Center for Court Innovation (fiscal sponsor: Fund for the City of New York)

Good health outcomes are more prevalent in neighborhoods where people have easy access to nutritious, affordable food; safe and walkable streets; and active playgrounds and public spaces.

Living in neighborhoods without these essentials, residents are more likely to be burdened with high rates of obesity, diabetes, or other chronic illnesses. In 2015, NYHealth launched its Healthy Neighborhoods Fund, an initiative to help six communities across New York State become healthier and more active places. NYHealth invested $2 million in the initiative during its first two years, and has since leveraged an additional $181 million in funding for these six communities, helping nearly half a million New Yorkers have greater access to healthy, affordable food and safe ways in which to be physically active. NYHealth is continuing its commitment to the Healthy Neighborhoods Fund by investing an additional $2.5 million over the next three years in these six communities. In 2017, NYHealth awarded a grant to the Center for Court Innovation (the Center), through fiscal sponsor Fund for the City of New York, to participate in the initiative.

Under the second phase of the initiative, the Center built on the efforts of the first phase, led by the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, in the Near Westside neighborhood of Syracuse. Specifically, the Center led the Take Back the Streets campaign. Through the campaign, the Center promoted healthy relationships, improved the health and safety of the community, and elevated the public’s perception of Near Westside. To achieve these goals, the Center provided community-based conflict resolution services; increased resident engagement and leadership; and facilitated collaboration and communication among neighborhood partners, including community-based organizations, local businesses, community leaders, and local government agencies. The Center evaluated the campaign’s outcomes by assessing changes in residents’ perceptions of neighborhood health and safety, as well as obtaining feedback from participating neighborhood partners.

See a full list of the Healthy Neighborhoods Fund grantees.