West Side policy expert named game-changer

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Photo credit: Norvell Tolbert. Left to Right: Angelique Orr, Mark Ferguson, Valerie F. Leonard, Rodney Brown, Dr. Dennis Deer.

Valerie Leonard was honored by the New Covenant Community Development Corporation

We thank the Austin Weekly News for their coverage of the New Covenant CDC Game Changers Award Dinner. The following article appeared in the November 2nd issue of the newspaper.

 

 

By Igor Studenkov
Contributing Reporter

Long-time North Lawndale community activist and community development consultant Valerie Leonard received the first-ever Game Changer in Community Service Award on the evening of Oct. 27.

This was one of the several awards that were given out by the Homan Square-based New Covenant Community Development Corporation at its third annual Game Changers for Economic Impact gala.

The event was held in Austin’s Columbus Park Rectory, 5701 W Jackson.

The awards usually go to innovative North Lawndale businesses, but this year, the NCCDC decided to add an award to recognize those who work hard to improve the community. As the NCCDC officials readily admitted, there was never any real question as to who this year’s recipient would be.

Leonard has been working to help North Lawndale for the past few decades. According to the bio on her official website, she founded the Lawndale Alliance, which has advocated for school improvements, fairer Tax Increment Financing fund usage and aid to homeowners affected by the 2008 mortgage crisis, among other initiatives.

Most recently, Leonard became one of the three co-founders of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, which is working to create a comprehensive development plan for the North Lawndale community.

Dennis Deer, a fellow NLCCC co-founder, serves as a NCCDC’s president. As he explained in the opening remarks during the gala, the organization has been around since 2012. The money raised from the gala, Deer said, will allow NCCDC to offer classed provided by its Small Business Development Center for free.

“[The center] provides small business consulting services, business advisory,” Deer said. “We teach people who desire their own businesses how to have them. [The program includes] entrepreneurship classes, one-on-one advising [and] consulting services.”

NCCDC also launched the North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce. Deer said it wasn’t the first time someone tried to create one, but this one has survived the challenges so far, and he was optimistic about its future.

“We have 15 to 20 members already who are having a unified voice in the development of the community,” he said.

As NCCDC director Angelique Orr explained during the gala, the Game Changers awards are meant to do more than recognize local businesses.

“Every year, we have an opportunity to celebrate exceptional entrepreneurs,” she said. “They’re there to change game and they’re game-changers. You stepped out of nothing and made something happened – you changed the game.”

Deer said that NCCDC wanted to give Leonard an award to recognize how she changed the community, even though she isn’t a business owner.

“[We gave her the award] because of all the work she’s done in community organizing and community advancement,  all of the work she did in order to [create] a better community,” he said. “She is very, very deserving of those accolades, even though she doesn’t like them very much.”

NCCDC Vice-President Rodney Brown offered his own praise.

“She has the hart and passion for making sure things get done for the people who need it,” he said of Leonard. Deer said that Leonard wasn’t told she was getting the award until she arrived at the gala. When she came up to the podium, she found herself at a loss of words.

“I’m having an Oprah moment,” she said. “I’m speechless.”

The procession of honors for Leonard, however, won’t end with NCCDC. On Nov. 2, she’ll be recognized by the Chicago Chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance for her work in social enterprise during a session held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Sankofa House, 4041 W. Roosevelt Rd.

Entrepreneurs who won the awards this year included Katros Consulting firm founder and CEO Lynn Sutton; Landon Williams and Jason Diggs, co-owners of Against the Grain Designs accessories maker; Elliot Porter, owner of the Grade A Car Spa car wash; and Michelle Sharp, owner of the It’s-Sooo [sic], an all-natural clearing products company.

Contact:
Email: igorst3@hotmail.com

 game-changers-montage

Include the West Side in the Community Catalyst Fund

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

We thank the Austin Weekly News for publishing the following letter to the editor.  Photo credit: Second City Cop Blog.

The Mayor has proposed the new $100 million Community Catalyst Fund designed to invest in businesses in communities that are most in need.  A governing board consisting of the City of Chicago CFO, City Treasurer, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and four mayoral appointees will establish investment criteria and policies with input from an advisory council consisting of two aldermen and three community representatives. The targeted communities and manner in which investment decisions will be made are yet to be determined.

We, the members of the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC), support the overall concept of the Community Catalyst Fund, and would encourage the team responsible for the implementation to solicit further input from local communities as the program is finalized. This will only strengthen the program.

NLCCC is a group of North Lawndale stakeholders, including nearly 300 community-based organizations, business owners, elected officials and individuals that have come together to guide our community’s first comprehensive planning and implementation process since 1958.  We believe that there should be representation from Chicago’s West Side on the Community Catalyst Fund (“the Fund”) governing board as well as the advisory council. In times past, the West Side has been excluded from a number of the City’s innovative economic development programs, and we are under-represented on the governing boards for various City commissions. It is important that communities that are in most need also have a voice at the policy level to ensure that programs are responsive and deliver the maximum impact.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to small business development, and every establishment is different. The Fund should take a comprehensive approach that will tap into a variety of public and private resources to provide a broad array of financial products and services to small businesses that are at varying stages of development, from start-up to mature.  Examples include low interest micro-loans, New Markets Tax Credits, mezzanine debt and equity investments with longer investment horizons. At the same time, the Fund should provide funding for community-based CDFI’s (community development financial institutions), SBA-certified Small Business Development Centers and other intermediaries to provide technical assistance to small businesses seeking funding in order to minimize investment risk.

The Fund’s board should develop investment criteria that are more flexible than conventional financing while safeguarding investor capital, and prioritize projects that will create jobs and provide incentives for hiring residents of the communities in which the projects are located. There should also be accountability to ensure that jobs that are promised materialize. Finally, the Fund should consider clustering public works projects to enhance its investments and spur additional private investment in high need areas.

We look forward to an investment fund that will catalyze investment on the West Side, and high-need communities around the City of Chicago.

— North Lawndale Coordinating Committee Exec. Subcommittee

Valerie F. Leonard, Rodney Brown and Dr. Dennis Deer, Members

NLCCC Selected as Lead Partner for 5-Year Participatory Research Study Surrounding Occupational Health

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

NLCCC, led by our Health and Wellness Subcommittee, will be partnering with the Center for Healthy Work at the UIC School of Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences to engage residents of North Lawndale in a 5-year participatory research study through the Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Center for Healthy Work will focus on the rapidly-growing number of vulnerable workers experiencing significant occupational health disparities in precarious jobs that impact health at and away from work.  Precarious work is unstable and uncertain, with irregular, unpredictable schedules, a high risk of unemployment, few economic and social benefits (e.g. a living wage and health or retirement benefits), few protections from labor laws and right, no collective voice in the marketplace a enjoyed by unionized workers, no opportunity or expectation for ongoing employment or advancement to a better job, and low or  no compensation for injuries and illnesses. The study will take place in North Lawndale and Little Village.  NLCCC will be the lead North Lawndale partner, while Enlace is the lead partner in Little Village.

Community stakeholders will be trained in research methods and will identify and prioritize health issues and develop community-based interventions.

We are still in the process of fleshing out the details, and will keep you posted of our progress, and let you know how you may get involved. There may be potential overlap with other subcommittees on this project.  The subcommittees that immediately come to mind include Workforce Development, Economic Development, Education and Youth Development and Capacity Building. There may also be opportunities to leverage the Quality of Life Planning and CMAP comprehensive planning process, depending on the finalized scopes of each process. We thank Debra Wesley and Tameeka Christian for their leadership in this process. We thank the UIC School of Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences for this wonderful opportunity.

NLCCC Members Advocate for Resources to Come to North Lawndale During the City’s Budget Process

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Alderwoman Emma Mitts and Alderman Michael Scott, Jr. recently hosted a budget meeting so that representatives from West Side businesses, clergy and nonprofit organizations could weigh in on the City’s 2017 Budget. The panel included Andrea Zopp, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development; Chief Barbara West with Chicago Police Department; Commissioner Lisa Butler with the Department of Family and Support Services; Chief Medical Officer Allison Arwady with the Chicago Department of Public Health and Mary Bonome, Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Development. North Lawndale’s own Vance Henry, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor, was also in attendance.

Panelists highlighted community investments in businesses, public safety and youth. While residents were generally pleased that the City will be making more investments in local communities, participants raised concerns about the need for the investments to more directly impact local emerging businesses, as opposed to only focusing on luring large companies to locate businesses in under-served communities. Participants were also concerned about public safety issues, including greater police coverage in hot areas.

We were proud to see a number of NLCCC members in attendance, including Dr. Dennis Deer, Kevin Sutton, Brenda Palms Barber, Richard Jackson, Vincent Guider, Valerie F. Leonard, Richard Townsell and Jesse Green. NLCCC submitted a written request for the proposed Community Catalyst Fund to include representation from the West Side on its investment (governing) board, as well as its advisory committee. We also advocated that the Fund include North Lawndale as a targeted community and that investment policies be written in a manner that would also encourage investment for businesses from the community and hold businesess that receive funds accountable for hiring local residents. Other requests included CDBG funding for affordable housing and expansion of community-based mental health alternatives and for the City to replicate the 606 Bike Trail in North Lawndale.

We will be meeting with representatives from the City to discuss our proposal in further detail in upcoming days. We will be amending our proposal to include youth mentoring and employment. If we need to expand our proposal in any other way to focus on issues you deem important, please contact Valerie F. Leonard at consulting@valeriefleonard.com; Dennis Deer at drdeer@deerehabservices.com or Rodney Brown at rodney@new-covenantcdc.org.

Save the Date: TIF Town Hall Meeting November 2, 2016

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Do you ever wonder how TIF’s work, or much money goes into North Lawndale TIF districts? We will host a TIF town hall meeting on November 2, 2016, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm at a location to be determined.  We will provide an overview of every TIF in North Lawndale, including their goals and objectives, major projects, how much money each TIF has collected and how much has been spent. This meeting is being sponsored by our Economic Development, Infrastructure and Transportation subcommittees.  For further information, contact Audrey Dunford, Vice Chair of the Infrastructure Subcommittee at audrey.dunford@gmail.com.

Looking for Developers With Experience Working With Community Benefits Agreements in Low Income Minority Communities

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

Do you know developers in Chicago who have a demonstrated track record working with low income minority communities who have entered into legally binding community benefits agreements? If so, please share their names and contact information. NLCCC will be hosting a panel discussion on community benefits agreements, featuring an attorney, developer and community activists who have successfully worked on community benefits agreements in Chicago. I will share their information with the committee working on the program.

Thanks in advance.

Valerie F. Leonard
consulting@valeriefleonard.com

Building Community Through Voter Registration

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

If you are interested in having your organization participate in voter registration, please email Valerie F. Leonard at consulting@valeriefleonard.com.  NLCCC has 500 motor voter cards and 250 absentee ballots. We also have a few signs you may post in your office or place of business.

Also, Michael Halbert, who is coordinating a registration drive throughout the community, is going door to door for voter registration starting next Saturday.  We will also be distributing NLCCC brochures in the process.  Michael will be working with Sheila McNary’s son to conduct classes for deputy registrars if there is an interest. If you are interested in participating, please let us know if you are interested in participating, and at what level.
Level 1. Becoming a deputy registrar
Level 2. Distributing Motor Voter cards at your front desk
Level 3. Going door to door for a couple hours on Saturdays

Subscribe to Our RSS Feed

Posted on by North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council

If your organization serves North Lawndale, please consider subscribing to the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council’s blog feed. This will look similar to a Twitter feed on your website, depending on what widget/API you use. You can put it on a page, in the margin, or in the footer of your website, depending on your set up. You can also choose how many headlines will run, depending on your widget. If you need help setting it up, put me in touch with your webmaster. Here is the link to the feed. https://nlcccplanning.org/feed/ Copy and paste it into the RSS link widget. Looking forward to a more connected community.

Valerie F. Leonard, consulting@valeriefleonard.com