2000 Best Practice Awards
Program and Geographical Winners: Illinois
Best Practice: Teen Town Talk
Chicago Teens Meet to Discuss Discrimination
Aurora.
Teen Town Talk provided HUDs Chicago office an opportunity to work
with the city of Aurora to change the attitudes of Auroras future
leaders. With Teen Town Talk as the forum, students from East Aurora, West
Aurora and Hinsdale high schools discussed their personal experiences with
discrimination and the impact of discrimination and fair housing on education,
their social life and employment. HUD and the citys Division of Neighborhood
Redevelopment also took advantage of the opportunity to educate this diverse
group of students about fair housing laws. Other community groups, such
as the John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic and the ASPIRA
Associations Spanish Translation Service, facilitated discussions
and information sessions.
Contact: Brenda Sue Shavers, Phone: (312)
353-6236 Ext. 2511
Tracking Number: 1164
Winning Category: Geographical and Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: 2000 Community Development and
Empowerment Series
Training Initiative Empowers Housing Development
Organizations in Chicago
Chicago.
The 2000 Community Development and Empowerment Series is a training and
certification program for Chicagos community-based housing development
organizations. The programs curriculum includes classes in technical
development skills and strategies for community empowerment and investment.
Representatives from Home Investment Partnerships community housing
development organizations, Chicagos HUD office and city agencies have
participated in the program. The program was made possible with funding
from the Chicago Rehab Network, Office of Community Planning and Development
of the HUD Illinois State Office, Bank One and Bank of America. To date
the program has positively impacted the surrounding community. Twelve new
housing development organizations were established and 619 units of affordable
housing were made available.
Contact: Kevin Jackson, Phone: (312) 663-3936
Tracking Number: 868
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Chicago Rents Rights Collaboration
Collaboration Promotes Understanding between
Landlords and Tenants
Chicago.
The Chicago Rents Rights Collaboration brings together approximately 15
organizations representing landlords, tenants and other entities involved
in the housing industry. Through education, the collaboration fosters a
positive relationship between tenants and landlords. The collaboration offers
a variety of services, including educational programs on the Chicago Residential
Landlord and Tenant Ordinance and informational brochures on the rights
and responsibilities of tenants and landlords. A training program for aldermanic
staff on landlord and tenant issues is offered as well. In addition to creating
a media-marketing plan, the Chicago Rents Rights Collaboration has also
established a landlord-tenant hotline. The hotline is programmed to answer
frequently asked questions and offers referral services for more complex
questions. During the first month of operation, the hotline answered 20,000
telephone calls.
Contact: Elise Mann, Phone: (312) 747-5706
Tracking Number: 2452
Winning Category: Geographical
Best Practice: Client Resource Room
Resource Room Brings Housing Services to
Clients Fingertips
Chicago.
CHAC Inc., which runs the Section 8 program for Chicago, established the
Client Resource Room as a "one-stop shopping" information center
on housing and related services. The resource room grew out of a need for
human services program participants to have a place to access information,
write a resume, place calls about potential jobs or make appointments to
view housing. Today, the Resource Room serves Section 8 applicants and residents
as well as landlords, owners and CHAC staff. The room offers information
on things like neighborhood and community demographics, education and job
opportunities, childcare, human services, maps, landlords and available
housing. Visitors can access telephone, computer and Internet services,
and seek the assistance of a full-time resource specialist. With a client
base of 26,000 families, 10,500 owners and 200 staff, the Resource Room
served almost 6,700 people between May 1999 and March 2000.
Contact: Kathleen Trainor, Phone: (312) 986-9400
Ext. 4653
Tracking Number: 2819
Winning Category: Program (Public and Indian Housing)
Best Practice: HUD Continuing Education Courses
at Great Lakes Center
Center Teaches HUD Clients about Environmental
Principles
Chicago.
The Great Lakes Center for Occupational and Environmental Safety and Healtha
nonprofit arm of the University of Illinois School of Public Healthoffers
environmental courses to HUD clients. Community Development Block Grant
recipients and public housing authorities are required to meet environmental
standards and the environmental education courses at the Great Lakes Center
fill the need for educational opportunities in the Chicago area. The effort
is unique in its emphasis on classroom learning, using case studies and
classroom exercises to demonstrate the practical application of environmental
principles. Topics have included Orientation to Environmental Assessments,
Energy Performance Contracting, and the Nuts and Bolts of Brownfield Redevelopment.
In the last seven years, approximately 700 persons from HUD, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkely National Laboratories,
and the city of Chicago have attended training courses at the center. User
fees and tuition provide funding for the training program, while members
of participating agencies also donate their time. The continuing education
courses have received excellent evaluations from the participants, and word-of-mouth
publicity keeps the classrooms full.
Contact: Eugene Goldfarb, Phone: (312) 353-1696
Ext. 2727
Tracking Number: 230
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Lead-Based Paint Initiative
Partnership Ensures Compliance with Lead-Based
Paint Notification Requirements
Chicago.
Chicagos Lead-Based Paint Initiative is a cooperative effort among
federal and local government agencies to ensure that property owners and
real estate agents comply with tenant notification requirements regarding
lead-based paint. The goal of the project is to reduceand ultimately
eliminatelead poisoning among Chicago children by changing the practices
of those who rent to families. Staff from HUD, the EPA and the U.S. Department
of Justice work together on the initiative, along with the Chicago Department
of Public Health and the city of Chicago. The agencies perform field investigations
and reviews, analyze data, subpoena documents, and, where problems exist,
propose remedies and settlements. The project has succeeded in heightening
awareness of lead-based paint issues among Chicagos building owners
and real estate agents.
