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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2007EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION �41NUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60261 Wednesday, January 24, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 APPROVED CONIMISSIONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Betsy Katien; Janet Sullivan; Alan Gitelson; Marvin Green; Phu Hong Pham; Katherine Levin and William Logan COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED: Samuel Thomas COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Co -Chair Cherylette Hilton STAFF PRESENT: Paula Haynes and Dorothy Thrower 1. Call to order — Declaration of a quorum 11. Introduction of Guestsf%'Isitors III. Introduction of' ew Commissioner — William Logan, Jr. Commissioner Logan stated that he was born and raised in Evanston: attended Western Illinois University on a football scholarship but had to leave because. he was drafted by the military and sent to the Korean War. Upon his return from military duty, he became employed with the Evanston Police Department for a number of years which resulted in him becoming the Chief of Police. White employed with the City of Evarlsion he has interacted with the Human Relations Commission over the past years and appreciates all of Ms. Haynes efforts through the years. He stated that he was the first Police Officer appointed to the Illinois Human Relations Commission by Governor Oglcbee many years ago. Commissioner Logan stated that he is still very active in the community and once he retired from the Police Department he became the director of safety at Evanston Township High School. He has retired from that position but wanted to continue his involvement within the community. He is chairperson for the Evanston Community Development Corporation (EDCD); he is one of the founders and Vice -President of the Federation of Afro-American Men (FAM), youth basketball program. Next year FAAI's logo will be on the Cite- of Evanston's city stickers, celebrating its forty year anniversary. lie is also the founding member of the National Organization of Bract; Law Enforcement Executives which comprises of over four hundred members in various areas around the country. Air. Logan is the founding member and President of the Chessmen's Club (on the north shore). They hsve given annual scholarships to less fortunate children since 1958. in addition to one hundred food baskets and approximately three hundred coats to children in need. Commissioner Logan stated that he was involved in the selection proce--m: for the new Chief of Police for Evanston. Nis. Hanes asked Commissioner Logan what information he could share about the new police chief. Commissioner Logan stated he would leave that up to the CityManager but, he did say that the person selected is the present Chief in Mt. Prospect and has been in law enforcement for over thirty year. Ali_ Haynes stated that perhaps sometime in the near future the Commission would like invite him to a meeting to get some ideas as to how he might work with them colleetivcly to achieve some goals. .4t this time. Co -Chair Hilton called.11s. HnYnes to suY she was on her vvn, to the ineeting. At the request of Ms. Haynes, the Commissioners took a few minutes to introduce themselves and provided a brief background. III. Approval of Minutes —November 15, 2006 Co -Chair Katten called for approval of the minutes. Since there were no corrections to the minutes, Commissioner Gitelson moved to approve the minutes as submitted. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Levin and unanimously approved. V. Information Items A. FY2007— 0S Budget, impact on HRC Human Relations Cotn.-nission Minutes January 24, 2007 Page 2 of Ms. Haynes reported that the Human Relations Department is being dissolved and that her job position including Mr. Molinary's has been eliminated. She stated that Mr. Herth and Ms. Thrower are going to be transferred to the Human Services Department at the budget hearing last Saturday, the City Manager indicated that all the services, programs and activities will be continued however, they will be divided amongst various city departments. For example, the haw Department will be respurisible for responding to and/or investigating discrimination complaints. This has not been finalized but only recommended at this time. The EEO reporting and plan will probably be the responsibility of Human Resources. She stated that since Mr. Huth is not completely trained and developed to address landlord/tenant issues by himself in addition to the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), there needs to be some additional staff support in fulfilling those reWasibilities. The Fair Housing Ordinance has not yet been assigned to anyone and if the city is not going to address fair housing complaints, she is of the opinion that it needs to be repealed. The Fair Employment Practices will require sortie amendn=t or changes with regard to the Executive Director being responsible for addressing discrimination complaints tiled against vendors, suppliers, etc. Ms. Haynes stated that it is also her taxierstanding that at last Saturday's budget hearing, the City Manager has given Rolanda Russell, the new Assistant City Manager who was hired approximately six weeks ago, and the responsibility of staffing the Commission. She stated that the Commission had addressed the need to re -write its Enabling Ordinance and believes they should work with the City Manager's Office in doing so. The Commissioners dressed thanks and praise to Ms. Haynes for her work with the Commission and stated they arc disappointment that they will no longer be able to work with her and regardless of what's taking place, she should be proud of her commitment and contribution to the city especially, the youth program that has profited under her leadership. Ms. Haynes stated that the addition of a youth division has been recommended in the budget and at this time the SYEP will remain with Mr. Ilcrth. She is uncertain whether it will be placed within the recommended new youth program sometime in the future. Ms. Haynes stated that she could leave the city at the end of the fiscal year, February 2007, but the City manager is proposing an Early Retire Program (ERi) and there are approximately one -hundred and thirty employees that would be eligible for this progm--n. If Council approves the ERI she will probably stay with the city until the first of July but she has no idea what her role will be. Tix instructions from the City Manager's Office are for the Commission/staff to continue their roles as usual. She stated that if the Commissioners have concerns regarding their function they will have to be discussed with NIs. Russell. The Commission indicated that they feel it is important for them to have the retreat which would include Ms. Russell to determine if their roles will be rr-dcfinet' Ms. Haynes stated tha: she is troubled by the fact that this Commission is the oldest body on the north shore which was created before there wag civil rights lau: the Commission was created in 1961 and civil rights law came about in 1964. She stated it is sad :o see the Comtr.-.:ssion dissolved especially when the city's diversity is expanding and race discrimination is one cothe 1as;jes that need to be addressed. She stated that the Commissioners have not attended any of the budget hearings ,? -id believes the CoLmzil needs to hear their concerns. Ms. fla}Ties stated that the Mayor vetoed the affordable housin_ ^sorter Monday r.:cht at the City Council meeting which has some implications that impacts this Commission. She sta:.d tlxre will be o:hcr opportunities for the Commissioners to testify at upcoming hearings if they so desire and that infor-nation can be found under the city's web pages. Commissioner Pham -%ed GIs. Hayes uny the city is dissohing the Human Relations Commission. his. Hayries stated that a structural budgt y problem has aeon identified and at the end of each budget year there has been a deficit of three to four million doll: rs. NIs. Carroll has decided that increasing some revenues is not the proper way to address the problem therefore it wa .s neres&-m­y to eh :Yinate approximately twenty something or thirty positions which includes the larger number coming trorn the Health Department and those positions are related to the social;human service needs. Co -Char Katten stated there are certain programs that are more tangible that the human Relations staff provide to the city and although there is the Governance of non-discrimination laws which are available with other entities within the Human Relations Commission Minutes January 24. 2007 Page 3 of City of Chicago or the State of Illinois, the Commission needs to determine what services it will be able to continue administering and how it will serve the community. Commissioner Sullivan stated that she believes there should be a re -defining retreat or a gathering of the Commission/staff with some of the people who will be responsible for services that they will assume, to talk about how they plan to cam out the protected activities in the future that were the responsibility of the Human Relations Department/Commission. She believes the Commission has a responsibility to serve the protected classes in Evanston. She asked that %vith the budget changes that are taking place, are those classes going to be protected or is the city forming out of Evanston responsibility for the protected classes and is that part of the philosophy of the city or will we see Evanston move more in the direction of serving the wealthy and the predominant population? She stated that she chose to move to Evanston because it was a diverse community and this movement disturbs her a great deal. Commissioner Sullivan stated that she wishes that the Commission had an opportunity to have a discussion with the Ms. Carroll before a decision was made to distribute these responsibilities to discuss their concerns. She stated that Co -Chair Hilton met with Ms. Carroll last week and she was invited but she was out of town. She also stated that she feels the Commission should meet with Ms. Carroll before a final vote is taken regarding the issuance of responsibilities. Commissioner Green stated that in addition to Co -Chair Hilton, John Banter -Williams of Fischer Memorial and Julius Belzer, he also attended the meeting that took place with the Nis. Carroll and Ms. Russell last Thursday. Ms. Carroll stated that the function of the Commission would remain the same but the responsibilities that Ms. Haynes currently assumes sill revert to his. Russell. He stated different issues were discussed relative to health services, dental and family planning. Ms. Russell conveyed to the Commissioners that as the planning process takes place, she would like to meet with the Commissioners to see if something has been missed or if changes should be made before a vote is taken and something is disseminated in the community before a restructuring of the department. lie stated there was some discussion regarding cuts in other departments and the affects they would have on the city. Ms. Carroll stressed that the revenues were at a certain rates and the expenditures out weight those rates and the Aldermen have expressed no raise in taxes to generate additional revenue so other alternatives have to be considered. ACTION: Commissioner Sullivan moved that the Commission Co -Chairs write a letter to the Citv Nianacer indicating, a rcoucst to be invited to a meeting at which time she will delineate how the responsibilities of the Human Relations Department are being proposed for distribution and how the designated staff members will be able to carry out the responsibilities that were nreviously carried out by the department and the Commission. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Green and unanimously approved. A brief discussion took place regarding an available date for everyone. It was determined that the Commissioners would like a response from the City Manager relative to the motion by January 29th and they will submit possible meeting dates to her based upon her availability to meet with them. Commissioner Great stated that he responded to an a -mail that he received regarding: the meeting with the City Manager and asked if all of the Commissioners were aware: of the scheduled meeting with the City Manager. Several of the Commissioners response was "No". Commissioner Sullivan stated she is not criticizing the individuals who attended the meeting but what concerns her is that Ms. Carroll has not contacted t.'ie Commissioners to meet with them regarding the decisions that are being made. Commissioner Gitelson stated that he finds it disconcerting to find out about dismantling the department by reading it in the Roundtable: it has impacted the Commissioners since they are volunteers and he would have expect.d some courtesy to be a part of the decision. Commissioner Green stated that Ms. Carroll also mentioned a youth initiative meeting will take place on Saturday, February 3rd at ETHS and encouraged the Commissioners presence. Ms. Haynes stated that the meeting on February 3rd relates to partnering on crime to make Evanston a safer community. She stated that Father Flager from St_ Sabinus in Chicago will be one of the key note speakers. Human Relations Commission Minutes January 24, 2007 Page 4 of 4 Co -Chair Katten stated that she did not believe the other items on the agenda should be discussed at this time until a clear indication has been stated regarding the Commission's responsibilities. There being no further business, Commissioner Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m. which was seconded with no objections. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 SPECIAL MEETING Wednesday, February 1, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 APPR0VED COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Betsy Katten; Co -Chair Cherylette Hilton; Janet Sullivan; William Loge; Phu Hong Pham; Katherine Levin COMIMISSIONERS EXCISED: Commissioner Gitelson and Commissioner Green (Indicated at January meeting their schedules would not allow attendance) COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Samuel Thomas STAFF PRESENT: Dorothy Thrower GUESTMSITORS: Julia Carroll -City Manager, Rolanda Russell -Assistant City Manager, Jasmine Brewer -Interfaith Housing Center; Mavis Hagemann; David Bradford; John Bamcr Williams -Fisher \lemorial Church; Bennett Johnson; Bob Seidenberg Evanston Roundtable; Schona Buranda and Keith Banks 1. CALL TO ORDER— DECLARATION OF A QUORUM Co -Chair Katten called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and declared a quorum was present. 11. