Economic Opportunity

WEBINAR SERIES| Asset-Mapping: A Strategy for Housing and Workforce Systems Collaboration

Employment success and housing stability go hand in hand. Although the public workforce and homeless service systems both serve homeless and unstably housed jobseekers, in many communities these systems work in silos. Heartland Alliance’s fall webinar series, Strategies for Workforce and Housing Systems Collaboration shines a light on strategies your community can use to bridge the gap between systems and ensure equitable pathways to employment and the income needed for housing stability.

Our first webinar of the series, Asset-Mapping: A Strategy for Housing and Workforce Systems Collaboration, will provide an overview of asset-mapping and how it can be used to deepen connections between homeless service and workforce services in your community. The webinar will feature the on-the-ground perspectives of systems leaders who have implemented asset-mapping strategies in their communities.

REGISTER HERE

 Panelists:             

Date: Wednesday, October 13th 2021
Time: 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM CDT (2:30 PM to 4:00 PM EST)
Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3139210568339585550

 

Sneak Peek into Research on Barriers to TANF Access in Illinois

By: Jamela Clark & Callie Kaplan

The Social IMPACT Research Center is exploring the barriers that families with young children in Illinois face in accessing cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and how racial inequity influences those barriers. Our partners co-leading this project are the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) and a research advisory board (RAB) made up of people who currently or used to receive TANF. This participatory action research project involves: learning about experiences of applying for and staying on TANF across the state through in-depth interviews; conducting a statewide survey among TANF caseworkers; and analyzing 12 years of TANF administrative data to explore gaps in access to TANF among different populations.

As a first step, we needed to understand the evolution of federal cash assistance policy that eventually led to the creation of the 1996 TANF policy. Additionally, we needed to understand the subsequent changes to federal TANF policy over time and the corresponding adjustments to the statewide implementation of TANF’s cash assistance program in Illinois. We created a timeline of policy events and changes since 1935 to contextualize our analysis. We believe that the historical context surrounding today’s TANF policy will be useful to other researchers, advocates, and policymakers. Check the timeline here.

In partnership with CCH, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the RAB, we plan to begin releasing our research findings over the next year – so keep an eye out to learn about the experience of Illinoisans seeking to bridge financial gaps with TANF cash benefits and our team’s recommendations on improving access and equity of cash assistance.

 

Project Funding: This project is funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Timeline Credit: This timeline was researched and developed by Emily Dobson.

New Impact Division

By Dr. Christian A. Friend, Chief Impact Officer

We are excited to announce that our research and policy team has merged with our program innovation team to form the newly created Impact Division. The new division is created to align to Heartland Alliance’s new strategic plan, increase connectivity between the division and Heartland Alliance’s program services, and create even more social impact at the institutional and systemic levels.

To develop the plan for this division, we gathered input from existing internal stakeholders, program participant voices, division team members, and program partners. We utilized this feedback to develop a new purpose statement for the division that advances the overall Heartland Alliance mission: Our purpose is to advance Heartland Alliance’s mission and vision of social, economic, and racial justice for people who have been denied it through research, data analysis, policy advocacy, program innovation, and field support. ​

To achieve this purpose, we have created a theory of change for the division that outlines this purpose as the ultimate impact of our work. In the short term, our desired outcomes are state and federal policy changes, dissemination of best and promising practices that advance justice, building public narratives that have equity and/or anti-racist lenses, improving programs and operations, and increasing the voice, choice, and power of marginalized people.

Our next step was to organize the division to achieve this purpose and implement the theory of change. We are now organized into three teams who will do the work to effect institutional and systemic change. Our Innovation and Practice Team, led by Jvani Cabiness, will house our external field support, consultation, technical assistance, and capacity-strengthening work while also providing program consultation and capacity-strengthening internally at Heartland Alliance. This team will also house our program innovation team, which will help develop and document innovative new services and processes. Our Policy and Advocacy Team, led by Rachel O’Konis Ruttenberg, will continue to create state-level legislative and administrative change. We envision a future where this team expands to do more federal policy advocacy work. Our Social IMPACT Research Center, led by Katie Buitrago, will continue to be a resource for non-profit partners, public agencies, and broad stakeholder groups by providing consultation and services in the areas of data analysis and management, policy research, program evaluation, and theory of change process facilitation and strategy management.

We are excitedly embracing this massive undertaking to help create a more socially, economically, and racially just society. Please take a moment to learn about the projects in this newsletter as examples of how our new division is already working to create more social IMPACT!

For an Equitable COVID-19 Economic Recovery, We Need Congress to Invest in Subsidized Jobs

Take Action: Tell your Members of Congress that to achieve an inclusive COVID-19 economic recovery, they must invest in subsidized jobs.   

