Strong Healthy Communities Initiative - SHCI

As part of The Living Cities Integration Initiative (TII), and through the generous support of the Prudential Foundation, SHCI uses a policy change and a cohesive, “one-table” collective impact approach to tackle complex social problems that challenge the success of Newark’s public school system and deteriorating structural environments of Newark’s low-income neighborhoods. The partners of SHCI aim to rebuild and stabilize Newark’s neighborhoods, align public policy and private investments to sustain innovations and create lasting systemic change to improve student success in all of Newark’s schools.

The Strong Healthy Communities Initiative (SHCI) in Newark, NJ, is a cross-sector institutional partnership that aims to close the education “opportunity gap” in Newark by improving child health and well‐being as a lever to greater student achievement. It is the vision of SHCI and our partners to ensure that all Newark children, regardless of income, are healthy and ready to learn. The shared vision of SHCI will be achieved through broad cross-sector coordination around three (3) critical social outcomes:
• Remove blight and create safe, affordable homes to stabilize low-income families
• Integrate & align Newark’s Healthcare System to build school capacity & address child health disparities
• Increase the access, equity and quality of food available for Newark’s low-income families