Addressing Vital Conditions in Franklin Park | Leonard Parker Pool Institute

What are Vital Conditions?

The Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being is a Rippel Foundation framework, created in conjunction with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that addresses this question in a way that is at once understandable, relatable and actionable.

Simply put, vital conditions are the properties of places and institutions that we all need all the time to reach our full potential. They include physical necessities like food, water and humane housing, but also include things that are harder to quantify, like a sense of belonging and agency or civic muscle. Investments in these conditions are necessary to create an equitable, thriving future for ourselves and for generations to come (Rippel.org).

The vital conditions framework recognizes belonging and civic muscle as a foundational component to creating thriving neighborhoods.

Basic Needs for Health & Safety

Basic Needs

The Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health (LPPIH), in partnership with Kellyn Foundation, is starting to develop a strategy for increasing access to healthy and affordable food for residents in sustainable ways. The Kellyn Eat Real Food Mobile Market is in two locations weekly in the Franklin Park neighborhood during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Mobile Market is a farmers’ market on wheels that includes fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds, grains, and beans. Customers can use SNAP and WIC benefits and additional vouchers are available for Franklin Park Residents. Kellyn Foundation believes a collaborative Healthy Neighborhood Immersion Initiative, including education in schools, access to healthy food and medically based lifestyle change programs, can positively affect the short- and long-term health of children and their families while providing cost savings to individuals, families, employers and the health care system as a whole.

Lifelong Learning

Lifelong Lifelong Learning efforts in Franklin Park are grounded in developing a Cradle-to-College/Career continuum. We are focusing on the early childhood learning environment first, as this creates the foundation upon which we can weave the rest of the continuum through to when youth transition into adulthood. The Families First in Franklin Park collaborative was formed in 2022 and is committed to creating an equitable early learning environment for young children in Allentown and particularly in the Franklin Park neighborhood. The collaborative supports families with young children and develops critical data sharing partnerships with Community Services for Children (CSC), Allentown Health Bureau, Valley Health Partners and Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

Meaningful Work and Wealth

Another important component of life in Franklin Park is that residents have access and opportunity to earn income that will enable them to live within the neighborhood and support their individual and family’s well-being. Recently, the City of Allentown was awarded a $20 million federal Recompete Grant that will support local meaningful work and wealth efforts with a focus on workforce development. The grant is to support residents between the ages of 25 and 54 as they enter the workforce and earn good-paying jobs, with the particular focus on healthcare and manufacturing jobs. The 6-year effort will work to address barriers to employment including childcare, transportation, and education and skill development. The Franklin Park neighborhood (Census Tracts 18 and 20) is one of 3 priority neighborhoods in this collaborative plan and the initiative will be in partnership with the Franklin Park coalition.

Humane Housing

An active Franklin Park Housing Group is committed to supporting Humane Housing within Franklin Park and thinking about the holistic strategies needed to have a vibrant array of housing options available. Our partnership vision is that “all residents in Franklin Park will have housing that supports self-determination (agency) and economic mobility – [that is] safe, stable, healthy, [and] affordable.” The group consists of representatives from Ripple Community Inc., City of Allentown, North Penn Legal Services and The Real Estate Lab. Additional technical assistance is provided by Enterprise Community Partners. The group is addressing eviction prevention, home renovation and improvement, low-income housing development, and pathways to home ownership.

Belonging & Civic Muscle

The vital conditions framework recognizes belonging and civic muscle as a foundational component to creating thriving neighborhood. The Franklin Park neighborhood group, led by Cohesion Network and supported by LPPIH is developing enduring neighborhood infrastructure and is committed to bringing together, organizing, and empowering the authentic community voice. There is a monthly neighborhood meeting that is open to all Franklin Park residents and provides an opportunity for neighbors to connect and develop solutions to the challenges identified in the community. In addition, community partners have come together to host a range of events and gatherings in the neighborhood to foster authentic relationships. Integrated Community Therapy (ICT) training for local community stakeholders provided additional pathways to support social connection and healing among residents in response to daily stressors. National partners involved in stimulating our efforts include Focused Communities Strategy (FCS) and Visible Hands Collaborative.