“Many of us lost jobs; many of us got reduced pays.” That’s what Alexander, a 33-year-old Chicagoan who identifies as both Black and Latino, told us about the pandemic’s economic impact on him and his neighbors. When asked what would most benefit his community in response to COVID-19, Alexander’s answer is clear: “More jobs, more opportunities.” 

Alexander’s story is one example of what the state and national data have been telling us since the start of COVID-19: the pandemic and its recession have been devastating for people and communities of color. Those hardest hit by the pandemic’s economic fallout are the same groups of people who have been denied access to quality jobs and economic opportunity long before COVID-19: Black women, immigrants, indigenous people, young people of color, people with records, and people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.

The COVID-19 economic crisis shows what impacted people like Alexander have long known: jobs policy solutions must be rooted in equity and intentionally reach the would-be workers who need them most. These policy solutions must also address long-standing inequities in access to quality jobs and economic opportunity that are rooted in systemic racism and gender discrimination.

Subsidized jobs fit the bill. And it’s time for Congress to act.

Subsidized jobs offer would-be workers real, wage-paying jobs supported with public funds. Subsidized jobs strategies are proven to quickly connect people to work, earned income, training, and on ramps to economic opportunity. Over the last year, we’ve worked in partnership with advocates across the country to push for an equity-centered national subsidized jobs program to be part of COVID-19 economic recovery. And we’re seeing the results of our advocacy.   

Now, there’s a budget process moving in Congress that will shape the next recovery package. Congress has from now until September 15 to decide if subsidized jobs will or won’t be included in the package – and we’re hearing that unless we act now, workforce investments like subsidized jobs might be on the chopping the block. 

We can’t afford to lose our momentum, and we can’t afford to continue to leave behind would-be workers like Alexander and millions of others who are struggling to make ends meet. We need an economy that works for ALL.

We urge you to act now by letting Congress know that including subsidized jobs in the next recovery package matters to you, your community, and the would-be workers and businesses across your state. 

[Click the image below, fill in your information, and we will automatically create a letter for your Member(s) of Congress]

 

 

 

READI Chicago Promotes Successful Re-Entry Through Long-Term Support

READI Chicago works to reduce violence by connecting men with mental health supports and career development, but the most critical component of our success is less tangible: relationships and a system of support. Participants tell us that while they are initially attracted by the job opportunity, throughout their time in READI they come to value the support system and network of resources above all else. For returning citizens, this support system often makes the difference between recidivism and self-sufficiency.

“For people who are incarcerated and for people who have been released from prison, there are these unique challenges that we face,” Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had a strong network of people invested my success.”

Eddie and Fully Free Campaign Manager Marlon Chamberlain met to reflect on their individual re-entry journeys and explore the importance of having a support system in place prior to and throughout re-entry.
 

Find more information

Other Economic Opportunity resources:

Financial health of families and individuals: https://scorecard.prosperitynow.org/data-by-location

Land use: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/data/land-use/inventory

Other Education resources:

Early childhood education indicators: https://iecam.illinois.edu/mapviz/

Other Community Health resources:

Food security: https://map.feedingamerica.org/

Environmental pollutants: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-interactive-map

Access to parks: https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/2050/maps/parks

Violence reduction dashboard: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/vrd/home.html

Attorney General Merrick Garland, Sen. Dick Durbin Visit READI Chicago

For his first official visit since being appointed to lead the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland demonstrated his commitment to community safety and evidence-based violence interventions with a trip to READI Chicago.

Merrick Garland, U.S. attorney general, takes questions from members of the media before attending a listening session on reducing gun violence at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, July 22, 2021. Garland and the deputy U.S. attorney general today announced an initiative to reduce gun violence with a five cross-jurisdictional strike forces by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the United States. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Garland joined Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin at St. Agatha’s church in North Lawndale to hear from researchers, READI leadership and staff, participants, and community members about the effects of gun violence in our communities. Following two mass shootings within blocks of the church the night before, it was impossible to ignore the gravity of Chicago’s gun violence crisis.

 “We’re here today because the other half of this project [in addition to law enforcement] is relationships with the community,” Garland said at the beginning of the meeting, as quoted in USA Today’s coverage of the event. “We can’t hope to solve this problem without some of both.”

In this spirit, attendees demonstrated the ways READI combines evidence, relationships, and heart. Monica Bhatt of the University of Chicago Crime and Inclusive Economy labs gave an overview of the randomized control trial evaluating READI’s effectiveness at reducing shootings and homicides—so far, her team is seeing a 32% reduction in these kinds of violence for men who participate in READI Chicago, and a reduction of almost twice that for men who have relationships with READI prior to joining.

