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1.7 Access to Opportunities <br />To assess fair access to opportunities regionally and locally, this analysis uses HUD Opportunity <br />Indicators and TCAC Opportunity Area Maps. This section also specifically addresses economic, <br />education, environmental, and transportation opportunities. <br />HUD developed an index for assessing fair housing by informing communities about disparities <br />in access to opportunity based on race/ethnicity and poverty status. Index scores are based on <br />the following opportunity indicator indices (values range from 0 to 100): <br />• Low Poverty Index: The higher the score, the less exposure to poverty in a neighborhood. <br />• School Proficiency Index: The higher the score, the higher the school system quality is <br />in a neighborhood. <br />• Labor Market Engagement Index: The higher the score, the higher the labor force <br />participation and human capital in a neighborhood. <br />• Transit Trips Index: The higher the trips transit index, the more likely residents in that <br />neighborhood utilize public transit. <br />• Low Transportation Cost Index: The higher the index, the lower the cost of <br />transportation in that neighborhood. <br />• Jobs Proximity Index: The higher the index value, the better access to employment <br />opportunities for residents in a neighborhood. <br />• Environmental Health Index: The higher the value, the better environmental quality of a <br />neighborhood. <br />To assist in this analysis, HCD and the California TCAC convened the California Fair Housing <br />Task Force to "provide research, evidence -based policy recommendations, and other strategic <br />recommendations to HCD and other related state agencies/departments to further the fair housing <br />goals (as defined by HCD)." The task force created "opportunity maps" to identify resource levels <br />across the state "to accompany new policies aimed at increasing access to high opportunity areas <br />for families with children in housing financed with 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits <br />(LIHTCs)." These opportunity maps are made from composite scores of three different domains <br />made up of a set of indicators related to economic, environmental, and educational opportunities <br />and poverty and racial segregation. Based on these domain scores, tracts are categorized as <br />Highest Resource, High Resource, Moderate Resource, Moderate Resource (Rapidly Changing), <br />Low Resource, or areas of High Segregation and Poverty. Table 8 shows the full list of indicators. <br />