Grassroots movements for urban renewal in the Lowell neighborhood of Fresno, California has given power back to the people in the urban planning of their own community. With the help of social media, community members have created a forum between themselves and their city, resulting in 95% less blight and a reduction in crime throughout Fresno.

Places like Utica, New York are working to convince refugees and new immigrants to move to their cities to stimulate the local economy and counteract population decline over the decades. Through more comprehensive services, a welcoming atmosphere, and word-of-mouth, refugees are arriving and making these cities home.

100% Mamans, an association in Morocco that aids single mothers, has created a radio show called "Mères en Ligne" that is hosted and run by unwed mothers. The show, which at this point can only live online because Morocco prohibits community radio to broadcast on air, allows women to tell their stories and advocate for their rights despite the heavy stigma. Since the show launched in May of 2017, it has already received 2,500,000 visitors and counting.

Attitudes towards the legalization of sex work are changing around the world, and now some cities have even started considering public spaces for sex work while developing urban infrastructure plans. From Cologne, Germany (where there are "sex drive-throughs" that are equipped with safety features, facilities for rest, and toilets for the workers) to Amsterdam (where they are developing new rules for window-based sex work), governments are now increasingly inviting sex workers and their representatives to the negotiating table.

In Ethiopia, Ellita Products and its sister organization Ellita Women at Risk (EWAR), are working to end generational poverty and prostitution through comprehensive rehabilitation programs and skills training. To reduce reliance on donations, Ellita Products employs many who have been through EWAR's programming to produce clothing, jewelry, and more for wholesale retail. So far, EWAR has reached about 1,000 and 90% of those have not returned to prostitution to make ends meet.

Learning the art of hip-hop provides youth with an alternative to the violence and despair that characterize disadvantaged neighborhoods. In Medellin, Colombia, a program called 4 Elementos teaches kids dance, Dj’ing, rap, and graffiti in a structured way, providing a creative outlet. Hosted in the high school of one the cities most troubled neighborhoods, the program began as an initiative of the Colombian hip-hop group, Crew Peligrosos. Having already reached thousands of kids, the program is looking to expand across Colombia with support from the ABC Foundation.

While the entire nation struggles to combat blight and rundown housing, the city of Mobile, Alabama put together a task force and managed to slow the spread of blight in the town and even change the state constitution. Now, the city is able to purchase blighted houses, make necessary repairs, and combat racial inequality while doing it.

There are many things to consider when it comes to the quality of life and psychological needs of people living with disabilities, but one need rarely remembered is their sexuality. A Czech organization called Freya trains people to be sexual assistants who work with people with a range of abilities to learn how to become more comfortable with their own bodies and sexuality and physical tactics to help them do so. The service offers them a chance to experience basic human pleasures, and many testify to how much it has shaped their self-esteem and psychological health.

Online buyers of sex now have a great chance of running into the NYPD's latest initiative to combat trafficking amongst prostitution: a chatbot called Freedom Signal. Originated by an organization called Seattle Against Slavery, this bot collects solicitors' phone numbers and warns them of arrest, as well as using strategically-placed ads and text conversations with real trafficking survivors. The bot is 1,200% more productive than a full-time staff, 10 times more effective than on-the-street outreach, is currently being used in 13 cities, and makes buyers 50-80% less likely to be caught a second time.

Treating women who are coerced into human trafficking as victims provides opportunities for recovery. Alongside the passage of legislation against human trafficking in Ohio, Franklin County courts have implemented a recovery program. Changing Actions to Change Habits (CATCH), provides victims of human trafficking with support in the form of housing, food, and treatment for addiction and trauma. In exchange for participation in the program, women can have their records expunged.

In the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh, Rohingya women are overcoming the societal restraints that bound them at home in Myanmar and becoming leaders and change-makers in their community. Despite resistance from the men, hundreds of women in the camp banded together to form a group called Shanti Mohila. This allowed them to push for more peace and justice and issues like domestic violence, and they even received support from Legal Action Worldwide to prosecute crimes against the Rohingya people.

For two hours every Thursday, a support group for transgender Latina women called Transgéneros Unidas is held in Long Beach, California. Run by an organization called Bienestar, several cities in CA host these meetings for the women to discuss issues in their communities, health risks as transwomen, and past trauma. Group members view the group as an essential part of their support system and are greatly comforted by the community.

In California, homeless populations oftentimes face much greater health issues which financially impacts the state's public health care system. To address barriers to obtaining housing, with a sub-goal of bettering people's health, Los Angeles County has implemented a housing for the homeless pilot project that makes housing a part of a health care plan.