PRIORITIES | Darlene for 2

PROBLÈMES SOCIAUX

«J'ai passé presque toute ma vie à essayer de comprendre les conditions dans lesquelles vivent les opprimés. Et je l'ai fait à travers le point de vue d'une femme noire de la classe ouvrière. Je suis engagée dans la lutte contre le racisme, le sexisme, le classisme , le capacitisme (et tous les autres «ismes» qui empêchent les gens de vivre pleinement leur vie), non pas parce que mon propre bien-être en dépend, mais parce que l'humanité est une expérience partagée.

C'est avec cette intégrité et cette expérience que je travaillerai pour faire en sorte que l'agenda politique du 2nd Ward affirme la vie des plus vulnérables. "- Darlene Cannon

LES PROBLÈMES

Préparer le terrain pour nos vies.

LOGEMENT EQUITABLE

Le 2nd Ward a une riche histoire d'abordabilité, mais au cours des deux dernières décennies, les logements pour les familles de la classe ouvrière et à faible revenu ont considérablement diminué. Par la suite, les loyers ont augmenté, rendant presque impossible pour les résidents de devenir acheteurs d'une première maison. Les modèles de développement immobilier et de gentrification menacent l'abordabilité, la mobilité du logement et la justice raciale. En tant qu'échevinière élue, je m'engage à promouvoir un développement communautaire axé sur l'équité qui augmente les ressources de logement à faible revenu et équitables. Grâce à la collaboration communautaire, à la collecte de données sur l'évaluation des besoins et à une recherche rigoureuse sur les politiques de logement, nous pouvons nous assurer que le 2e quartier est développé sans déplacement . Ensemble, nous pouvons transformer les possibilités de logement pour garantir que les politiques progressistes sont enracinées dans la justice raciale et économique.

Cliquez pour en savoir plus sur les priorités en matière de logement et les politiques de soutien:

Repurposing Vacant, Abandoned, or Substandard Property

Evanston has a unique opportunity to innovatively think about affordable housing. Theoretically, repurposing vacant, abandoned, or substandard property would operate with respect to both the acquisition and the rehab aspects of the process. 1 Aquisition: properties that the local government (or state government) obtains through tax foreclosure or tax reversion, effectively with low or without cost to Evanston. 2. Rehab: In most cases, Evanston would not rehabilitate the houses themselves, but pass the property through to a nonprofit or other entity to rehabilitate the property under municipal supervision. Projects would then be allocated on a needs basis.
Reinstating Evanston Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer Program

First time homebuyers of single-family homes, townhouses, or condos, whose income is below average medium income, would receive loan offers below market interest rates.
Establishing Long-Term Community Land Trust

Evanston's first Community Land Trust (CLT) exists in the 2nd Ward at 2212 Washington St. CLTs are created to acquire and reserve land for community benefit under community control. Typically this is one way to ensure land stays affordable for generations. The ownership of the home is separate from the ownership of the land that it is built on, with the focus on providing an affordable single-family homeownership option for low and moderate income families.
Lifting the Ban on Rent Control

While the ban on rent control is legislation at the state level, local level officials have the ability to inspire and organize residents to take action. Housing justice is racial justice, as systemic racism has exploited and prevented fair housing. Lifting the ban on rent control would help limit the displacement of Black people and other minority people across the state.

SÉCURITÉ ET SOINS DE LA COMMUNAUTÉ

À l'échelle nationale, les mouvements politiques ont révélé les façons systémiques dont la vie des Noirs, des Autochtones et des personnes de couleur (BIPOC) est constamment menacée.

Actuellement, le COVID19 et les conditions pandémiques ont exacerbé cette réalité et nuisent de manière disproportionnée aux communautés de couleur.

Cette campagne s'engage à comprendre toutes les façons dont la politique de la ville et le surdimensionnement communautaire peuvent améliorer la façon dont nous construisons la solidarité et des quartiers forts.

Cliquez pour en savoir plus

Repurposing Vacant, Abandoned, or Substandard Property

Evanston has a unique opportunity to innovatively think about affordable housing. Theoretically, repurposing vacant, abandoned, or substandard property would operate with respect to both the acquisition and the rehab aspects of the process. 1 Aquisition: properties that the local government (or state government) obtains through tax foreclosure or tax reversion, effectively with low or without cost to Evanston. 2. Rehab: In most cases, Evanston would not rehabilitate the houses themselves, but pass the property through to a nonprofit or other entity to rehabilitate the property under municipal supervision. Projects would then be allocated on a needs basis.
Reinstating Evanston Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer Program

First time homebuyers of single-family homes, townhouses, or condos, whose income is below average medium income, would receive loan offers below market interest rates.
Establishing Long-Term Community Land Trust

Evanston's first Community Land Trust (CLT) exists in the 2nd Ward at 2212 Washington St. CLTs are created to acquire and reserve land for community benefit under community control. Typically this is one way to ensure land stays affordable for generations. The ownership of the home is separate from the ownership of the land that it is built on, with the focus on providing an affordable single-family homeownership option for low and moderate income families.
Lifting the Ban on Rent Control

While the ban on rent control is legislation at the state level, local level officials have the ability to inspire and organize residents to take action. Housing justice is racial justice, as systemic racism has exploited and prevented fair housing. Lifting the ban on rent control would help limit the displacement of Black people and other minority people across the state.