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS & VISITORS Co -Chair Katten requested that the guests and visitors introduce themselves and informed them that their comments would be limited to three minutes per person; comments and/or questions would not be permitted once an agenda item is up for discussion. She stated that if a citizen had an issue or concern they want the Commission or staff to address, a form was available for them to complete and the matter %v71I be responded to at a later time. Ats. Alai -is Hagemann: .11s. Hagetnann stated that she is a former Human Relations Commissioner who sen•ed for six }'ears ivith her tenure ending in 2006. She stated that based on her commitment to they Commission she vti ould hate to see it dissolved. She moved to Evanston in 1971 and since that time she has seen no positive changes to human relations and, in fact. the city might he going down (till and an arenue is nettled far people who uunt to make a difference. She has overheard from other bodies such as school districts, where a concerted group has really wanted softie things but have not gotten them &-cause other people in certain areas of Evanston do not seem to understand where they are coming from because these other people think thew know best and thou-t. don't always do III. DISCUSSION ITEM A. HRC Transition Ms. Carroll, the City \imager, introduced herself. She stated that she had periodontal surgery earlier in the afternoon prior to this meting and would do her best in addressing the Commissioners and citizens concerns. She clarified that there is no intention to abolish this Commission whatsoever and that she wanted to provide some information regarding the budget relative to the three and a half million dollar deficit. During the 2006"07 fiscaI year, the administration had to examine nays of cutting costs which resulted in her recommending to the City Council, cutting twenty-seven point seven rive (27.75), FTEs (Full Time Employees), which included part of the Health Department, two Department Directors but not their departments. Ms. Carroll stated that she is proposing to take the functions of Facilities Management and merged them into Public Works and merge the function of the Human Relations Department into the City Manager's Office so as to keep the importance of the functions alive. The role of the Commission is very important and the avenues that the citizens need to raise their issues regarding human relations in the community are very important. Ms. Carroll stated that she thought it might be helpful to provide an overview of the city's budget so that everyone will understand the problems that the administration has HUMAN RELATIONS COltWISSION MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) February 1, 2007 Page 2 of 6 been facing. She is eying to solve the budget problems of the city by looking at a longer term fix which includes the one cut in Human Relations but there are cuts in virtually every department except those that are absorbing more responsibilities, i.e., the City Manager's Office and others. Some of the cuts include; Public Works, Parks Forestry and Recreation, Management and Budget, Finance, Police, and Fleet Services. In order to explain the budget more thoroughly, Nis. Carroll prepared a power point presentation. She stated that as the City Manager, she is required by statute, to provide a budget to the City Council by December 3 1 " of each year. The discussions started with Saturday workshops on January 6th, 20th, and 27`% some people attended the Wednesday, January 31st workshop. Since there will be a public hearing regarding the budget on Monday, February 5th , she felt it was important for the Commission to have this meeting prior to the hearing so that they would understand her recommendation to the City Council. The City Council is required to adopt a budget %ia resolution which is scheduled for February 12th but it may be the 25th depending on what they decide. A budget has to be adopted by February 28th before the beginning of the new fiscal year which is March Ist. Ms, Carroll began her power point presentation and responded to questions from the Commissioners through its entirety. Also during the presentation, Nis. Russell responded to several questions and comments from the Commissioners and citizens. At one point during the presentation, Commissioner Sullivan wanted to know if additional cost would be incurred because of the disbursement of human relations sersices to other departments and the additional duties that would be required. Ms. Carroll stated that the administration has looked at the capacity of all the departments and have determined that they can absccb the additional functions. She stated that Ms. Russell could share with the Commission the thinking that went into assigning responsibilities. She stated that the administration believes the city can still provide a high level of service and keep all of the Iluman Relations Commission functions mo%ing forward in the right direction. Nis. Carroll stated that staff who are incurring additional responsibilities will not be paid more; they will have to do more work for the salaries that they currently receive. Commissioner Sullivan asked if the 2,500 landlord tenant cases would be distributed to other departments. Ms. Russell stated that she is not sure if the 2,500 statistics which includes concerns/issues are all cases; they may include phone calls which support staff responds to and will continue ro do so. She stated that if there arc actually 2,500 cases being addrrssc-d per year, there are some other issues that need to be discussed on a larger scale. Ms. Russell stated that Nis. Coll was correct when she states there will be no additional support staff added throughout the organization. She stated that when she talked to the staff person in the Legal Department who will be providing support regarding h,.imzn relations services. that individual welcomed the opportunity to pro%ide her experience in mediation. She stated that the Human Relations staff will remain as a unit without an Executive Director. The new change is tl-_-t there will be three human relations staff persons who will receive support from the City Manager's Office, the Legal Department. Hunan Resources and ;Minority Business Enterprise. Human Relations will no longer be a dcpartmcnt but a division. Nis. Russell emphasized that the administration tool, time to look at ewers task in Human Relations that is cu.rently being performed by the department and then looked at how those tasks would be perfatmod after the budget is approved. She stated that if support is still needed she will look at other ways to enhance media -,:on if there is not enough internal staff; there is a role in the community regarding mediation that goes beyond the internal area of the city. Commissioners Sullivan and Levin stated they are trained mediators and heliewe this met:.:vd of settling disputes will save the city money that could become law suits. Ms. Russell took a few minute~ to share some of her past professional experiences. She is from Roanoke, Virginia and has been employed .with t c City of Evanston for two months. In Roanoke she was the Assistant City Manger and responsible for managing approximately seven hundred employees and a seventy million dollar budget. She spoke briefly regarding her 1 asa work experience and responsibilities such as: Working with the Department of Human and Social Services, housing, fair housing, homeless programs and everything that involved indigent indi%iduals or people in crisis_ She was directly responsible for the police department which was comprised of two HUMAN RELATIONS CO,),f%i1SSION MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) February 1, 2007 Page 3 of 6 hundred and fifty -fire officers; responsible for the Community Development Department which included code enforcement, neighborhood services and CDBG administrations, and she was in charge of Parks and Recreation. In Decatur, Illinois, she was the Deputy City Manager and Commissioner of the Public Housing Authority and is experienced with procedures relating to Section 8 and vouchers. Her experience has been problem solving, looking at solutions for communities on various levels, bringing people together and making sure that solutions would last in the community. Co -Chair Katten asked: "Outside of v.-hat the plan has been in the past, has there been any thought given to any strategic planning or objectives for 2007 and thereon based on the restructuring?" Ms. Russell stated that when she reviewed last year's budget, some of the items that were listed such as diversity and sexual harassment training had not been accomplished. She has put together a plan for a request for proposal to immediately get someone to immediately start addressing these matters. Ms. Russell also stated that the Commission could develop a stronger partnership with the community. For example, instead of having all of its meeting in the Civic Center they should arrange to have meetings throughout the community in the different wards so that people will know who they are, what they do and, so that they will understand the community's needs. Co -Chair Katien asked if the administration reviewed the various ordinances that the Human Relations Department was charged to enforce to detennine if they would require any amendments. Ms. Russell stated that the Law Department is aware of this matter and if Council approves the budget there will be some ordinance changes and legal staff will prepare them. Co -Chair Levin asked Ms. Russell: "How did the administration prioritize the functions of the human Relations Department?" Ms. Russell stated that she had requested each department director to list the functions that they thought were important within their department and then list the tasks associated with the individual. Ms. Haynes submitted to Ms. Russell what she felt were the six primary areas of responsibility in order and under each area the tasks were outlined. Commissioner Sullivan asked: -Who will be the coordinator of human relations and who will supervise the personnel and be sure that the functions are im-.1cmented and coordinated"?" Ms. Russell stated that she will be the super%isor of the human relations staff. She sta:rd that the staff «ill continue to function as it currently does and will continue to do so under the new organization and if issues arise they cannot address, she should be notified by staff. Ms. Russell provided copies of the Hurrun Relations Department transition plan to those individuals attending the meeting. At this time in the meeting, GIs. Carroll apologized to the Commissioners and the visitors for having to leave the meeting early due to the surgery that she referred to at the beginning of the meeting. She re-emphasized that the commitment of the city is to retain th,; functions of the human relations staff and the Commissioners. She stated that Ms. Russell would continue to respond to any questions or comments. Commissioner Sullivan asked Ms. Carroll: "Is them is another department having its super%ising coordinator removed but leaving the personnel in place to carry out the functions?" Nis. Carroll stated that the Department of Facilities Management is undergoing the same change and the staff and functions will function as a division under the Department of Public Works. Commissioner Sullivan expressed the nks to the administration for replacing the Human Relations Specialist position that was initially cut from the budget_ She asked Ms. Russell: "Is overseeing the human relations staff and functions and working with the Commission going to be her primary responsibility?" Nis. Russell stated that she envisions having weekly meetings with the human relations staff. She has an open door policy and she communicates with Ms. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) February 1, 2007 Page 4 of 6 77trower almost daily. Ms. Russell stated that in her last job, seven hundred employees and seven directors reported directly to her. She stated that this entire budget process has been difficult because when she was hired, the Human Relations Department Director was going to be one of her direct reports but now instead there are only three employees who will report to her. Commissioner Sullivan asked Ms. Thrower: "Are all of the tasks that are assigned to you, i.e., answering phone calls, addressing public needs, organizing the community picnic and the youth employment process going on simultaneously?" \1s. Thrower stated that she multi -tasks on a daily basis but Mr. Hcrth has been preparing and familiarizing himself with the tasks and responsibilities related to the SYEP with the assistance of Nis. Haynes. She stated that she has also been doing some things to prepare for the SYEP Job Fair which takes place in April. Since the program begins in June and ends in August, some preparation for the CommUNITY Picnic which takes place the last Sunday in August begins to overlap SYEP responsibilities in July. She mentioned that some of the SYEP participants remain on the payroll after the program ends is August to assist with setting up and performing other duties that arc required on the weekend of the CommUNTTY Picnic. She also stated that staff will talk to Ms. Russell about forming committees to assist with the preparation of this event. Ms. Thrower stated that the human relations staff have been trained very well by \Is. Haynes and feels they arc more than capable of continuing to perform their duties under the direction and assistance of lets- Russell. Co -Chair Katten stated that as a labor law attorney, it makes sense to her that some of the human relations responsibilities that arc being transferred to the Law Department and Human Resources in terms of addressing city employee issues; she would expect that the appropriate functions would be placed within those areas and not the Human Relations Department -which is serving the community. Co -Chair Katten opened the floor for comments and or questions from citizens who wanted to speak. Following are brief summations or comments offered by the following individuals: ,Ur. Bennett Johnson: itfr. Johnson stated that he strenuously objects to the move that is taking place regarding the Human Relations Department. His objection is based on Ev�nston's histor}, of racism and it's only in the past fifty years that it has gotten rid of restrictive conveyance and thou it is still a tribal cin• due to lack of integration. He stated that by removing the Department of Human Relations shop+s that the city (toes not have a commitment to human relations because racism is more suttle now. !f the Human Relations Commission has a lovalts• to the Cin- Manager it does not have lovaln• to the corrrntunin•: the Commission should report to the City Council. He stated that .ifs. Hutms is a repository of history and erperience in this city, she is irreplaceable aril to put her out to pasture in his opinion is a waste and a comparison to euphor.:,_ing the fatuous race horse "Barbaro ". He stated that the actions taking place indicates that Evattstnn is no longer committed to diversity aril change to make the city move into the Twenty -First Centun• because he has not seen ten- match progress in the past twetrts•-fit•s rears. Co -Chair Katten urged the indi%iduals who provided commar.:s and concerns to attend the public budget hearing the following Monday evening to make their comments before the City Council. She stated that she joined the Commission last summer and this body has a vanery of intertsts and backgrounds and one of their goals is getting more involved in the community and addressing some of the issues out there. She stated that they are all disappointed with the changes that are happening but hope they can continue to work for Evanston. .1fs. Schona Buranda: (.ifs. Buranda is a former Commissioner and chair of the Hunan Relations Commission. She served for three rears and decided not to accept re -appointment last year). Als. Buranda stated that the On - Manager and Assistant Cin• .[tanager comments regardint the Junctions (end roles of the Human Relations Department seen[ to be integrated more and more into the grips of the City Atanager's Office. She objects to this move and urged .lfr. Bennett and other individuals who after had the meeting to speak out at the budget hearings. This is part of what has restricted and limited the functioning and accomplishment of sonic objectives the city has set and evert if it is .tits. Hennes or whoinever, it has become more entangled with the cisy administrators becoming HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MLN TIES (SPECIAL MEETING) February 1, 2007 Page 5 of G more in charge of that oversight. She thinks there will be more obstruction and road blocks to accomplishing those objectives if you cannot separate itself. The biggest problem the community= faces is the youth and the marginalised sided of Evanston has to do with Police and this more is really a conflict of interest. Mr. David Buranda: Mr. Bradford stated that he agreed with the sentiments made byUr. Bennett and Als. Buranda. He served for six years on the Human Relations Commission as a Commissioner and chair. He stated that as he briefly reviewed sonic of the transition changes that are taking place, Le_, the EEGC area, the city would literally be investigating itself. If there is to be a change in society-, there is a greater need now for a stronger Human Relations Commission headed by a competent and proven Ereculiye Director who as Air. Johnson indicated, serves as a repository of knowledge, contacts and experience. (He indicated to bis. Russell that his comments it -ere not directed towards her as being incompetent and believes she is more than capable of heading the Human Relations Commission). He .stated that ,its. Haynes has per an eremplan job as has Ms. Tltrower and Alr. Alolinan• and he strongly encouraged the Commissioners and citizens to add their input to the Alderman who it -ill make the final decision. He stated that he thinks the administration is making an unitise decision which will eventually lead to the disso ration and dissolution of the Commission, its employees and iic function. Commissioner Sullivan asked Ms. Russell: "la there a thought in the future for the possibility of a community -wide assessment of the needs of the community?" She stated that if the department was left in tact for the next year with the current director and she vms asked to conduct a major assessm=t of the community's needs, a good strategic plan could be implemented that discusses what the functions of the deparm=t would be, how it would be structured and based on community and personnel instead of budgetary needs. .Nr. Bennett Johnson: Air. Johnson stated that he was the Director of the Department of Program Planning and Budget for the State of Illinois tinder Governor Walker. He stated that if government is serious about a particular mission or function, it must take time to anal►_e what that function is, indicated tyhat needs to be done and. determine where its weak and where* its strong. Co -Chair Hilton asked lets. Russell: -Is it possible for the Commission to team up with Northwestern University (NU), to conduct a survey since they like to do volunteer work as far as being analytical about issues that we are confronted with on a daily basis with the city? - Nis. Russell stated that her agreeing to take this assignment has nothing to do with the Executive Director's ability to tun the Human Relations Department. The City Council had discussions in September 2006 with the City Manager regarding all of the departments. When she arrived in November. 