Villa Prades social impact project among 22 Recompete program finalists
The Oasis Expansion Recompete Plan, aimed at investing in comprehensive economic development in San Juan’s Villa Prades public housing community, has been selected as one of the 22 finalists in the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete), under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Recompete focuses on the most economically distressed areas with significantly lower prime-age (25-54 years) employment than the national average, aiming to close this gap through flexible, locally driven investments.
The Oasis Expansion Recompete Plan is run by the nonprofit organization Platform for Social Impact, which leverages a range of projects, strategies and alliances to invest in communities in Puerto Rico. For this project, it is focusing on the Villa Prades community in San Juan, according to its winning proposal.
Selected as a 2023 Recompete finalist and Strategy Development Grant recipient, the project is among 22 chosen across the United States.
The plan requests approximately $50 million for economic development initiatives in the Villa Prades community.
“Residents experience high levels of poverty and many face a ‘benefits cliff’ through participation in the formal economy,” the proposal states.
“Recognizing the community’s unique needs, the finalist aims to address obstacles preventing participation in the formal economy, provide in-demand training,” and support including child and elderly care to foster small business growth, it stated.
“With committed partners including the City of San Juan, the Governor of Puerto Rico, and the Boys and Girls Club, the Finalist will work with its coalition to pursue an innovative approach to economic development in its highly targeted service area,” the proposal further noted.
In its proposal, the nonprofit stated that in Villa Prades, up to 66% of household income is from government aid, with a high reliance on public housing or vouchers.
Platform for Social Impact’s proposal outlines eight strategies:
- Partnering with the Youth Development Institute on “Changing the Narrative of Work,” investing $1.5 million in research on work barriers for low-income residents.
- Reworking safety net programs ($4.5 million), collaborating with agencies to improve residents’ experience with these programs and public transportation.
- Developing an implementation plan and internal management ($2.5 million) for initial 18-month activities.
- Funding a child and elderly care co-op initiative ($3.5 million) to expand care models.
- A health and wellness initiative ($3 million) to extend preventive health care and reduce employment barriers.
- Workforce training, including bootcamps and apprenticeships ($15 million), in collaboration with Jobs for the Future, Coursera, Home Builders Institute, the Economic Development and Commerce Department (DDEC, in Spanish), Vimenti, and Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico.
- A Transitional Housing Initiative ($2.5 million) to support individuals entering the workforce and exiting public housing.
- An Equitable Economy Entrepreneurship Improvement Initiative ($15 million) to expand Project Maker’s and Vimenti’s incubation/acceleration programs.
Plans include building the Oasis Hub, a $45 million, 110,000-square-foot facility in Villa Prades with a health clinic, recreation area, charter school, community center, business incubation center, renewable energy substation and other amenities.
Having raised $45 million, the organization will invest $35 million in programs addressing poverty outside the site, it stated.
The facility breaks ground in next year’s first quarter and is set to open in 2025, with 90% of programs already operational in a temporary location.
In the two-phase competition, Phase 1 finalists will apply for implementation grants in Phase 2, offering $20 million to $50 million for workforce development, business and entrepreneur development, infrastructure, and additional planning or assistance.
