Friday, March 12, 2021 | View in browser
Community members invited to apply for City’s Reparations Committee
EVANSTON, IL - The City of Evanston today provided community members with answers to frequently asked questions regarding Evanston Local Reparations and the proposed Restorative Housing Program. The FAQs are available on the City’s Reparations webpage, at cityofevanston.org/reparations.
The Restorative Housing Program is the first initiative proposed by the City’s Reparations Subcommittee to be considered as part of Evanston Local Reparations, an initiative supported by the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) and the National African-American Reparations Commission (NAARC).
The City Council will discuss the proposed Restorative Housing Program, which aims to increase Black homeownership and build wealth among Black residents by providing mortgage and down payment assistance as well as funding for home improvements, at its meeting on March 22.
Get Involved
Evanston community members interested in helping to guide the City’s Local Reparations Plan are invited to apply for the City’s new Reparations Committee, which will serve in an advisory capacity to the Evanston City Council.
The Reparations Committee will be responsible for evaluating applications, recommending funding allocations for housing and economic development initiatives, developing programs that address historical discrimination in the past by the City, and monitoring the progress of program impact in each ward to which funding is allocated.
Applications are due by March 31, and the Committee will be seated in May 2021.
To date, hundreds of Evanston residents have participated in the City’s ongoing dialogue on local reparations:
- The Equity and Empowerment Commission held two community meetings in July 2019 to identify meaningful reparations solutions
- The City’s Reparations Subcommittee held three town hall meetings from December 2019 through August 2020 to inform the community on reparations at the local and federal levels
- The City’s Reparations Subcommittee has held 15 public meetings since January 2020 to discuss Evanston Local Reparations and the development of the proposed Restorative Housing Program. An update was provided to the City Council on December 14.
- The Reparations Subcommittee recently conducted a survey to support the development of an application process for the Restorative Housing Program. Over 1,000 responses were received.
The City looks forward to continuing to engage all stakeholders in this process.
For more information, please visit cityofevanston.org/reparations or call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 311 in Evanston.
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Media Contact: Patrick Deignan
pdeignan@cityofevanston.org
Phone: 847-448-8234
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