2006, the decisions had already been made regarding this department and the City Council has the final authority regarding the cuts. She stated that Monday evening is the time that the public can address the City Council regarding the changes and if they do occur, she looks forward to partnering with the Commission to hake sure some of the things happen that were previously discussed in the meeting. With regard to strategic planningshe thinks the clay under utilizes NU, they have a great deal of talent and could look at how the Commission make-: some choices and goals within the community. If the same things exist now that existed ten or twenty years azo in terms of race relations, then the cfforts put forth have not been working. Ais. Russell stated that if the City Council decides to leave the department in tact she will still be working with the Commission because its. Haynes %ill be reporting directly to her. She stated that the human relations staff are city personnel who have always reported o the City Manager. If the Commission had a staff that was separate from the city (not city employees), there would be a division from the City %tanager`s Office. Mr. John Barner Ifilliams: Mr. 117lliants stated that the wav the Cin- Council initiated this process was it -rung in that the discussions that are taking place nw-v should hare b�zrt held before the decisions was made and shoving it down even -body's throat. It does nor have arnihing to do with theAssistant City Manager or the position that she is in brit it titers wrong for the Commissioners nog to utou, anything about it nor the service providers. He stated that if this proposal fails, Spiess it-ho is going to .rl the hrunt? It it -ill he the people who are unemployed and the HUMAI RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) February 1, 2007 Page 6 of 6 organizations who need mediation, such as Reba Place and anyone dealing wilh affordable housing issues. Before the Cin, Council ga»e the directives to the City Managers they should have had all the public meetings before to gel input from the community and the Commissioners should hmw been informed and had some input. Air. 11 illianu suggested that the City Council retish the issue regarding home rule: it would open up more finding possibly from the federal, state and county governments which would help w7th some of the budget ernes that the city is experiencing Commissioner Logan stated that last month was his just meeting and he was surprised to hear that the Commission did not have any input into the changes that were being made and thinks that is something that should have been part of the process. The people who serve as Commissioners and volunteer their time and effort were never contacted and their feedback would have been important before the changes began taking place. Commissioner Sullivan stated that it is still not too late for people to testify at the public hearing on Monday evening if they feel the department should remain in tact so that Council knows there is an interest. She stated that this department does not get much publicity sometimes so people may think its less valuable. In fact, under the surface it may be sustaining some of the things in the community or could that are so vital and have been. She stated that the human relations staff hosting a unity picnic and a yearly summer jobs program that generates approximately four hundred and fifty to five hundred youth, speaks directly to youth feeling isolated, demeaned and not valued in this community. The SYEP works to the opposite by making them feel valued and integrates them into the work of the community. When she was growing up and woridng with the community, she and other children were valued as youth and their community depended on their work by them helping everyone. She stated that the Human Relations Department is at the core of how to make people feel .slued; not only youth but the minority people as well. People are testifying at the hearing that the West side community does not have a library and she thinks the Commission should be standing up and saying there needs to be one in that community. On the other hand people are fighting to keep two branches open that serve predominately the White community. There are underlying issues that this department needs to address and function its is very critical. Commissioner Sullivan stated that the Commission values Nis. Russell and thanked her and the City Manager for opening this issue up for discussion. Ms. Russell stated that she looks forward to partnering With the Commission and staff even though she is coming in on the back end of the entire process and will use her experience to help the community. Co -Chair Katten thanked Ms. Russell and :his. Carroll for their time in allowing the meeting to take place and she thanked all of the citizens who attended the meeting to offer their comments. IV. ADJOUR11IEN'T There being no further business, Commissioner Levin moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Logan with no objections. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday, February 28, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 APPROVED CO.Ni%i1SSION-ERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Betsy Katten; Co -Chair Cherylette Hilton; Janet Sullivan; William Logan; Phu Hong Pham; Katherine Levin; Alan Gitclson; Marvin Green and Samuel Thomas STAFF PRESENT: Rolanda Russell, Paula Haynes and Dorothy Thrower 1. CALL TO ORDER — DECLARATION OF A QUORUM Co -Chair Hilton called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and declared a quorum was present and introduced Nis. Russell who is a newly appointed Assistant City Manager. Ms. Russell stated that the City Council approved a budget change Monday night and part of that change is a transition which will now make her responsible for the Human Relations staff and Commission. She will be attending the Commission meetings and working with staff as the Department of Human Relations will transition to the Division of Human Relations, Ms. Russell stated that she will do whatever she can to help snake the transition as smooth as possible, to insure that citizens continue to receive the services from staff as they have in the past and will not suffer as a result of the budget cuts. II. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS & VISITORS There were no guests or visitors present. III. ,APPROVAL OF JANUARY 24 AND FEBRUARY 1, 2007 SPECIAL h1EETING 14iINTTES Co -Chair Hilton called for approval of the January 24' and the February 1" minutes. Commissioner Gitelson moved to approve the January 24`h minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Sullivan. There were no corrections and the minutes were unanimously approved. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve the February I" minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gitclson. Commissioner Levin requested the following corrections: Page 1, GuestlVisitors: Correction should read: Bob Seidenberg, Evanston Review; and on page 5 of 6: Correction should read: David Bradford The minutes were unanimously approved reflecting the requested corrections. IV. ACTION ITEMS A. Esiablish Dales and Agenda for Planning Session :1Is. Russell stated that she talked with Pamela Pirtle who is a director with Northwestern University's (NU), Equal Opportu:tity'At2irtnative Action/Disabilities Services. She talked with Ms. Pirtle to determine if she would start meeting with the Con_nissioners to conduct either some orientation. strategic planning, assist in terms of goals and activities. Ms. Pirtle has been at NU less than a year, coming from Champaign, Illinois where she worked very closely with their Human Relations Cormnission by assisting them in marry of their processes. Ms. Russell stated that Ms. Pirtle did indicate that she would be willing to work with the Commission and that she has a number of projects that she would like to discuss with this body in terms of partnering with NU. Ms. Russell ;:Yted that she e-mailed the Commaf>ioners some dates for them to choose one that would be agreeable for everyone to begin the first meeting with Ms. l ir•,'.e. She stated there is also another facilitator with whom she is familiar with but depending on how quickly the Comrrtission wants to produce a strategic plan, it is possible that they may be working %%ith two individuals. At this time she is committed to making sure a date, time and an agenda are in place. The dates present:d were March 20`h and 21" from 6 — 9:00 p.m. Ms. Thrower received a -mails from three Commissioners with dates trey are available. It was deiert —mcd that the Commission will meet at the Civic Center in an available room on Wednesday, March 21" A discussion ensued regarding some of the things the Commission would like to initiate or put in place at the first meeting- It %%w determined that before the Commission develops some strategic planning, they will need to know what their existing responsibilities arc and have them reconfirmed. Following are the primary items the Commissioners would like the facilitator to address: Human Relations Commission Minutes February 28, 2007 Page 2 of 5 (1) Review the charter or mission of the Commission: (2) Review power point presentation that Ms. Haynes has used in the past, i.e, separation of staff and The Commission's duties; (3) Review past historyibackground regarding the Commission's successful activities; (4) Look at other Commissions from the far West communities (i.e., Oak Park), and comparable Communities with Evanston's make up or other states to see how they operate; and (5) Projection of the next steps for the Commission. B. National Fair Housing Month Acriiin Ms. Haynes stated that for those Commissioners who may not know it, April is Fair Housing Month. During past years staff has acknowledged it by asking the Mayor to create a resolution and getting it approved by the City Council. Agencies who are involved in the area of housing arc encouraged to celebrate or recognize it in some manner. She asked the Commission if there was anything they would like to do to celebrate or recognize fair housing month this year since Human Relations is the agency that is responsible for administering and enforcing Evanston's Fair Housing Ordinance? Co -Chair Hilton (who is an Evanston Realtor). stated that she is aware of several non-profit agencies in Evanston that are having open houses but she has not seen fair housing brochures displayed as they should be. Commissioner Gitelson stated that part of this discussion goes back to the strategic planning which is eventually the Commission's goal and, they want to think about being proactive and also reactive. The reactive part of the planning is to determine what kind of issues that come before the Commission can it address; proactively arc there things they want to address regardless of who appears before therd? He stated that since April will be here soon, it appears as though the Commission would want to be proactive. In terms of long term planning, the Commission might want to recognize an organization yearly that has committed itself to fair housing. i.e., churches or other groups that have been proactive. Ms. Haynes stated that several times during the year. staff makes unannounced visits to real estate agencies and conduct audits to make sure they have fair housing brochures and that the fair housing poster is displayed which is required by Ordinance. Commissioner Sullivan stated that if a resolution appears before the City Council for their approval. perhaps one of the Commissioners could attend the meeting and make a staten=t reminding the realtors and the public that the brochures should be available in accordance with the Fair Housing Ordinance. She stated that if the Evanston Reviest, and the Roundiahle staff are present, as well as being aired on tele%ision, this would be a minimal opportunity to make this information available. After further discussion it was agreed that the Commission should develop an annual plan for any activities/events they should focus on in the future. ACTION: Commissinner Gitelsnn mm•ed that the Corninisvion Proceed with reauestim, the Afavor to create a resolution and forivard it to the Ciry Council fr)r their arnmval. declarint, .4nril as Fair Month. Between now and the next Commission meetine, anv other additional ideas should he considered and brought to the table ii)r discussion. The inotion was seconder! by Commbuinner Lowin and unanintoush• aanroved. V. INFORMATION ITEMS A. Partnering Toward a Safer Evanston Ms. Russell referred to the information that the Commissioners received regarding Partnering Toward a Safer Evanston. She took a few minutes to bring the Commissioners up to date relative to what occurred at the meeting that took place on Saturday, February 3rd at Evanston Township High School (ETHS), and what is going to occur on Saturday, March 3" at the Civic Center where the second meeting will t: ke place. She stated that at the February 3`a meeting, the citizens were asked what could they do to help create a safer community and enhance the quality of life for the people of Evanston. Several proposals were developed from approximately sixteen small groups_ Nis. Russell identified specific topics that were discussed and perhaps the Commission may be able to facilitate and have an interest in as they look at plans or Human Relations Commission Minutes February 28, 2007 Page 3 of 5 activities for the coming year. The information was placed in certain groups which were entitled Community Things and the following topics were pointed out and briefly discussed: (1) Youth Initiatives - #36 (areas to be improved upon re: youth forums to express themselves, quality of life and crime); (2) Know Your Neighbor - #45 (bring back civility); #68 (redefining values); (3) Tracking RealitylPeer Engagement - #30 (develop and implement activities on crime prevention and analysis for motivated community members); Ms. Russell stated that at the March 3'a meeting, all of these topics will act as reminders for the groups who participated in February and ask them to break into small groups again based on their interest. Members of the groups will be asked to develop some implementation plans, develop a calendar outlining timelines and the type of resources they need. At the end of the meeting some plans of action will be put in place in order to put people in the community to work in areas where they have an interest. Commission Sullivan asked if during the discussion of the topics that were developed, did racism arise as one of the topics that people were concerned about or any discussion regarding the fact that youth feel they did or did not belong in certain areas of the community or treated with respect? Ms. Russell stated that she did not see racism identified as one of the topics in the material that the Commissioners received. She stated that earlier in the year Sheila McCork1c, intern from Northwest= University whose goal was to investigate the possibility of a youth initiative, produced a survey which she used while intericwing a number of youth throughout the community. The results of the survey indicated that youths felt because of their race the), were not welcomed in downtown lvanston. Ms. Russell stated that the March Yd meeting will put the plan in focus and thereafter groups will meet every six months to check in to determine how things are going in certain arras. She stated that a group of city staff will be assembled to help the groups in terrors of resource because it is really important in getting the community to partner with the city to make a difference because the Police cannot do it on their own. She stated that each group will have a facilitator to help them get through a series of questions and within a specific time frame they will report their plan, action and timelines. At that time they will also select a chair person to assist in convening the groups and their themes. Commissioner Sullivan stated that she thinks the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), is one of the greatest things to deter youth from getting in trouble because she thinks it should be expanded and asked is there a direct linkage to make this a year around program? Ms. Russell stated that when the i-coups of citizens meet again in six months and there are enough people who say this is a program that is needed and rrake a push toward the Aldermen, it may be included in the budget. Ms. Haynes stated that she was requested by the City Manager to develop criteria for a year around program v.