Scaling Good Practice Outreach Approaches

Region 7 South

Los Angeles, home to approximately a quarter of California’s population, is largely a dense urban area with a diverse population comprising the city’s vibrant social and economic fabric. In the region, over 2 million people are considered limited English proficient, of which 1.5 million are Spanish speakers.

Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP) has been a key State partner since the 2020 Census when they created an effective and adaptive model for outreach in neighborhoods such as Westlake, Pico Union, and Koreatown with dense rental housing and limited English proficient speakers. The challenging political climate and the COVID-19 pandemic exasperated the spread of misinformation and fear. The pandemic made the digital divide even more pronounced by creating access barriers to vital information and education.

Image Description: Staff from Community-based Organizations (CBOs) presenting during consultation session

Since 2000, CCNP has been a cornerstone in the community, collaborating with the City and County of Los Angeles and community-based organizations to connect resources to help families improve their health and economic outcomes.

CCNP’s 25,000-square-foot facility is home to a family resource center, a food services program serving 800 people weekly, wellness workshops for women, one-on-one financial and career coaching, academic support and space for youth to gather, and other vital resources and services.

Twenty-nine representatives from 16 CBOs attended a “Collaborative Solutions Workshop.” The following key takeaways for effective outreach emerged:

1. Collect and analyze data with community input as the first step in identifying disparities for equitable solutions.
2. Plan for a variety of interactions with cultural sensitivity to expand language and communication access.
3. Train outreach workers for difficult interactions to foster safer and more effective canvassing.
4. Provide credible and reliable information from reputable sources, such as ethnic media, in plain language to maintain trust in the community and combat misinformation.