Costa Mesa

The last two decades have seen dramatic shifts in the demographics of Costa Mesa which have generated challenging social issues. The population of Costa Mesa’s Westside increased by 120 percent from 16,711 to 36,953. In 2000, 56 percent of households of the Westside spoke a language other than English and 37 percent of adults over 25 years of age did not have a high school diploma (Community Outreach Partnership Center, 2005). The rapid demographic changes have generated challenging social issues such as lack of adequate housing, economic poverty, pressure on the education system, and other social concerns.

ROCKHARBOR is partnering with MIKA to focus on youth development and neighborhood organizing with low-income neighborhood in Costa Mesa. We are working alongside the MIKA team and the community itself to address issues of employment, lack of role models, drugs, and community cohesion. We are trying to build and sustain healthy communities through systems that invite and welcome neighbors’ participation. We are trying to equip leaders from within the neighborhood to self-identify, design, and manage initiatives and projects that positively impact their neighborhoods.

Find Out More

For more info on MIKA, please visit www.mikacdc.org. If you would like to get involved with our team on Center Street, please contact Monse.