-high %vas proposed but it was not included in this year's budget. Ms. Haynes asked Ms. Russell what is the status of the survey that Ms. McCorkle conducted and is it something the Commission should be aware of tics. Russell stated that she is uncertain of the report status but she will see that the Commissioners receive a copy of Ms. McCorkel's report. The report also has recommendations to create a youth council and a commission which the City Council approved in this year's budget bu: there were some issues regarding race. \fr. Molinary stated that the Commission and community needs to be av "--c of the growing tension between Blacks and Hispanics, i.e., employment and in the areas of property, specifically on the west coast and there is some evidence that this tension is spreading to the cast coast. It may hit here in the mid -west or is possibly already here in Evanston and there should be a means of trying to get the youth to begin addressing ways for them to get along in school and employment. Commissioner Logan stated that he thought Mr. Molinary's point was very valid because the tension between the races is growing. Two or three years ago there was a problem with the conflict bttw•een Blacks and Hispanics; it died down but it has not disappeared completely and with the growth of gang activity and summer coming on, he is concerned regarding what will happen and that the Commission should keep abreast of the youth initiative. B. Budget Upduler Commissioner Kasten stated that at the Special Meeting held on February 1' meeting, the City Manager and Ms. Russell Human Relations Commission Minutes February 28, 2007 Page 4 of 5 provided information regarding the impact that the budget had on the Human Relations Department. Ms. Russell stated that the budget was approved Monday night and the department will now become a division. The mission of the division in terms of the areas of responsibility will remain the same. Staff will consist of the two Human Relations Specialist and the Executive Secretary who will report to her and they will remain in the same location where they are now. She stated that she has been meeting with staff regarding a matrix of responsibilities listed in the Transition Plan that are being reviewed and revised to ensure they can be accomplished and that citizens will not experience a diminution of services that they receive. Commissioner Sullivan requested that Ms. Russell provide a report of any revisions in the Plan regarding stafrs responsibilities at the next meeting. C. Hate Crimes Co -Chair Hilton stated that she is concerned regarding a recent killing that took the life of a young man who lived in Evanston but it has not been reported as a Hate Crime. She stated that the statements read in court regarding the killing were definitely hateful and racist statements and since this is an ongoing investigation she would not elaborate on the matter further. Co -Chair Hilton stated that the Evanston community needs to address these issues although the people who arc committing the crimes are not from Evanston; there is an enormous amount of hate within the community that is race related. She wanted to know the Commission could address this mange.) Ms. Russell that there are a number of processes that other cities have utilized. As an example, she mentioned that the City of Decatur, IL experienced a great deal of racial tension some years ago which prompted a visit from the Reverend Jessie Jackson and a group of several thousand people. Them were riots and fights; the Department of Justice became involved in the matter, and there were a series of community meetings. She stated that there are several processes that the Commission can use such as the Ilate Crimes Protocol that the Commission develop a couple of years ago. A discussion took place regarding this matter and following are some things they will consider when looking at incidents regarding hate: *Determine how to assess the extent of the problem and how it should be addressed; *include this as a topic in the Diversity Dialogue with the community groups; •Possible project to implement at ETIIS; •When addressing or determining if an incident is considered a Hate Crime, do not just look for "hate" words because they arc too subtle; •Implement plans to get multi -cultural groups to work and live together. D. Annual Report to Council Ms. Russell stated that as she was researching information on the Human Relations Commission, she found that an annual report is suppose to be submitted to Council and as she conducted further research, she found that the Commission has not submitted an annual report. She .would like to see a report given to Council next year. listing all of the community activities and having them tie into some of the goals of the Commission. This ►►ill be televised and also give the greater community some sense of the Commission's value. Another one of several ways of having a presence in the community is to have meetings in the different wards. A brief discussion took place regarding the Commission's lack of visibility- in the community and confirming that the strategic plan will help deem in finding ways to do so and also hawing a calendar of events for future planning. VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS :I. Comrnisiion Goals fiar 200 — it -hat about 2006? Ms. Haynes stated that this item ►was placed on the agenda as a carryover from the January 27's agenda when the Commissioners indicated they wanted to discuss establishing goals for 2007 and they wanted to do so at the retreat being planned. She stated that since the Commissioner have agreed upon March 21" as their retreat date to discuss their goals and mission, the item was stricken for discussion. Ms. Haynes stated that ►►ith regard to establishing goals for 2006, the Commission was expenencing a high turnover in Commissioners and trying to regain its nine member body and was unable to do. This item ►►as also stricken for discussion. For the record, currently the Commission is fully staffed with nine members. B. Teens in Technologm• (TitiT) ;GIs. Haynes stated that several months ago she provided the Commission with a draft of a possible program that the Human Relations Commission Minutes February 28, 2007 Page 5 of 5 Commission might be interested in partnering with the department in bringing it to fruition. She stated that since Mr. Herth is responsible for the SYEP and youth programs that are evohing from the Human Relations Division, he could pro -Ode information regarding IN'T. Mr. Hersh presented the following comments: ``TXT is tied into the SYEP because of the job fair which attracts four to five hundred youth and unfortunately at this time, staff is unable to place all of those youths in positions and one of the other avenues to possibly engage youth in something productive that could steer them away from negative distractions is TNT. Due to the success of the Mayor's Spring Job Fair the SYEP is challenged with placing the overwhelming number of youth applicants with prospective employers. There is a pressing need for the SYEP to increase the number of prospective employers to accommodate the rising number of youth applicants. As we work to address this challenge we are exploring various options and alternatives. The TNT program is a direct result of this brainstorming process. Our primary focus is to place youth in jobs. However, if we are not able to immediately facilitate the needs of our youth applicant, we believe it is critical to provide some type of positive youth development alternative!option to engage the youth in while they continue their job search. Once implemented, the TNT Program will provide youth with the opportunity to continue their job skills development by participating in a four (4) week computer training class. This class will focus on job related computer training skills. The computer curriculum will be identified based on current job placement standards. Once the applicant is identified and enrolled in the program they will be assigned to a business sponsor. The purpose of the business sponsor is to commit to provide employment the following summer for the teen. Once the youth is enrolled and in good standing, the TNT student would be eligible for a stipend while participating in the 4 week program. Upon successfully completion of the program the student would receive a personal computer at the end of phase one of the program. Phase two of the program would commence during the following summer. Student that completed phase one of the program would have the opportunity to work for their identified TNT business partner/sponsor. In addition all TNT graduates would receive priority placement status based on their TNT training." Ms. Haynes stated that the expectation of the business would have to participate in the job fair where they would select the person(s) they want to sponsor. She stated that she does not believe the participant should be paid a travel stipend if he/she is going to Northwestern or ETHS. The travel stipend was related to Oakton Community College. She also stated that another basis for developing such a program was based on a con%xTmtion with Jonathan Perman, Evanston Chamber of Commerce who stated that business do not want to serve as the training ground but rather have the indhiduals they hire, already possess the rewired skills for employment. %11. NEW BUSINESS A. Illinois .tfunicipal Human Relrrtivns tssociativn .4nnujI Conference — Save a Dare Ms. Ha}nes informed the Commissioners of the IN111RA's annual conference that will take place on May 3'� and 4`� in Springfield. tics. Russell instructed Ms. Thrower to request an itinerary from IMHRA to share with the Commissioners. She stated that there is enough mosey in the human Relations travel budget account for one Commissioner to attend the conference if anyone wants to. She requested that once they have the itinerary, whoever is interested in attending can e- nuil her so that Ms. Ti-,rower can make the necessary arrangements. 'III. ADJOU NMEIT There being no further business, Commissioner Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by Co -Chair Karten with no objections. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary' EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday -April 25, 2007 7:00 p.m — Room 2402 APPROVED CO;NiMISSIONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Katten, Co -Chair Hilton, William Logan, Katherine Levin, Alan Gitelson and Samuel Thomas COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED* Commissioner Sullivan and Commissioner Pham CON,IMiSSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Green STAFF PRESENT: Dorothy Thrower, Rafael Molinary and Cam Herth GITESTS PRESENT: Margaret Feit Clarke — Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs and Joey Rodgers I. Call to Order — Declaration of a Quorum Co Chair Katten called the meeting to order at 7:11 p.m. and a quorum was declared. II. Introduction of Guests & Visitors Ms. Clarke introduced herself and stated that as an employee with Interfaith Housing Center (IHC), she was invited to the meeting to provide the Commissioners with some information regarding Interfaith's Yd Annual Fair Housing Advocates Reunion which will take place on Tuesday, May 8th. She stated that she met with Ms. Russell and Gail Scheeler, Director of IHC, approximately a week and a half ago to talk about some of the work that the Human Relations Commission is doing and the role they play in Evanston. She stated that she %vas pleased to hear that the Mayor signed a proclamation declaring April as fair housing month along with the Governor of Illinois, in addition to many other municipalities affirming that fair housing is valuable. Ms. Clarke took a few minutes to talk about the role of IHC which is located in Winnctka. Following are some highlights of her comments: *IHC serves sixteen of the northern suburbs and was birthed in the wake of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, in an effort to work towards equal housing; *IHC's education work is partly funded by MUD; •IHC's membership is made up of congregations from the sixteen suburbs including individuals; *Some of IIIC's programs are: -Home Sharing: The most lmo%%m and visible program where IHC match homeowners who are willing to rent a room in their home, at a reasonable rate (between three and five hundred dollars per month), to someone who works in the commL:aity and cannot afford to buy or rent there. IHC is the only program that offers home sharing in the northern suburbs and has been doing it for twenty years. C==ntly most of their home share seekers come from Evanston. 111C is in the process of creating a D%'D to put on I:: u_ebsite for exposure and as an informational tool. -Predatory Lending Referrals: Refer individuals and send them o the appropriate agency if they are having issues with predatory lending; provide education regarding matte- and review homeowners materials to see if IHC can assist them_ -Home Testing; Tlw only agency in this area Ihat conducts home testing to uncover housing discrimination. IHC relics heavily on volunteers to provide this service. Ms. Clarke stated that IHC also takes complaints from people who feel they have experienced discrimination when attempting to purchase or rent; it is a resource for Commissions by sharing information and forming a partnership; and it is an advocate for affordable housing. She stated that 1HC is not funded to address landlord and tenant rights and they would like to know how it can be a resource for Human Relations in addres.-sing those relationships. Human Relations Commission Minutes March 28, 2007 Page 2 of 5 Ms. Clarke gave each Commissioner a packet that contained information she had talked to Ms. Russell about, regarding three two hour work shops that IHC is offering on the nights of Wednesday June 13"', 20a' and 27a' in the Civic Center. She reiterated that the training is for Commissions and any citizen in the community who wants to know about fair housing and what the protected classes are. Ms. Clarke stated that the first class will address some of the working definitions of housing; the second class addresses the importance of diversity and how can it be strengthened and the third class will address what role Commissions can play in the communities. Ms. Clarke stated that IHC has seen that people who have attended this training, often create the most momentum in their communities. For example, people in Park Ridge were concerned about diversity in their community and their training resulted in a fair housing brochure regarding fair housing and they are going to make sure all real estate agencies pass them out to everyone who is buying or renting. She believes they recently passed a fair housing ordinance for the first time. In conclusion, Ms. Clarke responded to questions and or comments from the Commissioners. She stated that the people who graduate from this training are invited to a reunion every year to talk about their educational accomplishments or any changes that have been made in their communities. The next reunion will take place on May 8th and that IHC would appreciate it if the Commission would add their names to its mailing address regarding upcoming educational events or housing issues that are happening statewide. She stated that IHC is willing to partner with the Commission to conduct fair housing presentations for Evanston landlords, real estate agencies, condo boards or to%%mhousc associations. She also suggested that information be placed on the City of Evanston's website informing citizens where they can go to get assistance regarding discriminations issues. Co -Chair Katten thanked Ms. Clarke for attending the meeting and the packets that the Commissioners received. Nis. Rodgers stated that Ms. Russell in%ited her to the meeting. She is part of the coordination effort for "Partnering Towards A Safer Evanston" and was interested in community mediation. III. Approval of the February 28 and March 28, 2007 Co -Chair Katten called for approval of the February 28`s minutes. Commissioner Gitelson moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded. There were no corrections and they were unanimously approved as submitted. Commissioner Co -Chair Katten called for appro%21 of the March 28`s minutes. Gitclson moved to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded. Commissioner Levin referred to Page 1 of the minutes, last paragraph. Group 2, item #3. She stated that she thought that Neighborhood Justice Center (NJQ was identified as a separate item rather than a housing matter. Commissioner Gitelson stated that when Group 2 discussed housing. \JC was discussed because it involved solving housing disputes. Commissioner Levin indicated that she recalled that discussion and was satisfied with its placement under the issue of Housing. Commissioner Gitelson referred to Page 2. _'J paragraph from the bottom of