Not listed
PURPOSE: WITH A FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVE PROGRAM - EDUCATION AND OUTREACH INITIATIVE (EOI) GRANT, NORTHSIDE COMMUNITY RESOURCES (NCR) WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE ITS OUTREACH CAPACITY AND OFFER MORE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES UNDER ITS PEI-FUNDED BROAD-BASED, MULTIFACETED NORTHSIDE FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVE PROGRAM (NFHIP), WHICH HAS BEEN PROVIDING FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT SERVICES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO FOR MORE THAN FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. TO REACH MORE UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, INCLUDING RAPIDLY GROWING IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE POPULATIONS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND DIVERSE POPULATIONS WHO ARE LIVING IN HIGHLY SEGREGATED AREAS OF THE AREA, NCR WILL CONTINUE TO EMPLOY A FULL-TIME, DEDICATED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR. WITH THIS ADDITIONAL FAIR HOUSING TEAM MEMBER, IT WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE EXPANDED OUTREACH AND STAFFING CAPACITY, WHICH IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE GREATER ACCESS TO ALL ITS FAIR HOUSING EDUCATIONAL AND ENFORCEMENT PROGRAMS; ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: PROVIDE RESOURCES SO THAT ALL NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO RESIDENTS KNOW ABOUT AND CAN COMBAT AND OVERCOME HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. NCR WILL DEVELOP MORE FAIR HOUSING MATERIALS IN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES, EXPAND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, ESTABLISH MORE FORMAL WORKING PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY, FAITH-BASED, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND MEDIA OUTLETS THAT SERVE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. THIS WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO REDUCED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AND SEGREGATION. IN RECENT YEARS, CHICAGO'S NORTH SIDE, WHICH WAS ALREADY HOME TO MANY IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND THEIR DESCENDANTS, HAS EXPERIENCED A LARGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS MOVING INTO THE AREA, INCLUDING IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR, AS NEW ARRIVALS FROM COUNTRIES INCLUDING VENEZUELA, COLOMBIA, AFGHANISTAN, SYRIA, UKRAINE, HAITI, AND OTHERS. AS THEY BEGIN THEIR NEW LIVES, THESE PEOPLE FACE MANY CHALLENGES, INCLUDING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, FAMILIAL STATUS, DISABILITY, AND RELIGION. AT THE SAME TIME, ALL RESIDENTS OF CHICAGO'S NORTH SIDE STILL SUFFER FROM PERSISTENT HIGH RACIAL SEGREGATION AND INCOME INEQUALITY. BOTH OUTRIGHT RACE DISCRIMINATION AND SOURCE OF INCOME DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICAN TENANTS WITH HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS (HCVS) PERPETUATE THAT SEGREGATION, DESPITE A 30-YEAR-OLD CITY ORDINANCE AND NEW STATE LAW OUTLAWING IT. WITH CONTINUED EXPANDED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CAPACITY THROUGH AN EOI GRANT, NCR WILL BE ABLE TO PROMOTE FAIR HOUSING FOR THESE UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, BY PROVIDING TARGETED INFORMATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, WHICH WILL HELP INFORM AND ALLOW THEM TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS TO FAIR AND EQUITABLE HOUSING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPLAINING ABOUT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION. WITH A DEDICATED STAFF MEMBER TO HELP CONDUCT EXPANDED OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AT A DEPTH AND FREQUENCY THAT IS NEEDED TO HELP OVERCOME LANGUAGE, CULTURAL, AND ECONOMIC BARRIERS, IT WILL IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF THESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRANTS, REFUGEES, AND BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, TO FULLY ACCESS THE BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM AND UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS, REMEDIES, AND RESOURCES AND OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVE FAIR AND EQUITABLE HOUSING. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: WITH A FHIP EDUCATION AND OUTREACH INITIATIVE GRANT, NCR WILL BE ABLE TO ENHANCE ITS PEI-FUNDED NFHIP, WHICH ASSISTS PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON ALL CLASSES PROTECTED BY THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, I.E., RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, DISABILITY, FAMILIAL STATUS, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN, AS WELL AS SOURCE OF INCOME. THE NFHIP'S SERVICE AREA IS THE ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST ETHNICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIVERSE PARTS OF THE CITY, REGION, AND COUNTRY, BUT ALSO CONTAINS SOME OF THE MOST HIGHLY SEGREGATED AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE NEIGHBORHOODS. EVEN THOUGH NCR HAS ESTABLISHED GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGHOUT ITS SEVENTY-YEAR HISTORY WITH MANY LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE THESE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, IT HAS FOUND THAT MOST OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO YEARS OF TRAUMATIC AND SOMETIMES VIOLENT EXPERIENCES IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES AND/OR IN TRAVELING TO THE U.S. THIS ALSO INCLUDES VICTIMIZATION BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENTS. AS A RESULT, THESE PEOPLE CAN HAVE AN INHERENT FEAR AND DISTRUST OF GOVERNMENT AND INSTITUTIONS, AND GOVERNMENT-BASED PROGRAMS, AND MANY ARE HESITANT TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR NEEDS, SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION, OR FILE A COMPLAINT, LET ALONE GO THROUGH LEGAL PROCESSES, WHICH IS OFTEN WHAT ASSERTING FAIR HOUSING RIGHTS ENTAILS. THIS IS TRUE OF MANY UNDERSERVED AMERICAN-BORN PEOPLE AS WELL. THERE ALSO EXIST SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL BARRIERS FACING THESE UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS, WHICH MAKES IT HARDER TO EFFECTIVELY EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF DISCRIMINATION AND PROVIDE FAIR HOUSING EDUCATION, BECAUSE THESE CONCEPTS MAY NOT EXIST IN THEIR LANGUAGE, NOR HAVE THEY WITNESSED THE PROVISION OF SUCH PROTECTIONS IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES. NCR HAS A SIGNIFICANT HISTORY OF SERVING VULNERABLE AND UNDERSERVED IMMIGRANT/REFUGEE POPULATIONS, BUT IT WAS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER COMMUNITY AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE THOSE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. IT IS THROUGH THESE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT NCR'S FH STAFF GAINED ACCESS TO VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AND DISCOVERED THAT A MORE TARGETED AND FREQUENT OUTREACH STRATEGY IS NEEDED, WITH ADDITIONAL MULTILINGUAL EDUCATIONAL CONTENT NEEDING TO BE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE MORE EFFECTIVE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION. IF AWARDED A SECOND EOI GRANT, NCR WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF ITS FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVE PROGRAM: - BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY, ETHNIC-BASED, FAITH-BASED, LGBTQ, AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS SERVING UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS TO HELP BUILD TRUST; - ADD TO ITS FAIR HOUSING INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS ALREADY IN MANY LANGUAGES BY TRANSLATING FLYERS INTO 3 ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES; DISTRIBUTE FAIR HOUSING INFORMATIONAL LITERATURE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES STRATEGICALLY AND WIDELY; CONDUCT MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING SEMINARS TO HELP EDUCATE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND THOSE WHO ARE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) COMPREHEND AND IDENTIFY HOUSING DISCRIMINATION; CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR PROPERTY OWNERS AND FIRST-TIME LANDLORDS, TO HELP INFORM/EDUCATE THEM OF FH LAWS, LOCAL ORDINANCES AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THOSE LAWS; CONDUCT TRAININGS FOR NEW AND EXISTING COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THEIR