Overview

The East County committees for parent and youth engagement and health and wellness were formed as part of a larger initiative to support various aspects of community engagement and resource development to benefit East County residents.

History

The East County Opportunity Zone was created in 2017 by the Department of Health and Human Services and the East County Regional Services Center. The goals and objectives of this partnership were as follows:

• To create a strong network of community residents and service organizations to build equity to create a thriving community.
• Engage and connect East County residents to equitable and sustainable health and human services, community services, and economic opportunities to build a more healthy and prosperous community.
• Connecting residents to each other and to resources to build secure, healthy, safe and prosperous neighborhoods that support health and all aspects of well-being.
• Unify residents to take ownership of their economic success by addressing health and social determinants. Expand access to employment opportunities, transportation, youth engagement, childcare, housing, health services, and behavioral health services.

As more partnerships established their presence within the East County region, the various workgroups transformed into committees. Each committee represents the core aspects of the initial collaboration and builds on the work completed in previous years. These committees included the Faith-based and Community Engagement, Workforce and Education and Disconnected Youth Committees. Currently the active committees include the Parent and Youth Engagement and the Health and Wellness.