page, the last sentence should read: `... federal funds are available and research private foundations....." Since there were no additional corrections, the minutes were unanimously approved with the rated corrections. I%*. ACTION ITEMS A. SecondFinal Phase of Prioritizing Areas identified At March 21' Commission Retreat Co -Chair Katten requested that Commissioner Gitelson provide an oveniew of the items prioritized at the March 280, meeting. Commissioner Gitelson stated that the Commissioners who were present at that meeting reviewed the four different group areas that they felt were priority items. The following groups were identified in order of priority; (1) Youth; (2) Special Population (seniors and disabled individuals); (3) Housing (ADR); and (4) Race Relations (i.e., CommUNITY Picnic). The first priority item discussed at the \larch 21" meeting was Youth. Commissioner Gitelson stated that Ms. Russell was instrumental in assisting the Commissioners in identifying goals they felt could be successfully reached within one and three years from now-. His comments regarding this area of discussion can be obtained by referring to the March 28`s minutes. He stated that priority item number three, Housing (The Neighborhood Justice Center). %vas discussed briefly Human Relations Commission Minutes March 28, 2007 Page 3 of 5 and the Commissioners were able to identify two indicators that would indicate success to them regarding this item in three years that can also be referred to in the March 28`s minutes. Commissioner Gitelson stated that the two remaining areas to be discussed and identify success indicators identified were Special Population and Race Relations. He stated that the discussion at the March 21" meeting regarding race relations, was to try and evolve the CommUNITY Picnic into something that might be more meaningful for a broader spectrum of individuals i.e., race and are groups. Staff informed the Commissioners who did not attend the March 2e meeting, that they should prioritize their primary areas of concern based on the Group items. They were each given a strip of dots to make their selections. Ms. Thrower informed the Co -Chairs that at the conclusion of the March 21' meeting, Ms. Russell requested that the Commissioners discuss and identify success indicators for Special Population and Race Relations at this meeting. Co -Chair Katten opened up the discussion to address Special Population. She stated that perhaps the Commission could go to the Levy Center or other community centers and conduct some educational programs by inviting :its. Clarke from IHC to address Predatory Lending or combine that with fraud, identity theft, etc. Commissioner Gitelson suggested that perhaps the Executive Director of the Levy Center or other staff, who arc involved in senior issues within the community, address the Commission and inform them relative to where they see their priorities. He suggested that the Commission might also want to investigate to see if there are other area specialists in Evanston that can address issues regarding senior safety. Co -Chair Hilton wanted to ]scow if the Police Department sail] conducts presentations regarding senior safety. Commissioner Logan stated there is still someone who addresses senior issues? Commissioner Hilton asked how often staff receives complaints from the senior population? Mr. Molinary stated that he believes the senior population does not know that the staff exists and the resources/services that are provided for them. He stated that during his twenty-five years of practicing law of which ten was social work, he has worked with the senior populations in Cook County. He stated that he does have enough background to assist them initially but if they have a problem that he unable to address, he can refer them to the appropriate agencies. Co -Chair Katten stated that she thinks the organization should focus on those seniors who are low-income and need additional services. She stated that one way of possibly doing that is to talk to some at the large residence homes or centers for seniors and conduct some educational programs to begin promoting the Commission. Co -Chair Hilton stated that some seniors are still in their own homes due to a disability or other reason therefore this effort will have to include door to door service. Co -Chair Katten stated that the City of Evanston does have a Commission on Aging and some of the issues regarding seniors they feel are necessary to address. might be something th:t group is doing already. She stated that the Human Relations Commission needs to find out what that Commission does so that there is no overlap in efforts. As a result of this discussion. Commissioner Hilton volunteered to talk with Nancy Flowers who is the Ombudsmen for the Commission on Aging and Commissioner Loran volunteered talk to Amanda Jones at the Police Department, to determine what resources are available to seniors in Evanston. The Commissioners will provide a report to the full Commission at the May meeting. Co -Chair Kanen stated that with regard to this item, the Commission's priorities arc to provide educational programming that would be informational and helping seniors ]stow what resources are available to them and how to protect themselves in various situations. There is also the possibility of going into the community and visit home owners. Human Relations Commission Minutes March 28, 2007 Page 4 of 5 Commissioner Lozan stated the Evanston Community Foundation is sponsoring a program for seniors regarding leadership at the Civic Center on Thursday, April 2e He stated that he will be attending that forum and will get some information from that group. Commissioner Lc%in requested that the Commission use Ms. Russell's approach to address the various issues discussed in March, i.e., what kinds of indicators would have to be seen to know what changed in the area three years from now; if there is success, what .would that look like. What would be an indicator of success one year from now and by working backwards and looking at the first year, a -sat kinds of actions or measurable accomplishments would have to happen to get to the three year point? She requested the Commission talk about the Special Population area i.e., what would be an indication of success a year from now. Co -Chair Katten stated that could be having more people contacting staff; knowing their rights; and that staff are available to assist with their needs and/or referring to the appropriate resources. Commissioner Gitelson stated that he was haying a problem trying to quantify what the Commission does and one year from now he would like to be better informed regarding this issue. He stated that the Commission often has discovery conversations. fie did not know there was a Commission on Aging or that Commissioner Logan was participating in a program that addresses leadership with s=iors. He stated that one of the measures of success is having communication systems that pro%ides the Commission wide few or little surprises regarding what is going on in this community relative to all of the topics that being addressed. Commissioner Lein stated that she was =empting to follow the matrix that Ms. Russell used because the Commission has a tendency to start discussions that branch off into various areas. Commissioner Gitelson stated that when the Commission meets with 1•!s. Pirtle in May, they will need help in identifying what determines success afar one, two or three years. Commissioner Lein stated dhat the Commission's goal thus far seems to be educating seniors. Commissioner Thomas stated that the Commission could contact the person at the Police Department who works with seniors to determine what kinds of problems and complaints have been reported in the past year. After the Commission has conducted its educational sessions, success could be determined if complaints increased or decreased. The number of trainings conducted .would be dependent L;)on the resources that are available to the Commission. Mr. Molinary stated that the Evanston Police Department and a Church on Ridge Avenue conducted an education program last summer for Hispanics in this area. The program was held at the Church and there were approximately thirteen service prodders to help Hispar�cs because it was believed this population was not getting the information and the resources available to them. lie stated that he did not see why the Commission could not imitate that model and do something in a more expansive way for people to see what is available to them. He stated that he not seen a larger prototype that was open io everyone. Commissioner Gitelson stated that perhaps the Commission should apply the same method to obtain intended goals that were used to identify success indicators for Youth and Housing, to the areas of Special Population and Race Relations and, ask Ms. Pirtle for some help at the May meeting. Mr. Hcrih stated that the matrix Ms. Ru<tisell was utilizing is .what she uses at the "Partnering Toward a Safer Evanston". The pattern that was used _goes from the curd year backwards so that people could emision and not be constrained by the specifics and determine where they want :o be within three years and then create the vision and work backwards to have a result. Mr. Molinary stated that he could talk ro someone at the Police Department to see how they organized the program last year and that it would also be a good puNicity event for the Commission. Commissioner Lc,. -in stated that she does not want the Commission to drug out issues but have a plan to learn and take some action. Human Relations Commission Minutes March 28, 2007 Page 5 of 5 Co -Chair stated that since Co -Chair Hilton and Commissioner Logan will be contacting the aforementioned individuals and reporting their information is sufficient at this time since Ms. Pirtle will be meeting with them in May. Commissioner Gitelson stated that he thinks it would be reasonable to say that within a specified period of time (three, four or six months), the Commission will have put together precisely what some their of their goals are. He stated that he is not equipped to do that at this now. Co -Chair Katten opened up the floor to address Race Relations Commissioner Gitelson stated that since the picnic is not going to take place until August, he would like to know how it originated, what are the goals and are they being met; what is the budget amount; what is its purpose. He stated that a decision needs to be made whether the Commission thinks this is an event they want to spend a great deal of their time addressing. He stated that what impressed him about the picnic last year was the attendance by seniors and young people. Mr. Molinary stated that staff discussed the picnic and felt that in addition to the usual activities, it could be a source for people to attend some educational sessions inside of the building regarding various things that are important and helpful to the community. Co -Chair Katten asked if the CommUNITY Picnic is going to take place this year or does a determination have to be made? Ms. Thrower stated that since this is a new budget year, Ms. Russell would have to respond to the question. Co - Chair Katten also suggested that if the picnic takes place it could also serve as a community awards forum. Co -Chair Katten requested that staff provide some history or brief summary about the picnic (i.e. goals and if they are being met), if possible within the next feu• weeks. V. Other Ms. Rodgers stated that a group under the "Partnering Toward A Safer Evanston" initiative is having a meeting on Saturday, May 5`h. The group %%itl talk about what the community need to kmow and understand for it to be a safer more civil place. Does it need community creative conflict resolution workshops and how do high rise condominiums boards resolve conflicts in their building? She extended an invitation to have one or all of the Commissioners attend that meeting. She stated that the meeting gill take place in the home of a local family. Commissioner Hilton volunteered to attend that meeting. Mr. Molinary stated that during the past six months, staff has been assisting quite a lew condominium owners regarding issues with their condo boards relative to how they have been treated or mistreated; how they have tried to resolve issues and the condo boards are not cooperating. Staff has assisted in analyzing the individual's by-laws and giving them copies of the Illinois Condominium Act. VI. Adjournment There being no further business, Commissioner Gitelson moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m. The motion was seconded by Co -Chair Hilton. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower. Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday — Ntay 23, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 APPROVED CO�iINi1SS1ONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Katten, Co -Chair Hilton, William Logan, Katherine Levin, Alan Gitelson and Phu Hong Pham COMMISSIONERS EXCISED: Commissioner Janet Sullivan COMMISSiONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Samuel Thomas STAFF PRESENT: Rolanda Russell, Rafael Molinary and Cam Herth 1. Cali to Order — Declaration of a Quorum Co Chair Katten called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. and a quorum was declared. II. Approval of Minutes — April 25, 2007 Co -Chair Katten called for approval of the April 25'h minutes. Commissioner Gitelson moved to approve the minutes which wwns seconded by Co -Chair Katten. There were no corrections to the minutes and they were unanimously Approved as submitted. III. Action Items A. Second/Final Phase of Prioritizing Areas Identified At March 21" Commission Retreat Ms. Russell gave the Commissioners copies of priority summaries that were developed at the March 28 h meeting for Groups 1 and 2 (Youth and Housing), and took several minutes reviewing the items to make sure everyone was satisfied with what and how it was accomplished. She stated that once the second part of the assignment %-as complete relative to prioritizing areas related to Special Populations and Race Relations, Ms. Pride could meet with the Commissioners again in June or July and put everything in a time matrix. She reminded the Commissioners that priorities and an action plan must be identified for each group. Success indicators also had to be determined beginning with year one through three years. She stated that it still has to be determined whether staff or the Commissioners or a combination of both will be responsible for the accomplishments of goals with regard to Group 1-Youth and Group 2 (Housing). For the second phase of the assignment, Nis. Russell gave the Commissioners blank documents to identify specific things regarding educational programs for seniors under Group 3 (Special Population). She requested that they identify success indicators beginning from one to three years. When the information was recorded on the documents. the Commissioners began discussing and identif} ing success indicators within the one and three year periods. It was determined that a three year success indicator would be that seniors (based on the demographics and prodding educational information). could still financially afford to live in Banston. In order to make this possible some of the ideas offered were that there would be no ins-rease in property taxes; have seniors volunteering in schools and the community: more citizerm assisting seniors in w hatever manner necessary; developing informational manuals for seniors: recommend to the administration that sent.. s be included in their strategic plan: and. developing ongoing communication with staff people of the federal and state elected individuals regarding the senior population in general. Ms. Russell stated that the ideas offered would have to be prioritized in terms of the individuals who may be in need of specific services and existing semices. Also included in the second phase of the a_,,ignment was the prioritization of areas under Group 4 (Race Relations). Ms. Russell requested that the same method used to provide information for Group 3 apply to Group 4. After completing the information on the form that was requested for Group 4, the Commissioners stated that Race Relations was a difficult area for them to determine if obvious and open racism exists in Evanston. They did offer several comments and their perception of specific things that they have observed in Evanston that could possibly be considered race relations concerns. but not necessarily a sign that there are problems between some races. Two examples cited were the separation of youth in the cafeteria at ETHS and the lack of minority families living in certain areas of the community. It was mentioned that although Evanston is a diverse community, there is a lack of interaction between the races. Human Relations Commission Minutes May 23, 2007 Page 2of2 At this time in the meeting, Commissioner Pham had to leave the meeting. Race