Philadelphia LISC’s Sustainable Communities Initiative was born out of a realization that healthy communities are not just made of bricks and mortar. They also require a strong foundation of communal respect and action, safe and secure families, a skilled workforce, and numerous other quality-of-life measures like hope and faith in the future.
Beginning in 2006, Philadelphia LISC embraced a new strategic plan that emphasized comprehensive, cooperative action over transaction- and organization-focused models of the past. By putting a premium on comprehensive thinking and approaches—and by drawing on a more diverse range of partners and internal capabilities at both the local and national level—we now are actively seeking to make needed connections between previously isolated efforts.
We are not simply building affordable housing, but also improving transit options so residents can get to work from that housing; not simply providing the financial education to help keep residents in their homes, but also connecting them with the training and employment opportunities to help stabilize their family’s long-term financial outlook.