To approach underinvested communities with respect for their priorities at every step of the way is a core principle of community-centered economic inclusion (CCEI), a three-year process developed by LISC and The Brookings Institution. With major support from the healthcare organization Kaiser Permanente, CCEI is now underway in 15 districts across the country, including Casino Road.

In the simplest terms, CCEI’s objective is to create and begin implementing a strategic action plan that reflects broad realities on the ground, yet is laser-focused on fostering economic benefits for neighborhoods that too often haven’t reaped the rewards of wider economic growth. Local LISC offices play the role of go-between and convener, opening lines of communication between community stakeholders and traditional power holders at the municipal or regional level—people in a position to influence economic-development policy and resource provision.

For LISC Puget Sound, which opened just last year, relationship building has been especially important. As newcomers to the scene in Everett, says Vlasaty, “we wanted to make sure we were invited.” She kicked off the CCEI process there in 2021 with old-fashioned legwork, reaching out to county and city electeds and staff to gauge where LISC’s CCEI work would be most useful. There was talk about focusing on the Everett Station district nearer Kaiser Permanente’s local headquarters, but city stakeholders instead pointed LISC toward the so-called WHEB triangle (that stands for Westmont-Holly-Evergreen-Boeing), a wedge of territory in South Everett with Casino Road as its northern perimeter.

Read the full article about community investment at LISC.