By Eddie North-Hager
The release of the 2015 USC State of the Neighborhood Report prompted more than 100 community leaders, neighborhood groups, and USC faculty and staff to gather on the University Park and Health Sciences campuses for an in-depth review of its findings.
The report, a baseline used to measure impacts and outcomes going forward, focused on the current state of the communities surrounding UPC and HSC in five key areas: economic stability, education, health and health care, neighborhood and built environment and social capital. It examined such disparate measures as access to child care and the number of banks in the area, as well as a host of other community issues that will take the entire community to solve.
“We are all trying to get it right, said Provost Professor William Vega, executive director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the USC School of Social Work, who was a senior adviser on the report. “This is all part of a larger movement, a revolution on how health is related to the community.”
Improving the Lives of Others
The report is the product of an 18-month effort led by Hortensia Amaro, the lead author and associate vice provost for community research. Amaro enlisted the nonprofit civil rights organization Advancement Project and convened a community advisory board and faculty task force to examine the state of USC’s neighborhoods.
“We have incredible privilege at this university. We have faculty that are second to none. We have students, people, staff, alumni, parents who are passionate about this university. We have all the assets to do what we need to do. And it is our responsibility to act on all of that privilege,” USC Provost Michael Quick said. “I look forward to working with all of you and all of our partners across the community to make a difference.”