The City-County Neighborhood Initiative (CCNI) helps community members work together to solve problems and create a better standard of living for themselves. CCNI works in two targeted neighborhoods:
- Sobrante Park in East Oakland
- Hoover Historic District in West Oakland
The CCNI has pioneered a unique approach for working with residents to link them to resources and build their capacity to create healthy and vibrant neighborhoods.
Street-level Outreach: Trained staff knock on doors and visit street corners to find residents and link them with resources for employment, health services, education truancy and crime prevention.
- Community Capacity-Building: The CCNI works closely with residents to increase their leadership skills and build their power to create healthier neighborhoods through a variety of projects:
- Community Surveys help identify residents’ concerns and ideas.
- Resident Action Councils, drawing between 20 and 40 residents, meet monthly in each neighborhood to learn about community issues and plan events and campaigns.
- Youth Development—CCNI engages youth ages 12-24 in leadership development, community surveys, advocacy with policy-makers and special events such as the annual “Keepin’ It Real” celebration.
- Mini-Grants provide seed money for resident-led health and neighborhood improvement projects.
City-County Neighborhood Initiative Successes
Job Placement and Health Services
- More than 120 residents were placed in employment training; 75 got jobs through the CCNI.
- More than 600 have received health education, immunization, screening and other health services.
Youth Development
- More than 900 youth have participated in activities promoting healthy eating, active living and violence prevention.
- Oakland Youth Movement surveyed 200 youth about their neighborhood concerns.
- Youth worked with Council Member Nancy Nadel to identify and purchase a site for a West Oakland teen center.
Greater neighborhood involvement
- More than 3000 people every year have been involved in CCNI large-scale community events such as Earth Day and National Night Out.
- More residents attend neighborhood social events and meet with neighbors to create positive change.
Greater disaster preparation
- Sobrante Park has trained more people of color in Communities of Oakland Respondent to Disasters than any other neighborhood
- Surveys found more residents feel they are prepared for a disaster.
Clean‐up in problem areas
- 545 nuisance properties were cleaned up in West Oakland; 205 were cleaned up in Sobrante Park.
- CalTech toxic site was torn down and cleaned up.
Fewer traffic injuries
- Fewer injury accidents involving vehicles, pedestrians and bikes occurred in areas where residents advocated for stop signs, roundabouts, street striping and street humps.