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Vital conditions are properties of places and institutions that everybody needs all of the time to reach their full potential for health and well-being. They include a thriving natural world, basic needs for health and safety, humane housing, meaningful work and wealth, lifelong learning, reliable transportation, as well as belonging and civic muscle. When one or more vital conditions are absent or impaired, people tend to struggle and suffer, driving demand for urgent services. Urgent services are essential, but they are temporary fixes that don’t directly produce thriving lives.

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