CLIMATE JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY

We have to fight climate change through scientific information, community support, corporate accountability, and prioritizing those systematically most impacted by our current climate crisis.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue; we must look at solutions through an equity lens.

Ways to help create a greener Evanston:

Support Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP) which calls for zero carbon/zero waste by 2050
Prioritize the expansion of green initiatives through corporate tax
Create Alternate Retail Electric Supplier (ARES), a publicly owned energy utility
Create high paying jobs that would result in a mass expansion of renewable energy (e.g., solar installation)
Ensure all existing city buildings meet high-performance renewable standards
Provide incentives for green community practices
Prioritize residential weatherization grants and training for low-income and minority families

Fair Share Northwestern Partnership

Evanston and Northwestern University have a historical and symbolic relationship. Evanston is proud to have the prestige of Northwestern; it's one of the best private higher Ed. institutions in the country, it's also one of the richest. Northwestern has an 14.4 billion dollar endowment, along with an operating budget of over 138 million dollars.

Nationally, college towns are looking to universities to step into financial positions to become fair share partners. But what does fair share does this look like?

This idea will builds on the previous efforts to ensure NU a fair share partner, and expand the number of similar legislation that exist across the country.

Fair Share Quick Facts:

Northwestern Stance on Fair Share

In 2000, a referendum was passed that 83.5 percent of Evanston residents supported the City Council's advisory requesting Northwestern pay its "fair share of the cost of municipal services the city provides such as fire protection and response services."

Tax Exempt Universities and Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT)

Concern Over Envision 2045 and Its Impact on Evanston’s Future

I have deep concern regarding the direction of the Envision 2045 initiative. While it is marketed as a progressive plan to address housing needs, it is clear that the underlying agenda could fundamentally alter the character of Evanston. This plan, as it stands, will displace minorities and low-income families, forever changing the city’s demographics due to the lack of true affordability.

Affordable housing should serve as the foundation of any plan to build a stronger, more equitable Evanston. However, Envision 2045 fails to prioritize meaningful affordability. It lacks specific, enforceable mechanisms to preserve housing for low-income residents. A striking example of this failure is the neglect of the 24 low-income homes on Wesley Avenue, which have long been a crucial resource for residents of modest means. These properties were allowed to deteriorate despite clear guidelines in Evanston’s own Consolidated Plan, which mandates inspections of properties within CDBG-designated areas every three years. This neglect is a glaring failure of leadership.

It is disingenuous to claim that city officials did everything possible to save these homes. The city demonstrated its ability to act quickly when assisting businesses like Little Beans Café, yet failed to provide the same urgency for vulnerable residents. The negligence is even more glaring when considering that the Evanston Consolidated Plan explicitly states on page 73:

All multi-family rental dwelling units are inspected at least every five years. Buildings in the CDBG Target Area are inspected on a three-year schedule.”

So what happened? Why were the Wesley properties placed on a five-year schedule instead of the mandated three-year schedule? According to the city’s own “Wesley apologia” page, after a relatively clean inspection in 2015, “the next routine inspection would be in five years.” This deviation from policy suggests a failure to adhere to the very standards designed to protect residents in CDBG-designate areas.

The displacement of the Wesley units represents a betrayal of Evanston’s stated commitment to equity. Sixteen lives have been uprooted, leaving families traumatized and destabilized. Yet, with the exception of Council Member Clare Kelly, there was an appalling lack of advocacy from our elected officials, including those of color. These same officials rallied around Northwestern’s stadium project but failed to exhibit similar concern for the lives of these displaced residents. Their silence and inaction are unacceptable.

Restoring the Wesley Avenue homes and placing them in a land trust is a vital step to ensure these units remain affordable in perpetuity. This model offers a proven solution for preserving affordability, preventing displacement, and fostering community ownership. Without bold measures like this, we risk perpetuating a system that allows affordable units to disappear, driving out the very people who give Evanston its diverse character.

Evanston must not become a city that prioritizes corporate profits and unchecked development over the well-being of its residents. Envision 2045 must include clear, enforceable policies that protect affordability, address systemic inequities, and ensure accountability from developers. Otherwise, this initiative will reshape Evanston into a city that is unaffordable and inaccessible to most, permanently altering its demographic and cultural fabric.

I urge you to stand with the residents of Evanston and demand a plan that places people before profits. Contact the mayor and city council, the time to act is now. Together, we must ensure that Envision 2045 reflects the values of equity, affordability, and inclusion—not a future of displacement and inequity.