Healthy Communities

The Healthy Communities Working Group meets every second Thursday of the month to discuss ongoing initiatives and address community health needs. Focused on promoting wellness, this group works closely with stakeholders to improve access to healthcare, expand health resources, and encourage healthy living for Promise Zone residents.

Resources

People's Produce @ Mt. Hope Community Garden
5 February 2025 | 11:00 am - 1:00 pm | by Project New Village
Mobile farmers truck bringing fresh, locally grown produce to neighborhoods. Champions for Health will be at this market providing free health screenings and vaccinations to community members.
More Details
Active Gardens in and Around the San Diego Promise Zone | SD Promise Zone
This map highlights active gardens in and around the San Diego Promise Zone, including community gardens open to the public and school gardens managed by local organizations.
How to Garden without Land | SD Promise Zone
Learn how to grow your own food without a traditional garden space with these 9 easy steps to sustainable urban gardening.

More Resources

Urban Forestry Initiatives are Prioritized in the Promise Zone

2024 - The Healthy Communities Working Group hosted two tree-specific working group meetings with 55 total attendees to share information about, and collaborate with stakeholders to implement $14.6 million awarded to City of San Diego Urban Forestry to plant and maintain street trees in the next three to five years in 16 neighborhoods, nine of which are in the Promise Zone, under two programs: Trees for Communities, and Ready, Set, Grow San Diego. VISTAs established a relationship with urban forestry team members and arborists, as well as with the Planning Department, to develop specialized datasets and maps to quantify tree cover in the Promise Zone in the future.

Promise Zone Team Joins Arbor Day Celebration with Tree Planting in Logan Heights

April 2024 - The Promise Zone team participated in the City of San Diego’s Arbor Day planting event at Memorial Park in Promise Zone neighborhood Logan Heights by tabling and assisted in planting 114 trees at the park and surrounding area.

Promise Zone Team Creates Free Gardening Resources

2024 - The Promise Zone team identified active and open community, residential, and school gardens in the Promise Zone – as well as several that are outside but serve the Promise Zone –and created a map with the Promise Zone overlayed that we shared with the working group and have used in partner engagement meetings to continue building the network of gardens and gardeners.

We also researched current organizations that provide resources and instructions for “victory gardening,” or gardening on a budget, and created two one-pager sheets – a nine-step guide to gardening at home without land and a flyer of free things and rebates (e.g. trees, rainwater barrels, compost) available to backyard garden).

The City of San Diego Receives its Promise Zone Designation in June 2016

June 2016 - The San Diego City Council officially ratified the Promise Zone designation agreement, approving a 10-year designation ordinance to formalize long-term investment and collaboration. The same month, California Volunteers awarded a planning grant to the City to support the hiring of a planning and implementation consultant, who will work closely with the five Promise Zone Working Groups to develop the San Diego Promise Zone Plan.

Community Perception Survey Captures Insights from Over 400 Residents

2017 - SDPZ partnered with an SDSU Criminal Justice Research and Methodologies class to create and distribute a community perception survey, yielding over 400 responses. This completed one of the group’s priority activities.

SDPD Maps Crime Hotspots to Establish Data Baselines

2017 - High-level San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers conducted a mapping and report of crime hotspots within the Promise Zone. This effort provided essential data baselines to support and improve community safety.

Promise Zone Collaboration Secures $100,000 USDA Grant for Local Food Promotion

2017 - Through connections fostered by the Promise Zone and its working group, University of California San Diego and Second Chance secured a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support a local food promotion program. This marks the first collaboration between these two partners, demonstrating the impact of strategic partnerships in advancing food access and economic opportunities within the Promise Zone.

Improving Community Safety and Infrastructure Through the Get It Done App

2018 - The Safety Working Group promoted the City of San Diego’s Get It Done application, which allows residents to report community issues directly to the appropriate city departments for quick resolution. From broken sidewalks to illegal dumping, the app streamlines service requests to improve neighborhood conditions. The working group collaborated with the app's development team to provide feedback and improve its efficiency. Once finalized, the group hosted a forum where city developers introduced the app to SDPZ partners and residents. Moving forward, the working group is developing a marketing campaign to raise awareness and encourage PZ residents to utilize the tool to enhance community infrastructure and safety.

2019 - The working group spent most of the year promoting the Get It Done San Diego app in the community. Members of the group distributed 1,000 pieces of marketing material to SDPZ residents and shared information about how to use the app. Use of the Get It Done app increased by 64% in the Promise Zone between 2018 and 2019.

Meetings

FEBRuary 13 Thursday