Community members invited to apply for City’s Reparations Committee.
The City of Evanston today posted answers to frequently asked questions regarding Evanston local reparations initiative and the proposed Restorative Housing Program.
The Restorative Housing Program is the first initiative proposed by the City’s Reparations Subcommittee to be considered as part of Evanston's 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).
On March 22, 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. It also plans to provide funding for home improvements.
In a news release today, the City encouraged residents to get involved by applying to sit on the new Reparations Committee, which will serve in an advisory capacity to the Evanston City Council. Apply here.
The Reparations Committee will evaluate applications, recommend funding allocations for housing and economic development initiatives, develop programs that address historical discrimination in the past by the City, and monitor 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, said the release, 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; and
--The Reparations Subcommittee recently conducted a survey to support the development of an application process for the Restorative Housing Program. More than 1,000 responses were received.
Click here for more information about the City's reparations initiative.
