Since 1994, Price Charities has been committed to the revitalization of City Heights, a vibrant, diverse community of over 78,000 people in San Diego. In order to create immediate change in the disadvantaged neighborhood—which has a median household income of $25,087 and a 38% poverty rate—Price Charities applies a broad-based strategy to tackle education, health care and social work. The City Heights Initiative, a unique partnership between Price Charities and public and nonprofit agencies, aims to transform the community into a safe, healthy and opportunity rich place to live. By employing a holistic approach and focusing on three major components—educational programs, community development programs, and housing & commercial development—Price Charities hopes to improve the quality of life for current residents.

Price Charities, believing that a strong core of facilities and services is essential to a healthy community, leveraged funds to build an Urban Village with the help of several partners and public agencies. The Urban Village covers almost 30 acres and includes the state of the art Weingart City Heights Library, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a performance annex, a community service center, a Head Start facility, a police substation, an elementary school and a Continuing Education Center.

The Initiative has funded community programs like the Educational Collaborative, dedicated to enhancing the learning, academic achievement, health and social development at local schools. The Community Schools component was also created to provide a comprehensive range of services like parent centers, health clinics and safety programs. The Initiative includes a community policing program, an innovative low-interest home loan program, a community service program and the development of affordable housing units.

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Components of the City Heights Initiative

• Community Policing
  
• Educational Programs
  
• Improved Public Facilities
  
• Affordable Housing
  
• Health Services
  
• Childcare
  
• Local Ownership of Assets
  
• Community Service
  

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A Graphic Illustration of Price Charities' Holistic Approach to Redevelopment

The slices of the wheel represent all the elements of a healthy community.

The groups listed inside the circle are the important players in a community who can work together to establish a healthy community.

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The Community of City Heights
City Heights is a vibrant but struggling Mid-City San Diego (CA) neighborhood. Its 72,000 residents speak more than 30 languages and scores of dialects, making it one of the most diverse and densely populated communities in the county. It is also one of the most economically challenged communities.

Unemployment and poverty are high in City Heights; home ownership and income are low. Only about 40 percent of adult residents have graduated from high school. Nearly 60 percent of its residents earn less than $25,000 per year; more than 30 percent live below the poverty line.
» For additional information on the demographics of City Heights please read this "Demographics" article from the Mid City Neighbor, April 2004.

Given this background, it is not surprising that for years City Heights schools have been characterized by low levels of academic achievement. Recurring problems faced by teachers and administrators have included overcrowded classrooms, inadequate resources, and student and faculty transience.

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Urban Village Facilities

Weingart City Heights Library
In November 1998, the Weingart Library opened its doors to the City Heights community. Construction of the state of the art facility was made possible by a $5.25 million grant from the Weingart-Price Fund at the San Diego Foundation and the Weingart Foundation. The 15,000 square foot facility is equipped with an internet technology center provided by Cox Cable. The facility also boasts a shelf capacity of 60,000 books, reading rooms, and public meeting spaces. The City Heights community has readily embraced the library. Over 2,000 people visit the library everyday, making it one of the most heavily utilized branch libraries in the City of San Diego.

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Urban Village Community Pool
To provide safe community recreational options, the Initiative helped fund the construction of a swim center, a tennis center, and recreational fields for softball, football, and soccer.




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Urban Village Performance Annex
The City Heights Initiative helped finance a 3,000 square foot "black-box" theater to provide a performance space for the performing arts as well as to provide a large meeting space for films, lectures, and presentations. The theater has the ability to open up to a large grass area so it can be used as a stage for large summer productions.






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Mid-City Continuing Education Center
In October 2000, the Mid-City Continuing Education Center opened its doors to the City Heights community. Located in the heart of the Urban Village, across the street from the Weingart Library, the campus is operated by the San Diego Community College District.

The facility offers courses tailored to fit the needs of City Heights residents, including programs in adult literacy, English, and job training. The school offers both technical and occupational training to help make City Heights residents more marketable. The 58,400 square foot facility houses primarily classroom space with some room for support administration. The entry lobby is two stories high with a large circular staircase opening into the lobby to encourage social interaction between students.

Since its opening, the campus has drawn a much larger student body than anticipated. Its convenient location has allowed an even greater portion of the City Heights community to utilize the facility than what was possible at the old Mid-City location.

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City Heights Police Substation
In early discussions with the City Heights community, residents identified public safety as a chief concern. Accordingly, one of the City Heights Initiative’s top priorities was to facilitate a stronger police presence in City Heights and to develop a better relationship between the community and the police. At the inception of the Initiative, the Mid-City area in which City Heights is located did not have its own police substation. Rather, the area was served by the Eastern Division of the San Diego Police Department located in Kearny Mesa, roughly six miles away.

In order to expedite construction of a Mid-City Substation, Price Charities agreed to lend the City funds to build the substation. In exchange, the City agreed to place the substation in City Heights and to make the station "community-friendly." The substation was designed with "eyes on the street" - large windows looking out from the Detective's Offices onto the open spaces and public facilities. The substation was also equipped with a public meeting room to provide a safe place for community members to meet and to encourage interaction between the community and the police.

Finally, and creatively, the substation was intentionally situated in the same building as the community gymnasium in order to foster a connection between the police and the youth of City Heights. The police officers’ presence provides a safe environment for the recreational facility while at the same time building better relationships with the community as they engage in activities such as basketball with local youth.

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City Heights Neighborhood Alliance
Committed to the concept of improving community and police relations, the Initiative was engaged in providing financial support for pilot community policing programs in City Heights. In 1998, Price Charities sponsored the City Heights Neighborhood Alliance which paired police with social workers and community organizers, creating an alliance of City Heights residents and business owners focused on neighborhood problem solving. The Alliance emphasized the coordination of community resources to address recurring problems such as drug activity and graffiti. The program successfully involved an ethnically diverse cross-section of the community, including substantial youth involvement. Additionally, the Alliance created and adopted innovative programs, including a Youth Bike Patrol which rides around local schools in order to provide a visible deterrent to street crime.

In an early survey, residents indicated that the Alliance had improved community relations with the police. One resident commented, "Overall, I feel safer. I see the change."

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