Whether we are enacting systemic police reforms, advocating for alternatives to incarceration, promoting justice and accountability, removing housing barriers, or supporting early childhood development, in 2022, we are listening, learning, and forging ahead. | |
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On September 10, 2022, BPI hosted the Chicago Mixed-Income Community Building Convening. Attended by 65 people, the Convening included residents, owners, and staff who work in Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) mixed-income developments.
The day’s program included panel discussions with local and out-of-town experts, deeply engaging table discussions, and a working session for participants. Presentations on community-building approaches and their successes and challenges over time provided a platform for deep discussions on how residents, staff, and owners view mixed-income communities.
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Clean Slate Illinois
BPI is a steering committee member of Clean Slate Illinois which virtually launched in May of this year. According to cleanslateil.org, "2.2 million Illinoisans have an arrest or conviction record that is eligible for records relief, but only 10% of those eligible have started the process. Pursuing record sealing and expungement can be complicated and costly, and having a record creates significant barriers to employment, housing, education, and more. Through the work of the committee, we are pursuing efforts to make record clearance in Illinois automatic."
Visit Clean Slate Illinois to learn more about this important topic.
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Meet New Members of the BPI Team | |
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Chelloni Simmons
Chelloni Simmons is the Administrative Manager at BPI. She coordinates administrative procedures and systems while streamlining processes, including operations policy adherence, tracking organizational changes and business developments, overseeing facility services, and maintaining workflows across the organization. She aims to keep the wheels oiled and have the trains running on time.
Learn more about Chelloni...
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Martin Colozza
Marty joined BPI’s housing team in September 2022 after spending seven years at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). During his time at CVLS, Marty worked in several different programs. He represented countless low-income clients throughout Cook County, including families facing homelessness due to foreclosure, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a Housing Choice Voucher.
Learn more about Marty...
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Ashley Meeder
Ashley is a Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellow on BPI’s housing team. She has focused her personal and professional life on helping people navigate complicated systems and overcome the interconnected barriers of systemic oppression. Ashley received her JD cum laude from the University of Minnesota, where she was a student clinic director at the Binger Center for New Americans and an intern with the Research, Education, and Advocacy team at the Advocates for Human Rights.
Learn more about Ashley...
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It's a wrap!
In August we wrapped up an excellent 2022 summer internship program. This summer BPI hosted 5 legal interns—Abby Haglage (2L, DePaul University School of Law); Kate Gehling (2L, University of Chicago Law School); Ashly Villa-Ortega (3L, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law); Justin Cook (3L, New York University School of Law); and Rita Hirami (2L, University of Wisconsin School of Law)—and one Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) legal fellow—James Akinleye (recent grad, Washington University in St. Louis Law School).
The interns completed some outstanding research and writing for us, including projects on racially inequitable bicycle ticketing in Chicago, the separation of powers implications of an automated criminal record clearance process, and the property tax relief options for low-income homeowners.
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Building Public Interest
In February, BPI launched a new event series, Building Public Interest. This series sets out to inform, educate, and activate a broad and diverse audience around issues of social justice, racial equity, and their inherent intersection with other areas of concern that impact us all.
Over the summer, BPI hosted several installments including:
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Civil Rights Litigation as a Tool for Social Change
The expansion of the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse at the University of Michigan Law School now includes an extensive archive of Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority, one of the longest-running civil rights cases in the country. Panelists included Margo Schlanger, the Wade H. and Dores M. McCree Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, and Norrinda Hayat, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Civil Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law School. Cara Hendrickson, BPI Executive Director also participated as a panelist and BPI Board Member Quinn Rallins served as moderator for this discussion about equity and justice in housing and the future of civil rights litigation as a mechanism for structural reform.
This event was co-hosted by the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and the American Constitution Society.
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Meet Chicago’s New Inspector General.
Deborah Witzburg was appointed Inspector General in April 2022. She served as the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, overseeing independent, objective evaluations and reviews of the Chicago Police Department, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, and the Police Board. The role of Chicago's Inspector General is as an independent, non-partisan watchdog that promotes effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption and mismanagement. The office's priorities and investigations have a significant impact on the people of the City of Chicago.
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Challenges and Opportunities in the Creation of Affordable Housing.
The Habitat Company co-hosted this in-person, invitation-only panel discussion at their Hubbard Place property.
Panelists included Charlton Hamer, Senior Vice President at the Habitat Affordable Group, Marisa Novara, Commissioner at the Department of Housing for the City of Chicago, and Stacie Young, President & CEO of the Community Investment Corporation, who participated as panelists. Cara Hendrickson, BPI Executive Director, served as moderator of a conversation that not only looked at models for best practices in this space but also looked at the challenges uniquely inherent to this work.
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