LIFT Orlando and the Communities of West Lakes

LIFT Orlando is the community quarterback for the Communities of West Lakes, an area adjacent to Camping World Stadium and a stone’s throw from Downtown Orlando. Learn how LIFT Orlando and its partners are working together to implement the Purpose Built Communities model of neighborhood revitalization, and hear about their exciting progress in the areas of housing, education and community wellness.


The Purpose Built Communities Model and Network at Work

The Purpose Built Communities model was born in East Lake, but the 20 projects that now comprise the Purpose Built Network continue to innovate and produce neighborhood and life-changing results across the country. Purpose Built Communities’ President Carol Naughton discusses the model in action in different neighborhoods across the United States and how Community Quarterbacks are applying a local touch to a national model.


A Healthy Child Begins with a Healthy Mother

As community developers, we know that place shapes health and life outcomes. As a practicing physician and a researcher, Dr. Joedrecka Brown Speights focuses on expectant mothers and how their health affects both the health of their children and the communities in which they live.


How Segregation Hurts our Economy

Segregation in the United States has shaped our society and had negative impacts on African-American and minority communities for generations. Segregation also affects the overall economic health of our country – and everyone in it.


Great Outcomes Start with Early Learning – a View from the Network

One of the challenges in our work is creating a high-quality cradle-to-college pipeline. Specifically, we must ensure that the latest research is being utilized not only by early learning partners, but is shared by partners in elementary school and beyond. How can community quarterbacks who are not experts in education make sure their projects are utilizing best practices and research to achieve the best possible outcomes? Hear from renowned experts in the field of early childhood education and find out how project partners can infuse the best of early childhood education into their educational pipelines.


Why Healthcare Systems are Investing in Neighborhoods and Communities

Healthcare Systems and insurers across the country are increasingly making upstream investments to address the social determinants of health. Learn how this trend could transform the community development landscape.


Healthy Neighborhoods Make Healthy Cities – A Healthcare Partnership in Action

For one city, healthcare systems and insurers are starting to think differently about their roles in the community. By investing in a new way, the results might benefit everyone.


Trauma-Informed Community Building

Pervasive current and historical trauma caused by systemic racism, violence, isolation, poverty, and substance abuse undermine the social cohesion that is a necessary foundation for initiating community building and sustaining community development efforts. In this session, Emily Weinstein presents a model of Trauma-Informed Community Building that takes in to account the realities of community trauma and offers alternative strategies to de-escalate chaos and stress, build social cohesion and foster community resiliency over time.


Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Harms Disadvantaged Neighborhoods

Criminologist Todd Clear explains how over incarceration impoverishes communities, straps municipal budgets and fails to deter criminal behavior.


Purpose Built Communities’ Equity Ambassadors

Building racial, social and health equity is one of the primary goals of the Community Quarterbacks in the Purpose Built network. Several Community Quarterback leaders have formed the first cohort of Equity Ambassadors to deepen their knowledge – and the Network’s – of how we should elevate and value equity.  In this conversation, they share their reflections from this journey.


Opportunity Zone Funds and Other Cutting Edge Tools for Community Development

Access to capital for community revitalization is a perpetual challenge. Join us for conversations highlighting two new tools – the LIIF Accelerator Fund and Opportunity Zone Funds – and learn about new ways to use existing tools like NMTC and grant capital.