Thrive West Central Unveils Economic Recovery Plan: Resilient
TERRE HAUTE, IN– West Central Indiana has shown its resilience during the pandemic, and now looks to the future, building upon this through a regional planning initiative. Over the past 18 months, community conversations have been held, data has been collected and analyzed and priorities and action items have been established in Resilient – an economic recovery plan led by Thrive West Central.
“We hope to have weathered the worst of the pandemic,” stated Ryan Keller, Executive Director of Thrive West Central. “Resilient identifies gaps in our systems, and this is our opportunity to prepare for future economic crises by reinforcing our strengths and seizing opportunities in workforce development, healthcare, quality of life, and education.”
Resilient aims to combat regional challenges that were caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on issues pertaining to population decline, lagging economic growth, and an aging population.
“Our team and community partners determined the main themes of Resilient through outreach, research, and analysis. Within each theme, Resilient establishes action items to move our regional planning efforts forward,” stated Keller.
The goals of the plan, developed through regional surveys, community forums, and secondary research, were to identify the most pressing resiliency-related challenges and opportunities in our region; to identify public, private, and nonprofit resources that local/regional leaders can utilize in pursuit of addressing these challenges; and to provide a unified framework for how communities in our region can pursue and build resiliency and prosperity. This culminated in a 90-page document that outlines a specific plan for the future.
“Resilient covers everything from healthcare and mental health to workforce development and talent attraction to public education and childcare to broadband internet access,” explained Keller. “We have worked diligently to determine strategies that will positively impact our quality of life.”
Implementation of the Resilient plan will begin this spring.
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About Thrive West Central
Thrive West Central is an innovative regional driver dedicated to enhancing community assets while improving the overall quality of life in West Central Indiana. Visit https://thrivewestcentral.com/economic/resilient/ to learn more.
Media Contact: Ashley Salesman
Email: asalesman@thrivewestcentral.com