relations is a very difficult issue to discuss but should be an area or topic of discussion since this is the Human Relations Commission and because race is attached to some of the other areas such as youth and housing. There are still issues revolving around race and conflict that the City of Evanston has to face and address in a number of venues. It was determined that a one year goal for the Commission was to start having honest conversations regarding race or start focus or leaderships groups within the high school. The program would consist of 25 diverse students, based on economics, race, physicaUeducational makeup and other aspects of the individuals, (they would participate in focus groups to garner information). It was suggested that the Commission think about, if possible, having a budget available to serve as honorariums for the youth'who are part of the focus groups. Special agencies could be solicited to underwrite forums or focus groups to assist the Commission in developing their goal(s) were the Anti -defamation League, NU or other foundations or resources. It was also suggested that some research be conducted before moving ahead with the aforementioned ideas. After three years, an indicator of success would be if youth/adults openly express their feelings and opinions about each other and further changes that can be trade to have all races communicating and working together. W. OTHER Ms. Russell provided the following information: • Each month the Human Relations staff' will prepare and send her a monthly status report regarding all of the program activities; copies of these reports coil] also be given to the Commissioners. She took a few minutes to briefly review some of the activities that took place in April; (Copies of pamphlets/brochures that Nancy Flowers (COE Senior Ombudsman) provided regarding senior services ums distributed and information from the Evanston Police Department relative to seniors, will be copied for the Commissioners; •Ms. Russell will work with Ms. Pirtle on the Groups information that was compiled and put it together as a time matrix with recommendations; *Commissioner Green has moved from Evanston and »ill be sending a letter of resignation: and *As a reminder: The Commission is co -sponsoring a fair housing workshop with the Interfaith Housing Center on Wednesdays, June 13'', 20 and 27`s. Ms. Thrower will send a reminder e-mail and Commissioners should e-mail Ms. Russell or Nis. Thrower whether they will or «ill not be able to attend any or all three of the workshops. VI. Adjournment There being no further business, Co -Chair Katten moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gitelson and unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower. Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUZtAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday -- September 26, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 AP R0V,6D COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Kattem Janet Sullivan; Alan Gitelson and Linda Stockton COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Co -Chair Hilton: Commissioner Levin and Commissioner Pham STAFF PRESET: RoLmda Russell and Cam Herth GUESTSIVISITORS: Pam Pirtle -Northwestern University 1. Call to Order — Declaration of a Quorum Co Chair Katten called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. and a quorum was declared. Co -Chair Katten introduced and welcomed Commissioner Stockton who was attending her first meeting. Commissioner Stockton stated that she has lived in Evanston for six years and her motivation for joining the Commission was to become an active participant in her community and bring people together. Her current occupation is that of a consultant however, organizational development, mentoring and leadership/management skills are her areas of interest. II. Introduction of Guests and Visitors (There were no guests or visitors present). Nts. Russell pro%ided the Commissioners wit,'t the following information: (1) On Monday, October 1, the Huntan Senices Committee (MSC) will discuss the Landlord/Tenant Ordinance in Room 2402 at 7:00 p.m. She stated that one of the key changes to the Evanston Model Lease will be increasing the size of the font and the tenants will also get a cope of the Ordinance. An additional change would include language regarding the validity of a lease if it is not in writing and if the HSC agrees with the Ordinance changes, it will appear on the City Council's agenda at a later date for approval: (2) A copy of the Monthly Status Report which contains information regarding landlord tenant, fair housing, the SYEP and general support staff work that the Human Relations staff has completed for the month of August. She stated that each time the Commission meets, a repon will be available of the previous month's activities; and, (3) A memorandum from the Depa,-trnent of Parks, Forestry & Recreation requesting that a Human Relations Commissioner serve on the board for the Citizens Ad%isory Committee on Public Name Places. The memo detailed a full explanation regarding the purpose of the Corunittec and contained an application process. Commissioner Sullivan expressed an intere in seeing on the board. As a result of her action, the following motion was made: Co -Chair batten moved to nominare Commissioner Sullivan as a hoard member on the said Committee. The mrotion ivas seconded br Commission Gitelson and unanimously approved. Before moving to the next agenda item. Ct.-Chair Katten requested that Mr. Ilerth, the SYEP Manager, provide a brief report regarding the activities of the Summc; Youth Employment (SYEP) for the summer. Mr. Herth reported that some of the new zctivitics for the SYEP were: (1) Nine hours of Junior Achievement for participating youth every Friday for the summer, and (2) Nine hours of Compare and Contrast which consisted of the youth visiting the Cook County Boot Ca.-_ and Oak -ion Community College. lie stated that the Community Service Teams (CST), performed their normal Lass: i.e., pruning cutting back greenery and maintaining different alleys and calming circles in various wards. Some ycv_th were involved in assisting city staff with the employee picnic and at the request of Parks and Recreation, provided clean-up after the various arts/ethnie fairs. Approximately one hundred and fifteen or twenty youth (asses 1.1 to 15 years old), were hired by the SYEP. Forty-five were employed with the CST and approximately twenty-one were hired by &.c private sector through the Mayor's 50150 Program. He stated that a variety of evaluations throughout the term of the prc�zrarn were conducted as well as an employee success plan for the youth and supervisors at the beginning of the pro_ersm.:o indicate what they hoped to achieve from it. Mr. Herth stated that before the program be=, staff conducted a surve�r and evaluation of the Job Fair which took place on April 21" and an evaluation of the prom--m when it ended August 18' . He stated that the purpose for doing this was to try and collect more information or get a bet--rr picture of the summer participants. Human Relations Commission Minutes September 26, 2007 Pagc 2 of 3 Air. Berth responded to various questions/comments regarding the SYEP. He pointed out that approximately three hundred and ninety youth attended the job fair and for those youth who were not hired either by the city or a private employer, he was able to establish a working arrangement Mth Sacella Smith of the Youth Job Center (YJC), whereby he was able to submit a list of referrals to see if that agency could assist with placements. He also stated that as a means of determining whether any of the participants maintained their jobs during the school year or entered into the Career Pathways Program, he was able to obtain permission forms from parents and collected student ID numbers to track them during the school year. The Commissioners congratulated fir. Herth and staff for a successful program 111. Finalizing the Commission's Three Year Plan Ms. Russell gave the Commissioners a copy of the chart that outlined the information regarding the four areas of the community that the Commissioners identified and prioritized as concerns to them at the retreat that took place on March 21" . The four areas were: (1) Special Population (seniors); (2) Youth; (3) Housing, and, (4) Race Relations. The chart reflected information for the third and fourth quarters for 2007 that also included information for 2008. She asked the Commissioners to discuss the items they want to accomplish during the last two quarters of 2007; determine whether this will be the responsibility of the Commission or if they need to solicit the aide of someone else; and, determine whether it was realistic for the items to be accomplish during the two quarters time frame. Following are the results of the discussions that took place regarding the four areas: Special Population (seniors) ACTION. Issue was placed on "hold" until 2008. Fact finding: Review available data regarding citizens issues; invite Commission on Aging and Levy Center to October meeting to provide information regarding seniors. Youth Nore: The ci)- sponsored a couple of strategic planning meetings a few months ago and there it -as some in-depth discussion regarding youth. Sheila .VcCorkle also conducted a survey, of approximately eight hundred (800) youth in ,%larch 2007 that included a variety of youth related issues at the high school .IIs. Russell stared that as a result of those activities, the city has hired Sol Anderson as a fdl time youth coordinator who has been meeting frith various youth agencies and looking at rti uys to coordinate the programs and njec�ting with inditiduals at the high school. H is marking on creating a youth commission so that young people can start staking some decisions about activities in the programs. Site stated that two police officers were luired who work in the )'outh Services Division to focus on female gang activity or those that are in trouble. A third quarter goal was accomplished through the efforts of fir. Herth who provided nine weeks of mentoring to the SYEP youth regarding life skills. - The fourth quarter goal for the Commission is to conduct fact finding and start to implement some programs in January 2008; find out what other city organizations or agency programs are active and how the Commission can partner with them. - HR staff could possibly investigate and locate resources and prepare grants for funds to off set program costs for the SYEP and find more employers to hire youth. - The goal for 2008 is to facilitate the employment of youth after graduating from high school by enroIIing in a trade or vocation school to increase those numbers. - Mr. Herth will provide information to the Commissioners that was collected from the SYEP this summer, such as the number of youth hired or referred to YJC; how many- completed the program and the make up of students, i.e., race, gender and age for their information and review. - Fourth quarter fact finding- invite Sol Anderson, Coordinator for the City's Youth Engagement Program to attend the November 2e Commission meeting. - A possible fourth quarter accomplishment is contingent upon Air. Herth's success in his search to find available funds for the SYEP, which could be reported at the November 28" Commission meeting. Housin - A second quarter goal was accomplished by the Commission co -hosting fair housing training with the Interfaith Human Relations Commission Minutes Septembcr 26, 2007 Page 3 of 3 Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs in June. • A second quarter accomplishment was re -designing the fair housing brochure, i.e., language, pictures and size. • 2008 first quarter fact finding: Mr. Molinary,"Mr. Herth «•ill provide information regarding internal issues that are being addressed and member(s) of the Housing Commission provide information regarding the types of external complaints they receive at the January 30, 2008 Commission meeting. 117th regard to housing complaints, Ms. Russell clarified that the Human Relations staff/Commission's only authority is to address landlord/tenant issues relative to the RLTO and home owner issues relating to discrimination or fair housing. Race Relations ACTION: It was determined that this item Aill be placed under the Youth category since staff is already partnering with other organizations. Ms. Russell stated that the Commissioners listed the CommLTINMV Picnic under Race Relations and she wants them to decide whether it should continue to take place. If it continues, they should indicate the purpose and find out if they can partner with the schools or someone else, whether it is to collect money, provide school supplies or some type of recognition, etc. Discussion should take place four or fire months in advancement to plan for next August. Therefore, in January or February, the goal of the picnic should be established so that staff can begin contacting people. ACTION: This item will be placed on the January 2008 agenda for further discussion and making a final decision. Co -Chair Katten and the Commissioners stated that they really appreciated receiving the monthly staff activities report that his. Russell gave them for August and look forward to the following reports. Co -Chair Katten also stated it would be beneficial if a staff person could provide a brief (5 minutes), verbal quarterly report regarding current issues that are being addressed and activities that are taking place. The reporting person could also explain if there arc some areas of difficulty that staff may be encountering that the Commissioners may be able to provide some assistance. There was some discussion regarding a general brochure being developed i.e., the various programs/services within the Human Relations Division for public information and possibly sponsoring or co -sponsoring some public forums that are related to community concerns and or needs, i.e., predatory lending and various other topics. Pam Pirtle stated that Northwestern University is tr%ing to put together very quickly, its first diversity dialogue on campus which viill take place sometime in late November. She stated that as a partner with the Commission, she could publicize that information as them being a co-sponsor and requested that the Commissioners promote it within the community. The forum %ill focus on social justice issues in the community and currently they are leaning towards education, equity in education and public schooling. Ms. Pirtle encouraged the Commissioners to let her know of any person(s) in the community whom they believe are experts or have something positive to say about social issues, such as transgender, sexual orientation, etc. Comrrissioner Sullivan asked Ms. Russell if there uas any discussion retarding the reconsideration of a Civilian Review Board (CRB) at the IISC meeting and what is the status of that issue'' Nis. Russell responded that the item was put on hold and they are still getting additional information avid the matter is not on their October agenda. Ms. Russell informed Ms. Pirtle that site will review edit the "plan" information and e-mail it to her to make the final adjustments. There being no further business, Commissioner Gitelson moved that the meeting adjourn at 9:10 p.m. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday — October 24, 2007 7:00 p.nL — Room 2402 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: CONINIISSIONER(S) EXCUSED: CONINIISSIONER(S) ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: GtTESTS: APPROVED Co -Chair Katten; Commissioner Suilivan; Commissioner Gitelson, Commissioner Lean and Commissioner Pham Commissioner Stockton Co -Chair Hilton Rolanda Russell and Rafae) Molinary Nancy Flowers — Senior Ombudsman for COE; Joan Hickman -- Chair, Commission on Aging and Christina Ferraro — Mgr., Levy Senior Center I. CALL TO ORDER — DECLARATION OF A QUORUM Co Chair Katten called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m, and declared a quorum was present. II. