiative “seeks to build the well-being of communities and assure that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to thrive in a safe and stable community from a supported childhood to a productive adulthood. This approach…recognizes that social problems are interconnected and so solutions must be as well. Service sectors addressed by this initiative include but are not limited to: public safety; housing; education; labor; economic development; health (including mental health); and children and family services.”
Please note that this initiative is not currently seeking Requests for Proposals but is looking for information regarding interest and capability to participate in this initiative.
NYS COMMUNITY, OPPORTUNITY AND RE-INVESTMENT INITIATIVE SOLICITATION OF INTEREST (SOI)
NOTE: This is NOT a Request for Proposals. Rather it is an invitation to furnish NYS with information regarding interest and capability to participate in this initiative.
I. PURPOSE OF SOLICITATION
New York State is taking a comprehensive look at how multiple investments in a particular neighborhood can be better coordinated and aligned behind evidence-informed practice to increase impact and promote efficiencies. The Community, Opportunity and Re-Investment initiative (initiative) seeks to build the well-being of communities and assure that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to thrive in a safe and stable community from a supported childhood to a productive adulthood. This approach coordinates and builds on the combined knowledge and skills of multiple entities including state and local agencies, community residents and civic leaders. It recognizes that social problems are
interconnected and so solutions must be as well. Service sectors addressed by this initiative include but are not limited to: public safety; housing; education; labor; economic development; health (including mental health); and children and family services.
In New York State, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in cities within which certain neighborhoods face multiple and long-standing barriers to success. Despite substantial investments, outcomes achieved as a result of these expenditures are not uniformly successful, and the combined impact of those expenditures is not measured in a consistent or uniform manner. This initiative builds on and will more effectively support local public and private efforts that are underway in many of these neighborhoods by aligning the commitment and resources of State government behind evidence informed programs, in a place-based approach. This alignment is intended to transform communities
by:
• Identifying neighborhoods with the greatest social and economic needs;
• Helping neighborhoods identify the specific, measurable results they seek to improve residents’ well-being including identifying early intervention opportunities to improve the lives of residents, improving the quality of life within a neighborhood context, and linking activities to measure collective impact;
• Better aligning existing public and private resources to support neighborhood-based interventions that are successful in improving outcomes for residents.
• Developing strategies that match promising practices to the unique challenges of each particular neighborhood;
• Building partnerships among public and private, city and neighborhood-level organizations that together can provide a ‘‘continuum of solutions that ensures good results throughout the lives of residents;
• Supporting communities that demonstrate readiness to partner across sectors and respond to these strategic approaches.
The purpose of this solicitation is to identify a single organization within each eligible city, defined in section two below, to work with New York State to develop and implement comprehensive, coordinated place-based strategies. The key characteristic of these organizations is the ability and willingness to lead a cross sector partnership that includes multiple organizations and local leaders.
For purposes of this initiative “place” is defined as the physical, social and economic environment that affects residents’ access to a safe place to live, acceptable housing alternatives, healthy and affordable food, quality health services, education and occupational skills training, jobs, transportation and other determinants of health and well being.
Place may be a single neighborhood or several within a given city.
The overarching vision of this initiative is to improve the collective impact of services, supports and opportunities available at the neighborhood level in order to measurably impact the following goals and objectives:
1. Reduce crime and create a safe environment;
2. Address poverty through support for education and employment opportunities;
3. Produce and support a skilled workforce that has access to jobs;
4. Strengthen social bonds;
5. Improve health throughout the lifespan;
6. Improve educational outcomes;
7. Ensure equal access to necessary human services to eliminate disparities in outcomes; and
8. Ensure access to safe and affordable housing
While the long-term aim is to improve multiple results as part of broad neighborhood revitalization
initiative, participating cities may find it useful to focus initially on several specific objectives as steps
towards achieving a broader community agenda.
II. ELIGIBLE CITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
A lead organization may be a unit of local government, a non-profit or any other entity that has demonstrated success in organizing a similar complex, multi-stage project ( including financial capability) and a track record of successful cooperation with multiple organizations.
Lead organizations interested in working within one of thirteen cities listed below are invited to submit letters of interest. These cities were selected based on data showing a presence of high need census tracts and neighborhoods as measured by crime, poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, health status and educational attainment data. Neighborhoods within each of the cities listed below will be the initial focus of this intervention:
• Albany
• Binghamton
• Buffalo
• Mt. Vernon
• Newburgh
• New York City (all 5 counties/boroughs)
• Niagara Falls
• Poughkeepsie
• Rochester
• Schenectady
• Syracuse
• Troy; and
• Utica
See the entire solicitation at the following link: