Southeastern Live Well Center Input Tours – Creating Space with Community

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Southeastern San Diego (SESD) has significant health and economic disparities when compared to surrounding communities and San Diego County as a whole according to current data. To ensure residents have access to quality services and help achieve health equity, the County of San began construction on the new Southeastern Live Well Center (SELWC) in the heart of the SESD community. In March 2022, the Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities (HSEC) initiated a community engagement program, focused on involving residents in decision making for the creation of this building that would be providing social, health and restorative justice services. The goal was to build trust between SESD residents and the County and increase utilization of services by creating a facility that reflected the rich culture of SESD. The engagement program consisted of a series of Community Input Tours, that facilitated intentional outreach efforts to gather community input on the type of services needed, design of the building, and ways to limit potential negative impacts to the community. Engagement efforts included tabling at community events, hosting virtual forums, attending neighborhood planning meetings and providing regular updates via newsletters, social media, and print media.