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS AND VISITORS(Guests: Nancy Flowers, Christina Ferraro & Joan Hick --man) III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—.NIAY 23, 2007 Commissioner Gitelson requested that on page 2, second sentence of the first paragraph be edited to read: "There are still issues revolving around race and conflict that the City of Evanston has to face and address in a number of venues'. Since there were no additional ediWcorrections, Commissioner Gitelson mored to annmve the %An, 2r minute ►s7th the tinted edit. They motion umv seennded find unanimoush, annrored.. IV. ACTION ITEM A. Approval of Commission's Three Year Action Plan Ms. Russell stated that since Nis. Pirtle of NIJ was not in attendance to discuss this item, she requested that Co -Chair Katten move to the next agenda item. V. INF01011ATION ITEM — (Discussion of Senior Programs NI1'Ithin the City of Evanston) A. Nance Flowers — Ombudsman. Commission on Aging Ms. Flowers introduced herself as the Ombudsman for the City of Evanston and staff support for the Commission on Aging (COA). She stated that she wanted to address some of the things that would best most informative to the Human Relations Commission (HRC) relative to the COA, such as: some of its programs; its mission; staff persons and their responsibilities and its relationship with some of the other senior smice providers in the city and the community. Ms. Flowers provided the Commissioners and staff with various m:terials�brochures and a copy of the COA's Enabling Ordinance that outlined its mission which she explained, as well as the goal of the Ombudsman and the functions of her office and the overall role of the COA. FolloMng are some of the COA's functions/rcsponsibilities: • lls. Flowers Is the primary full-time staff person who has fulfilled the required duties for the past ten (10) years. • The COA shares a secretary with the Menta.] Health Board. • There Is a part-time Community Ombudsman whose primary role is to work with nursing homes residents. • The COA Is responsible for the Regional Ombudsman Program for the State of Illinois. • The COA is mandated through the Older American's Act, under federal and state Fa►r and local ordinance, to serve, advocate and respond to complaints and Issues related to the cit•'s twelve (12) long-term care facilities. • Two graduate students from the University of Chicago pro►ide support to the Commission's activities, serve clients, conduct research and assist with program implementation. • Staff and Interns respond to approximately 2,000 inquiries per year, which Includes: information regarding services available to older adults in the community; working with Human Relations staff to address the needs of people who have been evicted; assist people who are seeking affordable housing; assist people who victims of predator} loans; assist people who have been financially exploited; and assist people who are seeking long-term care. Staff also assist older Individuals in navigating some of the more complex social service programs that are available, i.e., the :iledicare D Prescription Drug Program and some of the state prescription drug programs, by explaining and helping them to enroll in programs that might be the best one for them • Staff receive an array of referrals from other city departments i.e., Property Standards, Animal Control, Levy Human Relations Commission Minutes October 24, 2007 Page 2 of 3 Center. Police and Fire Departments, who are assisting seniors in some way. Referrals are also received from neighbors, the faith -based organizations and from city and stated elected officials, regarding needs that may be more complex and need some special guidance. There is an increase for staffs assistance regarding affordable housing, predatory loans and exploitation by another person or where there are abuse Issues a Aside from the COA, there are several agencies In the community that are mandated to respond to issues related to abuse and neglect, and work together with the Police Department if the issues are of a criminal nature. They work closely with the Home Preservation Task Force that is being led at this time by Interfaith Housing Center and Interfaith Itself, regarding predatory loans, by looking at the documents and helping the Individual get to the appropriate agency. a Community education and outreach is provided If there are issues that the Commission or staff identify as something that the greater community needs or could benefit from additional Information, such as, sponsoring forums, partnering regularly with the Levy Center and with other community social service agencies. The COA is sponsoring an enrollment event In November at the Levy Center regarding the federal and state prescription drug programs because many people are eligible to re-enrofl. Anything thing that the COA identifies as a trend, an Issue, a concern or problem, they will conduct outreach and education. •Recent community educational events included: long-term care in community resources; the Ombudsman Program partnering with other entities to conduct forums on predatory forums and home preservation programs. The COA is also a collaborative partner In planning a community -wide agent model forum and a film festival every year. The events attract approximately three hundred people. The sessions are related to Issues that that Commission members identify as being lmportant to the needs of older adults in the community. They range from Setrualiry To Movement, Life In Yoga and Community Resources: This year the COA Is considering a session regarding Financial Erploftation and Scams, because the offices are flooded with more of these Issues than she Pis. Flowers) would like. a The most popular program under the COA Is the "Subsidized Taxi Cab Program", which enables low-income seniors and people with disabilities to be transported any where In the community for two dollars and fifty cents (52.50). It Is also Important to people who cannot drive or who have no one to transport them around the city. The program is funded by a split between the city's general revenue dollars and rider contributions. a The -Handy Man Program" Is also popular and very- much needed because it does a lot for very little money. The program Is totally funded through Community Block Grant dollars and Is for Income eligible individuals or people INIng In the CDBG target area, and it provides free services for minor home repairs. • The "Seniors On Safety Program" resource person is Amanda Jones who works at the Police Department. The program was established to conduct prevention and community outresch.'educatian. Ms. Jones does presentations to the senior housing facilities, attends monthly COA meetings, is a resource to seniors at the Levy Senior Center, write publications that focus on scams, and various other senior crime issues. At this time in the meeting. Ms. Flowers responded to several questions cu7—,_-r nts from the Commissioners Co -Chair Itiatten asked its. Flowers is there a role that the IIRC should be plating in other areas or, are the needs already being met by other Commissions agencies from Evamton? Ms. Flowers :r-sponded that the COA's primary role is to focus on the nods of older adults, to identify gaps and to make recommc:.ztion: to staff and Council, relative to gaps in smices. To play a collaborative role with the other entities trot sen-e oId= adults in the City of Evanston is one of the community's strongest areas. Evanston agencies are stared with some prr::y- solid clinicians and everyone is busy. She stated that with the boomers coming, staff and the Commission arc going :o be looking at what they need to do because according to the last two censuses. Evanston lost some seniors. .Is. Flowers asked Nis. Joan Hickman (Chair of the COA for her thoughts opinions. Ms. Rickman responded that the Evanston community's social agencies have always worked vet- -well toLe%her. She could not state specifically what the Commission can do at this point but since the issue has been presented, she believes something; will happen. She stated that N\ith regard to seniors leaving Evanston because they can no Ionger aff,rd to live here, they do so mainly for health reasons and need to move with another relative outside of Evanston. She stt:cd that the decision is not a choice, but rather a necessirv. Ms. Flowers stated that affordable housing is always a challenge and not just for Ey-anston seniors, but also for people Human Relations Commission Minutes October 24, 2007 Page 3 of 3 from other communities who have disabilities and are under the age of sixty-two (62). Recently she has seen older women who were private caregivers and may not have paid into social security, arc now suddenly unable to pay their rent and are facing eviction; finding them something quickly is a challenge. She provided some information regarding several of the senior housing facilities, both private and low-income and on the "Shared Horsing Program " Ms. Joan Hickman stated that the COA is currently working on getting its Disabled Committee in place and defining its role. The city has several income guidelines that need to be addressed because they are so restrictive which makes many people in -eligible for the program. The Commissioners requested that the COA keep them in mind as possible co-sponsors in some of its upcoming seminars such as predatory lending or issues regarding racial or any type of discrimination. Prior to the conclusion of her presentation, his. Flowers also stated that as a future project, one of the things that the COA has talked about is looking at some of the tools that their colleagues and the Agency on Aging use, to determine if Evanston has the services it needs in place or if there are some things that are no longer needed. She stated that Interfaith Housing Center received a very large grant to look at discrimination in the admission policies for senior housing residents this past year. The organization conducts fair housing; testing which includes ethnicity to disability. 'Ms, Flowers stated there are certain things that licensed facilities can and cannot do regarding admission policies. She can conduct investigations with the authority that she has from the federal and state government and the local ordinance. B. Christina Ferraro — Manager, Levy Senior Center Nis. Ferraro, stated that the Levy Senior Center (LSC), also service the senior population but it is strictly recreational and offer some social and educational programs. It is past of the Parks & Recreational Department and is the same as Fleetwood-Jourdain and the Robert Crown Center. Nis. Ferraro manages the facility which has two program mangers. One conducts senior activities and the other one is involved with other programs including rentals, fitness, etc. The LSC has been in existence for thirty-six or thirty-seven years and have been at their present location for five years. She stated there was some controversy regarding the move to another side of Evanston but it has been successful and the participation levels have tripled because the facility expanded and the program hours have been extended. The program is strictly for people who are fifty-five years and older (up to I05 years). The current membership is twelve hundred. On the weekends and evenings, the facility is open to other agencies!indi%iduais and activities. :his. Ferraro stated that in addition to the fitness roon-L there is a senior basketball league, a computer lab and arts and crafts. Staff does outreach in the community for the purpose of attracting: people to the center. Transportation is available but only to and from the facility as a social service cos. csy. For the past two years, staff's focus has been on the next generation and a great deal of marketing has been geared towards the baby boomers. Currently membership is stagnant if not declining but the participation in all of the programs has increased dramatically. They have determined that the next generation does not want to join, but take a program here and there. In order to get some feed back from the nett generation. staff have hosted several focus groups, changed the fee structure, added additional programs and changed the wording on the bus and conducted outreach to the churches to increase membership. The fitness program is the largest activity of all which has thirty-five exercise classes per %%cck and the fitness room has a membership of three hundred. Ms. Femaro and his. Flowers responded to additional questions'comments. NIs. Russell stated that Council approved two IIRC members on Tuesday. October 23 d and should be able to attend the November 28"' meeting. There being no further business, Commissioner Pham moved that the meeting adjourn at 9:10 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Gitelson and unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary EVANSTON HUMAN RELATIONS CO�iAIISSION MINUTES 2100 RIDGE AVENUE, EVANSTON, IL. 60201 Wednesday — November 28, 2007 7:00 p.m. — Room 2402 .4 PPRO VED CONIMISSIONERS PRESENT: Co -Chair Katten, Co -Chair Hitton, Commissioner Sullivan; Commissioner Gitelson, Commissioner Levin. Commissioner Pham, Commissioner Stockton, Commissioner Rodger and Corrz;ttissioner Raisner STAFF PRESENT: Rolanda Russell, Evonda Thomas. Cam Herth and Dorothy Thrower GUESTS: Sol Anderson — COE Youth Coordinator and Ron Strong - LPD I. Cali To Order — Declaration Of A Quorum Co Chair Karten called the meeting to order at 7:05 a.m. and declared a quorum was present. IL Introduction Of Guests And Visitors III. Introduction Of New Commissioners & Interim DIrector For Health And Human Services III. Approval Of Minutes — October 24, 2007 Co -Chair Katten called for approval of the October 24, 2007 Minutes. Commissioner Gitelson moved to approve the minutes which uns seconded by Commissioner Sullivan. There were no corrections and the minutes were unanimously approved as submitted. Co -Chair Kamen moved the agenda discussion to item V. Information Items. She stated that during the past months, the Commission has been trying to focus on some goals for 2008 and one of the areas of interest to them was determining how they could expand their role with the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), and work with the youth of Evanston. As a result of that interest, individuals who are employed with the city and work with youth, were invited to attend the meeting and provide some information and education relative to their involvement. The individuals who were invited were Sol Anderson -Youth Coordinator/City Manager's Office; Ron Strong -Outreach NVorkerlEvanston Police Department; and. Cam Hcrth-Manager, Summer Youth Employment ProgramMuman Relations Division. V. Information Items — (Youth Activities In The Community) A. Sol Anderson — i'outh CoordinaloriCin• Manager's Office I^ollouzng is an overview that Mr. Anderson provided regarding his prom -am. He responded to questions and comments during his presentation. Youth Council -Role: To provide a youth perspective to the Youth Engagement Initiative (YEI) in the City of Evanston. YEI members will help assess the current state of services available to youth in the community and develop recommendations regarding how the city can meet needs that are not currently being met. They will also plan the annual youth summit and recruit youth for community events, etc, The goal of the summit is an opportunity for all youth who are not involved in the council, to talk about things they think a .