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February 15, 2023 A Message from Karen L. White, Councilwoman At Large South Bend’s incredible economic and industrial momentum in recent years cannot be understated. Since the 50-year population freefall of 30,000 people after the closing of the Studebaker plant in the 1960s, our city is growing for the first time, adding 2,300 residents since 2010. However, despite South Bend’s strides over the last fifteen years, massive wealth and income disparity have only widened between our Black and non-Black communities, as stated in the 2017 Prosperity Now report. While these issues persist in other areas of our city, starting with the most vulnerable populations has shown and will continue to unlock resources all South Bend residents. Housing values in the Kennedy Park and Lasalle Park neighborhoods dropped by nearly 50% between 2000 and 2020. Unemployment is two times as high in Kennedy Park and nearly four times as high in Lasalle Park than our city’s average. Fewer people have four-year degrees in Kennedy Park today than they did in 1960. The City has been seeking to alleviate the pain of these communities by empowering their residents through wealth-building strategies. By building upon existing City programs and continuing research into new initiatives, such as a Financial Empowerment Center, this Blueprint and the actions outlined in it have great promise to increase the financial security of South Bend’s Black community. I fully support the actions laid out in this Financial Empowerment Blueprint. I know the City’s efforts will be a key element in bringing wealth equity to our Black community. Sincerely, Karen L. White Karen L. White, At-large Council Member Chair of the Residential & Neighborhoods Committee