Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Initiative
Origin: Department of County Human Services of Multnomah County, Oregon
Link: Click here
Summary: SUN Community Schools in Multnomah County are full-service neighborhood hubs where the school and
partners from across the community come together to make sure students and families have what they need to be
successful in school and in life.
Talking Points & Important Information:
• SUN Community Schools are the school-based service delivery sites for the SUN Service System, a broader
system of community-based care and support for children and their families including educational, enrichment,
recreational, social, and health services. A more comprehensive list of services can be found here.
• A comprehensive community well-being and health center, the community health centers revitalize community
members and the local economy. Studies demonstrate that increased funding to health centers creates
additional economic stimulus both within the center and beyond. For example, the nearly $2 billion investment
to community health centers from the stimulus act generated $3.2 billion in new economic benefits, and in 2009,
health centers generated approximately $20 billion in economic activity for their local communities.
• Every year, community health centers save the healthcare system $24 billion a year in medical costs while
generating $26.5 billion in needed economic activity in economically distressed communities.
• By turning the school into a service delivery site targeted towards the enrichment of each and every community
member, the SUN Community Schools initiative has decreased stigmatization associated with seeking specific
services and has shifted the paradigm of social services into one of community good.
2015 POLICY BOOK
LOCAL
INTRO
LEVEL
PAGE 35