-e important to the community and to get came ideas regarding the things they need to do and to better to serve %oath in the community. It will also be a planning piece for the City Council and an opportunity for them to see u-h uill be happening going into next year. The summit will take place in the second or third week of May 2008. -The council will focus primarily on high school age youth but the emploNT,-,c tt area involves out of school youth up to the ages of 25 years old. -Current status: 13 students have been selected for the council. The first meeting will take place on December I" in the way of a bus tour of Evanston, conducted by Marybeth Schroeder of the Evanston Community Foundation. The 2"d meeting uitl take place on December 10* when the City Council sleets and the YEI members will have an opportunity to meet the Evanston Aldermen, department heads. and other city employees as well, to learn how city government works in Evanston. Ernplovment Human Relations Commission Minutes November 28, 2007 Page 2 of 5 -Role: Evanston Strategic Goal 3 — to generate marketable job skills for all Evanston residents. The intent is to create a unified employment program and vision within City of Evanston departments, that helps people of all ages and to begin by starting to develop soft -skills and job skills in youth -Current Status: Currently ETI IS students arc working in the city through the Career Pathways Program. There is an employment subgroup of the YEI that consists of Vince Jones, Cam Herth, Lloyd Shepard, Brian Bamcs and himself. This group of individuals are currently working on seeking funding sources for the Local Employment Program (LEP) and the disabled access piece for the SYEP. They are also looking at how they can partner with ETHS and Oakton Community College or one of the City Colleges of Chicago, to develop a strong vocational training program that can lead directly to apprenticeships and/or job opportunities. Restorative Justice (" -The Restorative Justice Committee is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping the youth of Evanston understand the impact of their behavior on both their own lives and the larger community around them. The impact, and thus RJ`s interest, extends into the legal system, the home, the school community and the city streets. Through community outreach, educational programs and conflict resolution practices, RJ will work to bridge the gap between parents, youth and the community as a whole in a peaceful and nonviolent manner. The aim is to give youth a voice to provide community members a place for discourse and to keep this community safe. RJ will work towards this goal using a variety of its practices. -Current Status: Staff is attempting to build a network of community members who understand and can support RJ efforts in the community. We are also working on a plan to take to District 65 MS principals in an attempt to incorporate an RJ/peer mediation program into their discipline code. Other Tasks -Publicizing local youth events through the website w1.u•.evans1ontecns.com. *Engaging local youth through ride-alongs with the EPD Youth Outreach Team and attendance at youth events in the community. -Reviewing National League of Cities (NLC) Platform for Strengthening Youth & Families to see if it can be used in Evanston. -Working with local youth serving organizations to build partnerships to streamline services. -Helping residents who have concerns for youth in the community find the resources they need to help in this effort. hir. Anderson concluded his presentation, responded to questions and comments. The Commissioners thanked him for the very educational information. Co -Chair Kanen also stated that during the Commissioners past discussions regarding youth, it was decided that they wanted to focus on any additional efforts where they could partner with other programs that am youth founded, appropriate or needed, especially with educational programs or where mediation is needed. She stated that several of the have training in conflict resolution. B. Ron Strom - Outreach worker. Evanston Polar Department 11r. Strong stated that he is the former Director of Youth Services in the Police Department and worked with Co -Chair Hilton in starting some local organizations. He has been a licensed clinical social worker for twenty-five years and has worked in his current capacity as one of the Outreach Wcrk—ers at the Police Department for the past ten years. Following is an overview- of his involvement with youth. Mr. Strong addressed questionslcomments during his presentation. -He works with the "high risk youth" population which includes substance abuse users, high school drop outs, gang involvement and any risk factor that youth maintain. -This population ha existed for approximately ten years, initially starting at the ages of 15--17 years and has expanded to 26-27 years of age. They are chronically in jailor unemp'.oyed. -His charge is to go into the neighborhoods (south, west and central Evanston. Howard Street, Brummel Park and Dempster:Dodge. where the majority of these youth congregate), to try and engage them in building relationships because they do not fit into the community. -The outreach workers depend on the community in connecting these indi►iduals with the necessary resources. -The outreach workers have conducted a great deal of problem solving in the community when there are potential incidents of violence. -There is an ever increasing population of "Brown" youth who are presented with the same problems as "Black" youth, that are compounded by language issues. There need to :pore efforts made to get "Brown" and "Black" youth employed. Human Relations Commission Minutes November 28, 2007 Page 3 of 5 -Cynthia Hams who is the Director of Youth Services at the Police Department, asked him to mention that they are very much involved in the Restorative Justice(RJ) movement which is a major theme at the Police Department. Staff is doing a lot of networking with the school districts and working with.Mr. Sol Anderson. -There is an ever increasing number of females who are involved in gangs and the city increased funding this budget year, to hire two female officers who have been trying to connect in a presentative way with them, because females arc mirroring the same issues that the males have. The population that he described is one that is closely mirroring the inner city issues. -The out -reach workers worm part-time, four nights per week from 4-10 p.m. -With the efforts of the outreach workers, the relationships between the community and the Police have gotten better however, there are still many problems that need to be addressed because these individuals are not intimidated by the Police; 75-90% will spend some time in jail. Once they return to society they need to be connected to relevant work experience. -He works in Special Education full-time at the high school. -The Police Department started "lEiothers Against Gangs" several years ago with the idea of everyone in the community owning these issues. -He stated that the Evanston 1'MCA and Century Theater, have offered services to youth that they would not have ordinarily received. The Evanston Athletic Club has given free membership since its existence which allows some youth to have the opportunities that they would not have gotten. -He stated that perhaps in the future, Ms. Harris could attend a commission meeting and talk about the work that is being done with RJ who arc collaborating with the city and the school districts. Mr. Strong concluded his presentation and the Commissioners thanked him for his time and efforts that he is providing to the youth and other adults of Evanston. Co -Chair Katten stated that perhaps sometime in 2008, someone from the District 65 Foundation could attend a meeting and provide the Commission with information regarding the programs they sponsor. With all of this information available to them, the Commission can decide how and what services it can provide to help the youth of Evanston. C. Cam Herth — SYEP Manager Co -Chair Katten stated that at the September meeting, Mr. Herth was asked to attend the November meeting to update the Commission regarding the activities that have taken place with the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) during its seasonal period (June — August). For the benefit of the newly appointed Commissioners, Mr. Herth introduced himself and stated that he has been an employee with the Human Relations Division for over one year and has managed the SYEP during that time. The SYEP has operated under human Relations since its origin and 2007 marked its fifteenth year. He stated that his time is also split addressing landlord tenant issues with his co-workers. Rafael Molinsry and Dorothy Thrower. However, his time is exclusively dedicated to the SYEP once it begins, during the middle of June through the middle of August (a 9 week program). The concept of the program is to employ youth between the ages of 14 and 18 years. The term that he most often uses when referring to the pros-mm is: "The program is for Evanston — by Evanston", in the sense that it employs exclusively Evanston south. All the dollars allocated from CDBG and the general funding, go directly to Evanston youth. Under the Mayor's 50 '50 Program, the city reimburses one-half of the minimum wage for each youth, which some businesses have taken advantage of, go directly to those businesses. Mr. Hersh gave the Commissioners and staff each, a packet of information that contained a variety of documents for them to review at their earliest opportunity. Fallowing is a brief summary of his presentation which was based on the information in the packets: -The first item. which was the SYEP newsletter, contained marketing information which was shared with the businesses who partnered with the SYEP in January 2007 and to other businesses and individuals in the community, in attempt to generate their interest in the program. The intent was to promote the Mayor's 50150 program much stronger for 2008 by trying to get more business involved in the SYEP which %+ill help not only them, but it also helps the youths of Evanston. -When the SYEP ended in August 2007, staff began malting preparations for 2008 CDBG funding requests to pay SYEP supervisors and support staff. As a result of this submission, the program received 90% of the requested funding. There is still uncertainty regarding the general fund because that information is not yet available. Human Relations Commission Minutes November 28, 2007 Page 4 of S -In November, staff will begin preparation for the program's newsletter which will serve as its marketing tool for 2008. -On the third Saturday of April 2008, the Mayor's Job Fair will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event consists of youth competing for a variety of jobs with various employers (city and private sector). Youth are required to attend a workshop to strengthen their interviewing skills, complete applications and review the various job specification manuals which contain all of the jobs that available. -The city employs the majority of the youth that are hired under the SYEP. In 2007 it employed approximately one hundred and thirty youth; of that number ninety-seven were placed in various city departments/division. With this commitment to the program, staff believes that the city is setting an example for businesses to follow. Staff also believes there needs to be a great deal of cultivation between the city and the private sector in supporting Evanston's youth. The largest number of youth hired worked in the area of the Community Services Team (formerly referred to as the "community clean-up or green team"), which the youth were very proud of. The name was changed to reflect not only cleaning alleys, cul-de-sacs and parks in some wards, but other kinds of things they could be proud of. -Staff will be seeking the Commission's assistance as advocates in getting the private sector to embrace a relationship with the city. -Over three hundred and sixty surveys were conducted at the job fair and staff received three hundred in return. This provided a profile regarding the youth who attended the job fair. Forty-eight percent of the participants were male; forty- seven percent were female. The highest age ,group that participated was lit year olds, which was thirty-eight percent of the attending population. The smallest percentage of participants was in the 18 year old age group which «vas five percent of the attendees. Ethnic make up consisted of seventy-one percent of the participants being African American and the Latino population vvas six percent. One of staffs goals is to conduct more outreach to the Latino and White community. -The second item addressed was a Resolution — t442, that created the SYEP. -The third item addressed was staff creating a new component to the SYEP in 2007 by working with Junior Achievement UA), to introduce soft skills training for the employees. Junior Achievement was added to compliment the "compare and contrast" area of the SYEP, where groups of youth attended Cook County Book Camp; the second trip taken was a visit to Oakton Community College in Skokie. - The fourth item addressed the honors program which was the end of the nine week employment period. Specific youth are nominated and presented by their supervisor for their achievements. Mayor Morton and Alderman Jean -Baptiste attended the ceremony to congratulate all of the youth on their achievements and hard work. Every participant in the SYEP received a certificate of participation at the end of the progmnt. -The fifth item addressed was a sample of a certificate of quality which rewards the youth as often as possible to let them know they are doing positive things. It's primary purpose was develop a team concept. The presentation of certificates was also included at the CommUNiTY Picnic. -The sixth item addee>scd was a sample poster with the photos of youths who were named "Employee of the Week". This award was given to an individual who went above and beyond his icr assignment. Each youth was identified by their supervisor. -The packet also contained information regarding the age and race makeup of Community Services Team workers. -Towards the end of the nine week program, staff required each supervisor to complete an employee success plan. This plan requested that the youth identify three professional goals they hoped to achieve through the SYEP, in addition to three personal goals they want to strive to achieve. -In addition to receiv.ng CDBG funds for the SYEP, star`.' parmered with Brian Barnes the Disabilities Service Coordinator in health and human Services, to seek funding to crease a program that cou'.d assist them in getting more youth with disabilities involved in the SYEP. Unfortunately the CDBG did not see fit to do this but the initiative will not end there since Human Relations will be transferring to Husn: n Services. It will still allow staff to work together and develop a stronger partnership with John Ostrowski who is the Special Education Coordinator, ETHS and with Jane Doyle, the Executive Director of the Center for Independent Future_ :fir_ Herth concluded his presentation and responded to questions, and comments from the Commissioners. There vvas a brief discussion regardir. g the business data base that stab has created and the Commissioners getting involved in the process of contacting several business that can be identified, asking them to consider participating in the 2008 SYEP under the Mayor's 50/50 effort. It was suggested that perhaps businesses who participate in the SYEP could have a decal placed in their window, that would identify them as a participant and supporter of the SYEP. In doing this, it could spark an interest and questions from other merchants. The idea was well received and Mr. Herth indicated that he would Tool: into how and who could develop such a decal/logo. Human Relations Commission Minutes November 25, 2007 Page 5 of 5 It was also stressed that staff begin a follow-up process to track the individuals once they leave the SYEP. Mr. Herth stated that he has a data base established for the 2007 participants which can be used to include future employees. He stated that a systematic method has to be determined in order to pull the information together for follow-up. Co -Chair Katten requested the following information for the January 23, 2008 meeting: ACTION ITEM: Staff itill Provide a list of the husinesses ivho Participated in the Sl'EP and a list of the Private husinesses who Participated in the SYEP and a list of nossible comnanies that have been contacted in the recent past and are knowledeeuhle about the Proeram. At this neetine the list Brill be divided arnors! the Commissioners and then, can decide who it -ill call certain businesses. The natter rill he discussed further at the tneeline. The Commissioners thanked fir_ Herth for his presentation and complimented him for the great and professional job that he is during with the SYEP. Co -Chair Katten referred back to agenda item IV„ Discussion items. IV. Discussion Items A. Activity Plan for 200S Ms. RusseII referred to the Commission's 2 Year Activioy Plans for 2007/2008 and briefly explained some of the projects that it contained. She stated that she put all of the activities that the Commission has and wants to accomplish (in 2007 and wants to accomplish for 2008), in a format that would allow them to focus on some activities. The specific Arena areas are: Seniors, Youth, Housing and Race Relations. She reNicwrd the accomplishments for 2007 and stated that sometime in January/February 2008, the Commission needs to decide whether or not to hold the CommUNITY Picnic again and if so, determine who they are going to partner with; staff will provide somc information to help with that discussion. Continuing with the " 2 Year Actisin, Plan for 2007 ", Sts. Russell referred to the 4's quarter activities i.e., youth and seniors, and suggested that a determination needs to be made if there is a place for the Commission or if there is a gap it can fill. Also in the -tom quarter under Race Relations, i.e., "Review identified housing impediments", Mr. Molinary has worked through a document which the Commission may receive either in December 2007 or January 2008. She stated that the Commission nerds to spend some time reviewing it to decide what they need to do. She reviewed the planned activities in all of the Arenas for each quarter as she did for 2007. After some discussion, it was decided that MrAlolinary's and '*It. Herth's housing, information can be presented at the February or March meeting, because the Commissioners felt they would have to much on the meeting agenda since they wanted to focus on the SYEP and contacting businesses prior to the Job Fair in April. B. Commission/Staff Holidav Event After some discussion to determine if the Commission'stafi wants to meet for the holidays, there was unanimous agreement to do so. It was finally- determined that the Commission will e-mail Ms. Thrower with one or more suggested restaurants and whether they would rather have lunch or meet for dinner. There being no further business, Commission Gitelson moved that the meeting. adjourn at 9:50 p.m. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Sulli%= and unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted by: Date: Dorothy Thrower, Executive Secretary