Meaningful Engagement through Regional Community Coordination

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In July 2021, the County of San Diego (County), Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities (HSEC) launched the Regional Community Engagement Program (RCEP). It facilitates collective action to advance health and social equity, economic inclusion, and poverty reduction in the six HHSA service regions (south, central, north central, north inland, north coastal and east). RCEP works to actively engage community partners and to listen, gather and elevate their needs and priorities. RCEP leverages the expertise of six Regional Community Coordinators (RCCs) and focuses on understanding the community makeup, demographic, and history of the area. Each RCC has a deep understanding of the community through their lived experience and/or by living or working in their designated region. Through the installation of six executive-level RCC positions, the RCEP leverages the lived experience knowledge and skill of the RCC to serve as a cultural broker to inform policy and service delivery. At the center of this approach, RCCs facilitate relationships to advance upstream solutions to address inequities in the region through community engagement, equity, and locally tailored solutions.