2017 Annual Report of the Community Relations Committee

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TH Zj d W PEACE <, a �V# 1865 Regina Williams Preston 2nd District Council Member Community Relations, Chairperson similar initiative. Chairperson Preston continued conversations about addressing the issues through an informal working group, Racial &Economic Justice (RAEJ), including members of the city administration, university professors, community organizations, and local activists. This work lead to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion partnering with Prosperity Now, a national non-profit that researches financial equity in cities across America,to produced the City of South Bend Racial Wealth Divide Profile. • Reducing violence by building peace—connecting community organizations and law enforcement to implement proactive approaches to reduce violence in our neighborhoods. In April,the Community Relations Committee invited local peacebuilding organizations including Community for Peace &Nonviolence, Group Violence Intervention(GVI),NU Black Power, and educators from SBCSC and IUSB.A common theme of Restorative Justice emerged in the description of the work of each organization. There is an interest in exploring how these community organizations and educational institutions can connect and collaborate to support restorative approaches city-wide to complement the efforts of law enforcement in violence prevention. • Housing and neighborhood development with a focus on development without displacement. The Community Relations Committee held two meetings in 2017 that focused on issues of housing and neighborhood development. In May, Anne Mannix of Neighborhood Development Associates,presented a housing proposal called 100 Houses 500 Days that offered ideas on how the City can leverage dollars for affordable housing to make a greater impact in neighborhoods. Many residents spoke out to call for an additional focus on dollars for home improvement and rehab to support existing homeowners who don't qualify for existing grants. Affordable new construction and help for rehab of existing homes will ensure development without displacement. For the August committee meeting,we held an off-site public forum at WUBS broadcasting studio. Residents spoke of their personal experiences of displacement and the tools of gentrification such as aggressive code enforcement. Emmanuel Cannaday, PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame, shared information about community survey he is working on with local housing advocates and members of the committee to learn more about the housing conditions. This will provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment of racial and economic disparity particularly in the west side neighborhoods.