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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 Annual Report of the Community Relations Committee LOU T$ Filed in Clerk's Office DEC 2 9 2017 .1865 KAREEIVIAH FoVvLER Regina Williams Preston CITY CLERK,SOUTH BEND,Ilo1 2nd District Council Member Community Relations, Chairperson To: South Bend Common Council The Office of the City Clerk From: Council Member Regina Williams Preston, Community Relations Committee Chairperson Date: December 29, 2017 2017 Annual Report of the Community Relations Committee Dear Common Councilmembers: As required by § 2-10(i) of the South Bend Municipal Code, I am filing this Annual Report as the Chairperson of the Council's Community Relations Committee. Duties: The Community Relations Committee is charged with "enhancing communications and developing working partnerships throughout the City" and in particular with "other public and private entities operating within the City." Members: There were four(4) Council Members and two (2) citizen member this year serving on the Committee,namely: 1. Council Member Regina Williams-Preston, Chairperson 2. Council Member Randy Kelly, Vice-Chairperson 3. Council Member Gavin Ferlic, Member 4. Council Member Karen L. White, Member 5. Citizen Member Jorden Giger 6. Citizen Member Laquita Hughes Meetings: Four(4)public meetings were held this year,with all Committee minutes being posted on the Council's website. 2017 Committee Topics: Some of the topics which came before the Committee included: • Racial and Economic Justice—reducing income inequality through community wealth building. In our February meeting, we hosted Jessica Bonnano from the Democracy Collaborative (Cleveland, Ohio)who introduced us to various community wealth building models around the country and offered next steps for South Bend to move forward with a 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. O4 solT T 8 4 � F. x U d W PRACF, l- 1865 Regina Williams Preston 2nd District Council Member Community Relations, Chairperson In 2018, it is recommended that among the Committee's "to do" list that the following items be included: • Partner with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Prosperity Now, and the Democracy Collaborative in order to support the Partnership for an Inclusive Economy. Monitor the racial wealth divide in South Bend and implement practical strategies of community wealth building to close the gaps. • Work with the Department of Community Investment's new Engagement and Economic Empowerment Team,the Neighborhood Resources Connection (NRC), and local housing advocates to complete community needs assessment survey.Utilize this information to implement strategies to address most pressing issues facing residents regarding housing and neighborhood development to ensure development without displacement. • Secure partnership with the South Bend Community School Corporation Restorative Justice Implementation Team and the NRC to implement restorative justice in schools and in neighborhoods through training and support of youth leaders in circle keeping and other conflict resolution skills. • Create opportunities for"in-reach"to the South Bend Police Department through partnerships among local peacebuilding organizations, community activists,and educational institutions. City-wide implementation of circle processes, for example, will not only reduce violence but also create a pathway for the improvement of community and police relations as it relates to race, specifically. • Increase community engagement and support for literacy and early childhood education by pursing collaboration among local childcare providers, K-12 educational institutions,the Chamber of Commerce, local educational advocates, and U.S. Marines Toys for Tots. Respectfully Submitted, Council Member Regina Williams Preston, Chairperson Community Relations Committee