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With a central and departmental infrastructure in development and a growing recognition that where one lives can determine access to critical opportunities needed to excel, it is recommended that the next phase of implementation focus on the formation of a message and strategy that fosters collective action around neighborhoods as the primary environments in which individuals access key opportunity structures.  The Communities of Opportunity and Targeted Universalism concepts, conceived by john a. powell, an internationally recognized expert in addressing structural racism, were identified as the theoretical basis for this phase of One Fairfax implementation.   

A strategic focus on creating Communities of Opportunity involves:

• Institutionalizing the use of analytical tools to better understand and represent the dynamics of opportunity and vulnerability across the county;

• Facilitating the development of targeted, strategic interventions in lower-opportunity areas;

• Affirmatively connecting low-income or otherwise marginalized individuals and families to existing opportunity; and

• Ensuring that opportunities are structured to support wealth creation and the building of assets.