Community development strategies to strengthen families
Community development and financial security strategies can improve access to employment, increase financial stability, and foster greater family wealth building.
Children raised in financially stable families see better outcomes at every life stage.
How can community development strategies impact family well-being?
- Financial security is essential to family well-being. 1
Financial instability can create material hardship, increasing the likelihood of families having trouble paying for essentials like rent, utilities, medical care, and adequate nutrition. It can also cause higher levels of stress for low-income families, leading to higher rates of divorce or separation and negatively impacting parent-child relationships.
- Children in financially secure families tend to experience better academic and social outcomes. 2
Experiencing material hardship negatively affects children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and academic outcomes. Young children are more affected by experiencing material hardship than other age groups. Children from low-income families are more likely to fail courses, experience grade retention, receive special education services, drop out of high school, and experience poor health outcomes as adults.
- Access to adequate nutrition is critical for children’s development. 3
Children who experience food insecurity have higher rates of school absenteeism, are more than twice as likely to repeat a grade in elementary school, have lower reading and math scores by third grade, and more likely to experience negative health outcomes.
- Family assets create a “psychological buffer” from economic instability. 4
During an economically stressful event (like losing a job), the possession of assets has been shown to reduce the sense of family strain and mediate the experience of toxic stress.
Categories of successful interventions
- Financial literacy programs: Educational programs that focus on budgeting, bank use, credit management, and other personal finance topics
- Financial navigators: Trained professionals who help individuals and families with financial decisions
- Safe and secure banking: Initiatives that ensure residents have access to a safe, affordable bank account
Evidence-based interventions
Intervention | Type | Category | Evidence Level | ARP Eligibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alcohol outlet density restrictions | Policy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Bike and pedestrian master plans | Policy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | Yes |
Community fitness programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Community gardens | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | Yes |
Community-based social support for physical activity | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Competitive pricing for healthy foods | Policy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Complete streets and streetscape design initiatives | Policy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Farmers markets | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | Yes |
Financial Empowerment Centers | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) | Yes |
Financial literacy programs | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) | Yes |
Fines and fees reform | Policy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) | Yes |
Fruit and vegetable incentive programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Green space and parks | Policy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | Yes |
Guaranteed income | Strategy |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) | Yes |
Healthy home environment assessments | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Housing rehabilitation loan and grant programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Inclusionary zoning policies | Policy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | No |
Individual incentives for public transportation | Policy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) | Yes |
Lead paint abatement programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |
Places for physical activity | Policy |
|
Proven (highest tier) | Yes |