As it works to combat the opioid crisis in the rural U.S., the Rural Organizing Project is working to build a network of volunteer leaders who will take on rural issues in the public eye.
The organization launched in 2016 and now has about 15,000 members, who are working to address issues of rural and rural-specific justice, including the opioid epidemic.
But for the last six years, its grassroots network of volunteers has been working to create new ways for Americans to connect with each other.
They’ve done that through a variety of means, from volunteer fieldwork to direct outreach to local groups.
In some cases, these efforts have resulted in local governments joining in.
The Rural Organization Project, which was founded by the U.K.-based nonprofit Centre for Rural Justice, launched a campaign in 2019 to build community in rural areas, which helped lead to the formation of the United States Rural Organizer Network.
The nonprofit is now working with over 30 cities and towns to build partnerships to help rural Americans better connect with public officials and organizations.
The Rural Organizers have also been working on creating a mobile phone app to help communities connect with local government.
The app has been developed in partnership with the National Rural Elected Officials Association and will help communities and governments connect to one another.
The app, called Rural Outreach, has been in beta testing for a couple of months and is currently available in the app store.
It will allow communities to easily request assistance from government officials or organizations for rural issues.
“Rural Outreach will help rural America build better, more resilient communities,” said Laura DeSantis, director of communications at the nonprofit.
“It’s the future.”
Rural Organizing, which has been operating in the U, and the Rural Electeds are working together on a number of different initiatives to increase access to health care, education and job training in rural America.
The project has partnered with the UESP to create a nationwide database of information about rural health and nutrition, and it has launched a national campaign called “Housing First.”
“This is an exciting time for rural communities to be thinking about where their next steps should be,” said Jessica Mabrey, the UesP director of health, nutrition and policy.
“This is a great opportunity to start that conversation.”
The Rural Electes have also launched the Rural Housing Initiative, a project to help connect rural residents with the rental market in the hopes that it will help them secure their homes and get back on their feet.
The project is one of the Rural Outdoors Project’s many efforts to address a wide variety of issues related to housing and health, including homelessness, health disparities and access to affordable housing.