Staff from North Lawndale Employment Network and UCAN—the two community-based organizations that deliver READI programming in North Lawndale—talked with Garland and Durbin about what exactly they do to make those relationships so special, as well as how loss impacts the community. Still, they’re seeing hope.

“I have to think twice about if it’s safe to help my grandma with the groceries, and that isn’t right,” said one READI participant to the Attorney General. “I’m glad the country is paying attention to what’s happening, and to things that are working—like READI Chicago.”

Austin Welcome Week

After more than a year of virtual programming, READI Chicago has begun to welcome participants back to in-person cognitive behavioral interventions, paid work, and training opportunities. In Austin, READI community partners Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and Heartland Human Care Services dedicated an entire week to welcoming participants back.

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Samantha Smith, resource coordinator for READI’s Austin and West Garfield Park communities, said it was important to take a moment to celebrate participants and their wins after an especially challenging year.

Austin’s welcome week featured a resource and training event, where community partners set up stations to share potential training opportunities. Participants were commended for their attendance and accomplishments with individual awards, and the week culminated in an ice cream social.

Family Self Sufficiency: Connecting Families to the Child Tax Credit

“Everyone should have the ability to provide for and care for their families. The CTC will help all families succeed, from working families struggling with basic needs to middle-class families that need help with childcare and college savings.” – Jody Blaylock Chong, Associate Director of Heartland Alliance’s Impact Division.

If you want to strengthen communities, strengthen families first. That’s why we are dedicated to ensuring the safety and health of families through economic opportunity. Heartland Alliance sees the new Child Tax Credit as a critical tool for success in difficult times, and our social workers and policy advocates have been working tirelessly to ensure families are connected to these payments.

For people like Serena, a participant in our Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program, the CTC is welcome relief after a turbulent year. As a certified mediator and a mother of two, she had to navigate a digital world in both her professional life and the educational lives of her boys.

“You know, right now I definitely needed something to help me monthly. Work really slowed down over the year, and my family just made a new move,” said Serena. “This will help us make ends meet.”

But the rollout of the new tax credit has left confusion for many. When Serena saw a significant increase in her checking account from the US Government, she wasn’t sure if it was a new stimulus check or a mistake. Like many, Serena was hesitant to spend the cash at first.

Fortunately, she could reach out to her financial coach at the FSS program that same day.

“As soon as I could confirm with my case manager, I had such a huge sense of relief.”

Serena is using the direct cash payment to set her family up for success as we return to a new normal. With the boys going back to school – physically back to school – it’s time to buy some new clothes and supplies (along with perhaps some Hotwheels cars for the youngest). She’s also setting aside some of the payments in a savings account for her oldest, who is beginning college in the coming months.

“I remember when I started, that I was pretty alone. I’m setting some aside for him so he knows he’s supported.”

As the family moves forward into this brave new world, she knows she’s being supported as well. Her FSS supports have helped her navigate the pandemic financially, and even assisted her plans to become a professional mediator. Now, as people return to the real world and business picks up, Serena is confident that her family is on solid footing for whatever comes next.

“What I need, and what all of this work is bringing me towards, is more stability. It’s going to be an interesting few years, but I’m always up for the task.”

For parents who have yet to receive their CTC payments:

If you have children and have very little earned income or no earned income in 2020, you are likely eligible for the CTC, but you may need to take action in order to receive it! You can check if you’re enrolled in the advanced monthly CTC payments through the CTC Update Portal. And if you’re not enrolled, use the Non-Filer Sign-Up Tool on the IRS website as soon as possible to let the IRS know you are eligible for the advance payments. You can use this guide to help! The Get My Payment Illinois coalition is here to help – if you have any questions, call our free hotline at 888-553-9777.

 

Art in the Park: READI participants paint a mural in North Lawndale neighborhood

In the spirit of READI’s values and commitment to being bold, staff and participants came together in North Lawndale to erect a mural on St. Agatha’s church celebrating real talk, real hope, real love, and paying homage to the lives lost to gun violence.

READI Chicago teamed up with volunteers from the Chicago Sports Alliance and other community partners for an afternoon of art and appreciation. In addition to painting, food, and music, everyone showed up to celebrate the program’s efforts towards building safer communities and promoting opportunity for Chicagoans most likely to experience violence. The focus of the gathering was on painting a large mural designed and led by READI participants and artist Haman Cross III. 

The support of partners like the Chicago Sports Alliance—which supports participants with resources, but also through relationship-building and in-person engagements such as this one—are critical to the success of READI Chicago. Now, participants can take pride in knowing that not only are they helping create safer outcomes for themselves and their families—they are also helping to brighten up the city with new art.