STAFF, TO HELP IDENTIFY HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AND REFER CLIENTS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF IT TO THE NFHIP; PROVIDE MORE HANDS-ON ASSISTANCE TO LEP INDIVIDUALS REFERRED TO NFHIP TO FILE COMPLAINTS AND/OR ACCESS AVAILABLE HOUSING RESOURCES; REFER CLIENTS TO NCR'S PEI PROGRAM SO THAT STAFF CAN ADVOCATE FOR CLIENTS, BY FILING, ADJUDICATING, AND SETTLING FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINTS THROUGH THE HUD, DOJ, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS, LOCAL CIVIL RIGHTS AGENCIES, OR IN COURT, AS NEEDED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE; CONDUCT MARKETING OF NFHIP MULTILINGUAL PROGRAM CONTENT THROUGH MAINSTREAM AND ETHNIC MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA (WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, ETC.), ELECTRONIC MEDIA (EMAIL), AND CANVASSING THROUGH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS; PARTNER WITH NCR'S SUBSIDIARY, NCDC, IN THEIR ANNUAL HOUSING FAIR DURING FH MONTH (IF PERMISSIBLE); PROMOTE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HOUSING AND ENFORCE THE FAIR HOUSING ACT.; EXPECTED OUTCOMES: IMPROVED ACCESS OF NCR'S NFHIP BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND DIVERSE, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES; IMPROVED STAFFING CAPACITY TO CONDUCT EXTENSIVE OUTREACH; IMPROVED CAPACITY TO PROVIDE MORE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES; IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER COMMUNITY, ETHNIC-BASED, FAITH-BASED, LGBTQ, AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH SERVE DIVERSE, UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS; INCREASED ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MORE COMMUNITY, ETHNIC-BASED, FAITH-BASED, LGBTQ, AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE DIVERSE, UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS; INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF FAIR HOUSING LAWS, RIGHTS, DUTIES, AND REMEDIES BY MEMBERS OF DIVERSE, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, AND ALL; INCREASED FILING OF FH COMPLAINTS, ADJUDICATIONS, AND SETTLEMENTS ON BEHALF OF NFHIP CLIENTS; IMPROVEMENT IN ACCESS TO FAIR AND EQUITABLE HOUSING RESOURCES; IMPROVED, EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND EXAMPLES OF PROTECTED CLASSES AND HOUSING DISCRIMINATION; IMPROVED POWER-POINT PRESENTATIONS FOR LEP AND NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING POPULATIONS; IMPROVED OUTREACH AND MARKETING OF NFHIP SERVICES AND RESOURCES; REDUCED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AND SEGREGATION; INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE IMMEDIATE BENEFICIARIES OF THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH INITIATIVE GRANT WILL BE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF MAINSTREAM, IMMIGRANT, REFUGEE, BLACK AND BROWN, LEP, LGBTQ AND OTHER UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE IMPROVED ACCESS TO NCR'S FAIR HOUSING PROGRAM, ITS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND OVERALL FAIR HOUSING RESOURCES. THE ANCILLARY BENEFICIARIES OF THE EOI GRANT WILL BE MEMBERS OF THE NFHIP TEAM, WHOSE STAFFING CAPACITY WILL BE GREATLY ENHANCED BY THE ADDITION OF A FULL-TIME, DEDICATED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR, ASSISTING THEM WITH IMPROVING OUTREACH, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, LANGUAGE RESOURCES AND BUILDING WORKING PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE FAIR HOUSING PROGRAM. A SECOND ANCILLARY BENEFICIARY WILL BE LOCAL HOUSING PROVIDERS, WHO WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER LOCAL AND THE FEDERAL FAIR HOUSING LAWS AND THE FHA AND TO FOLLOW THE LAW. A THIRD ANCILLARY BENEFICIARY WILL BE THE NCR AGENCY AS A WHOLE, AS THE ORGANIZATION WILL BENEFIT BY HAVING A STRONG FAIR HOUSING PROGRAM AND STAFF, WHO SUPPORT AND UPHOLD ITS MISSION TO BUILD AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES AMONG THE DIVERSE POPULATIONS OF CHICAGO'S NORTH SIDE. FINALLY, ALL RESIDENTS OF THE NORTH SIDE OF CHICAGO WILL BE BENEFICIARIES OF REDUCED SEGREGATION AND FAIR HOUSING.; SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: NONE
$125.0k 9/19/24