Institutional Precipitation

Institutions can enable citizen action if they can be a precipitant rather than a programmatic intervener. A precipitating action avoids defining for neighbors what should be done, how it should be done and who should do it. Instead, it acts to precipitate citizens performing these three actions.

Organizing the Unorganizables

The leader in the drug-use harm elimination movement, Ann Livingston talks about her work as a community organizer dedicated to working at the local, regional and national levels to improve the lives of people who use illegal drugs.

Life after FIX

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) co-founder Ann Livingston talks about the successes and setbacks in establishing Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection site and the only one of its kind in North America.

Join us for an Open Streets Study Tour October 6th-8th!

The Open Streets Project is partnering with the non-profit organization New Brunswick Tomorrow to deliver an educational Open Streets Study Tour in New Brunswick, NJ from October 6th - October 8th. The Study Tour will feature classroom sessions, networking opportunities, a behind the scenes tour of New Brunswick’s industry leading Ciclovia.

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Open Streets Project Revamped

The Open Streets Project has undergone some changes over the last year. We bid a sad farewell to project co-founder, the Alliance for Biking & Walking, who are moving on to other things, and we happily welcomed a new partner, international Open Streets leader 8 80 Cities. We are excited for all the possibilities and energy this partnership will bring.

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Addressing the Opportunity Gap: How the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Affects People and Places

There's no question that the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will have an impact on the resources available to families and communities, and to those working to bridge the opportunity gap. But what will that impact be? At a recent discussion hosted by LISC and the Urban Institute, policy experts and community development practitioners gathered in Washington D.C. to examine possible outcomes. Opinions varied on the merits of the TCJA’s provisions, but all agreed that the federal policy has a huge role to play in creating more inclusive, economically dynamic communities.  

An Electrician Plugs into a Promising Career, With Room to Shine

Seasonal job insecurity meant financial stability was usually just out of reach for Antonio Gregory and his family. But last year, after connecting with a LISC-funded Bridges to Career Opportunity program in Detroit, Gregory got the certifications, financial education and support he was looking for, to advance in work and in life.

Financial Education is a Key to Success—for Our Youth, and Our Economy

In an op-ed for Yahoo! Finance, LISC CEO Maurice A. Jones hit home the value of financial literacy as an essential skill on the path to financial wellbeing for all Americans—and to a healthy U.S. economy. Thinking back to his own childhood and the lessons in money management he absorbed working on his family’s farm, Jones calls for the public and private sectors to join forces and connect underserved youth to the kind of financial education that can make the American Dream a reality.