Large turnout presses Supervisors on Communities of Opportunity accountability and outreach

The Budget & Finance Committee on Wednesday held a marathon hearing on Communities of Opportunity, a mayoral anti-poverty initiative that targets four pilot nodes — Huntersview/Hunters Point, Alice Griffith, Sunnydale and a fourth node — aiming to integrate city services, philanthropic support and resident councils to stabilize neighborhoods and create jobs.

Dwayne Jones, director of Communities of Opportunity, told the committee the initiative was designed to align 13 city departments and 10 foundations behind resident-prioritized "catalyst" projects. Jones said the pilot footprint covers roughly 2,600 families in the initial nodes, about 650 of whom are in crisis and roughly 1,100 who are economically fragile. He reported early outcomes: summer camps enrolling about 350 children, 1,200 participants in a health initiative, lighting upgrades in 30 locations, 40 participants in transitional jobs and 175 who obtained permanent employment after program participation. Jones also said…