The Heritage Community Initiative (“HCI”) has defined education and economic development as its core value and as the means to establish a real foundation for low performing neighborhoods.  HCI will implement a comprehensive education-to-employment-to-enterprise [E3] paradigm, with education programs, family support mechanisms, diverse community learning, and a strong system of learning environments at its center. Family support and community learning strategies will include programs to improve health, safety, and environments where learning occurs.  Furthermore, HCI will leverage resources and community assets to enhance family access to 21^st century learning tools.

ACET promotes ideal principles and values of the Heritage Community, with a focus on the character and history of Atlanta neighborhoods. ACET has designed models that promote high impact education and learning; and has identified engagement and employment as necessary benchmarks for community economic development, Inherent in the framework of HCI, is a community redevelopment model that fully integrates multiple forms of 21^st century housing and a business enterprise design that allow market and cooperative economic principles to co-exist. This framework is essential for attacking the structural challenges of neighborhoods within the HCI Zone.

The Heritage Community Initiative’s objectives are defined in five (4) priority areas that serve to complete its housing and economic development mission.

• HCI will be used as a vehicle to engage state and municipal policy makers, advocates, organizers, direct service providers and families into productive dialogue regarding how best to transform residential housing and commercial corridors
• HCI will provide programmatic and support (project management, funding, and best practices) for HCI businesses, non-profits, organizations, and schools challenged by limited financial and human resource capacity.
• HCI will serve as an economic development conduit to support community asset building, micro enterprise development, green job training and placement, and affordable housing and homeownership preservation.
• HCI will promote and support community sustainability through the creation of a community fund that provides ongoing resources for future development and renovation of community centers and schools, and the creation and funding for micro enterprises.

The priority objectives will ultimately raise awareness, capacity and economic self-sufficiency of the citizens within the HCI corridor; while also providing positive social and economic impact to the City of Atlanta.

ACET engenders support from the City of Atlanta Government, to support the objectives and proposed details of this Initiative.  ACET has initiated interaction with NPU’s, neighborhood associations, homeowners, renters, and business owners to relate the values and viability of HCI.  The support that HCI has garnered is strong and growing.

With the support of the City of Atlanta government to assist in improving parks/recreation and community centers, opening up collaboration with the public safety and public works entities, and giving strong consideration to HCI for grant resources, HCI will be able to transform the community within 3 years.  Additionally, ACET/HCI furthers seeks cooperation the City of Atlanta to support its affordable homeownership, asset building, and cooperative economics programs.