Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 2504 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

The housing policy that's turning back gentrification

Nick Bowlin

June 30, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

A "right-to-purchase" policy has enabled nonprofits to purchase residential buildings in gentrified neighborhoods in order to prevent the displacement of those relying on rent-controlled housing. Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) is a Bay Area nonprofit leading the cause to counter gentrification and prevent developers from purchasing residential buildings that house low and moderate-income households. MEDA has purchased and managed 32 buildings and is one of fewer than 10 nonprofits in the area that exercise the "right-to-purchase" policy.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Keeping safe while serving, church groups tackle pandemic and protests

Joshua Eaton

June 30, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Florissant, Missouri

After receiving a call from the local hospital saying they needed help in containing the spread of coronavirus, members of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri began sewing masks for those in low-income and minority neighborhoods. The church is now part of a larger movement known as Masks for the People that helps distribute masks to "incarcerated people, essential workers and minority communities, all of whom are more likely to be hospitalized with coronavirus, according to the CDC."

Read More
Go to Original Story
Bridging the gender gap through groundwater monitoring in a Rajasthan village

Sahana Ghosh

June 29, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Hinta, Rajasthan

A group of farmers in India have been trained to monitor their village’s groundwater levels to help its residents make more informed decisions about irrigation based on water availability. The farmers-turned-researchers are known as “Bhujal Jaankars” and they monitor rainfall, dam water levels, and water quality to notify residents so they can plant crops that don’t require a lot of water. While there is a lack of gender diversity in the group, they are working on developing training to include more functional literacy skills to encourage participation from others.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How a Waco nonprofit built a community grocery store in a food desert

Ciara McCarthy

June 27, 2020 |

The Victoria Advocate |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Waco, Texas

Jubilee provides an oasis in a desert - a food desert that is. The community grocery store provides the only fresh food for miles around at competitive prices and makes an effort to cater to the local clientele, stocking items that have been requested and offering locals a discount. The much-needed grocer is the work of a local nonprofit, Mission Waco, which worked with the community to assess its need before raising funds from corporations and celebrities. The success of Jubilee serves as an example to food deserts across the state who have looked to it for a blueprint to serve their own communities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Kindred care: Congolese refugee community takes care of its own, and others, during COVID-19

Sydney Kornegay

June 25, 2020 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Congolese refugees in Cleveland, Ohio have created a security net for the most vulnerable amongst them with the formation of Congolese Community of Greater Cleveland. Prior to the pandemic, CCGC helped Congolese refugees form a general sense of community but now it provides vital translation services for health updates and helps navigate the unemployment application process in addition to cash assistance. Current government initiatives are often inaccessible for those who don't have internet access, lack computer literacy, or don't have a car to access drive-through food banks. CCGC members step in to help.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Design Hacks Will Dominate the Coronavirus Recovery Landscape

Amanda Hurley

June 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Covid-19 created space for everyday citizens, who are not trained architects, designers, or urban planners, to alter how public spaces are used. Known as tactical urbanism, everyday people are using inexpensive and creative ways to change behaviors and stop the spread of the virus. Examples include homemade signs and makeshift barriers to maintain distance. At a protest in Israel participants maintained social distancing by staying on spray-painted Xs two meters apart. Some homemade design hacks do not inspire confidence, but others may become a part of the long-term landscape of changes caused by the virus.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Minneapolis theater community uses stagecraft skills to support businesses of color in the aftermath of protests

Ashley Vaughan

June 23, 2020 |

CNN |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

University Rebuild brings together theater members in Minneapolis who are not working due to Covid-19 to use their skills in support of the Black Lives Matters movement by helping communities clean up, make repairs, and create infrastructure to gather safely. Volunteers, numbering more than 100 within the first week, used set design and construction skills to help around 200 businesses impacted by protests following the killing of George Floyd. Windows and doors are boarded up and then prepped for murals painted by local artists and leftover materials were used to build stages for Juneteenth celebrations.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership

Gregory Scruggs

June 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Over 1000 community members gathered to demand officials keep a 2016 promise to give a vacant publicly-owned fire station to the Africatown Community Land Trust. The station is in a historically Black and quickly gentrifying neighborhood and the trust wants to turn it into a resource center to develop the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. As citywide protests for racial equality spread, the city abruptly agreed to turn it over. The group also wants more unused properties turned over to Black community ownership and for the city to develop an anti-gentrification land acquisition fund.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Mural project brought Black voices to a shuttered State Street

Will Cioci

June 23, 2020 |

Wisconsin Watch |

Photojournalism |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Madison, Wisconsin

A “rapid response” mural project transformed shuttered storefronts with vibrant messages of pride, perseverance, anger, justice, and unity. The project was funded by Arts in Public Places Looking Forward, a new organized formed to support artists impacted by Covid-19. An open call was posted for interested artists, and the project prioritized artists who had been affected by racial violence and injustice. More than 100 commissioned murals, and many more works of graffiti and public art, focused on support for the Black Lives Matter movement or called on an end to police misconduct.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A Portland foundation's infusion of talent and money helps set small Maine town back on its feet

Ernie Clark

June 21, 2020 |

Bangor Daily News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Monson, Maine

A Portland-based foundation has revitalized a small town in Maine with the establishment of an arts colony, reconstruction of old buildings in downtown, and a full health center - a rarity for small towns. A declining population and the shuttering of major businesses contributed to the decline of Monson. The Libra Foundation's philanthropic efforts have spurred enthusiasm within the town well known for being the last stop along the Appalachian Trail.

Read More
Go to Original Story