Contact: Charles Williams, Phone: (312) 353-6236
Ext. 2618
Tracking Number: 2875
Winning Category: Program (Office of General Counsel)
Best Practice: Midwest Community Builder Section
103 Training Manual
Ethics Training Manual Helps HUD Employees
Deliver Better Service
Chicago.
Two Chicago HUD staff persons, Lewis M. Nixon and Elisa J. Yochim, developed
the Midwest Community Builder Section 103 Training Manual as an ethics training
manual to help colleagues better understand disclosure limitation requirements
in effect during the SuperNOFA (Notice of Funding Availability) selection
process. The manual was initially distributed to Midwest Community Builder
Fellows and other area HUD employees involved in the selection process.
It eventually went to all HUD field employees. Mr. Nixon also conducted
training based on the manual. Beneficiaries gained an understanding of the
reasoning behind statutory and regulatory requirements concerning non-disclosure.
By clarifying the requirements and the reasoning behind them, the manual
and training helps preserve the integrity of the SuperNOFA selection process
and ensures that clients receive quality service.
Contact: Elisa J. Yochim, Phone: (312) 353-6236
Ext. 2620
Tracking Number: 2928
Winning Category: Program (Office of General Counsel)
Best Practice: Kankakee Lead Safe Home Prevention
Program
Lead Hazard Renovations Improve Housing
in Kankakee
Kankakee.
Through the Kankakee Lead Safe Home Prevention Program, the city of Kankakee
has streamlined its approach to removing lead hazards in housing. By taking
advantage of an economy of scale, the city saves money in buying new windows
in bulk, often securing lower prices than what an individual contractor
would have to pay. The city relies on the health departments lead
screening program to identify lead-based paint hazards. Kankakees
lead hazard reduction treatment includes replacing windows; stabilizing
interior paint; and cleaning, painting and reinforcing porches. Emphasis
is placed on neighborhoods where many of the homes were built prior to 1978
or where a high percentage of children are found to have elevated blood
lead levels. To date, 113 homes have been renovated, and the number of children
with elevated blood lead levels has decreased significantly. Kankakee was
recently awarded new funding and named a sub-grantee of the State of Illinois
Department of Public Healths Lead Prevention Program and has been
allocated a grant in the amount of $392,184 to continue its work.
Contact: Steven Gordon, Phone: (815) 933-0506
Tracking Number: 806
Winning Category: Program (Office of Lead Hazard Control)
Best Practices: Lead-SAFE 2000
Madison County Educates Communities about
the Hazards of Lead Paint
Madison County. Madison County Community Development (MCCD), in collaboration
with the Madison County Health Department and the Madison County State's
Attorney's Office, unveiled Lead-SAFE 2000, Madison County's Childhood Lead-Based
Paint Hazard Control Program. This three-year comprehensive initiative has
opened dialogue among numerous organizations regarding lead-based paint
hazards and the associated health risks. This HUD-funded program conducts
risk assessments and clearances, contracts for lead hazard control activities
in low-income homes, and has an extensive community outreach and education
component. Lead-SAFE 2000 has provided lead hazard control assistance to
63 homes and distributed more than 7,000 informational program flyers. Most
communities in Madison County have been made aware of the program through
local media coverage and community bulletins.
Contact: Cheryl R. Jouett, Phone: (618) 692-8140
Tracking Number: 1322
Winning Category: Program (Office of Lead Hazard Control)
Best Practice: Community Builder/Public Trust
Officer Collaboration on HOPE VI/Section 3 in Peoria and Decatur, IL
Collaboration Assists HOPE VI and Section
3 Recipients in Adhering to Regulations
Peoria.
A community builder and a public trust officer have entered into a collaborative
working relationship on two HOPE VI developments in Illinois. They have
done so in a way which provides an opportunity for recipients of HOPE VI
funding to adhere to regulations and procedures related to both HOPE VI
and Section 3. The model has been almost completely implemented in Peoria
and is in the process of being replicated in Decatur. Based on agreements
reached with HOPE VI developers, 30% of the new hires on the development
projects will be Section 3 residents and 30% of the businesses will be Section
3 minority- and women-owned firms.
Contact: Robert Walsh, Phone: (312) 353-7776
Tracking Number: 2772
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
Best Practice: The Springfield Projects
Homeownership Program for Equity (HOPE)
Program Brings Vacant Homes to First-Time
Homeowners
Springfield.
The Springfield Project and Dominican Sisters of Springfield together developed
the Home Ownership Program for Equity (HOPE) to provide for the purchase
and rehabilitation of vacant homes in Springfield and assist residents in
obtaining financing to purchase new homes. In order to participate in HOPE,
prospective homeowners must take part in an educational and mentoring program
for new homebuyers. The program aims to identify individuals in the neighborhood
who have poorly drafted Contract for Deed (CFD) arrangements and match them
with volunteer attorneys who will provide them with the necessary legal
advise required to renegotiate these deeds. The program gives potential
homeowners a clearer understanding of the homebuying process. HOPE was implemented
in this Springfield neighborhood based on the statistics, which reveal that
only 28 percent of the residents in the neighborhood own their property
in comparison to 85 percent in other areas. HOPEs first property has
been rehabilitated and will be opened for inspection by Mayor Karen Harasa
in celebration of the first HOPE Home of the Millennium.
Contact: Mr. Leroy Smith, Phone: (217) 206-7688
Tracking Number: 1637
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Deborahs Place II Apartments
Housing Complex Provides Shelter for Homeless
Women
Chicago.
Deborahs Place II Apartments, a 39-unit permanent-housing complex,
provides affordable housing and a variety of other human services for the
homeless women of Chicago. The apartments fill an important need for affordable
housing in the area, as housing for low-income and homeless individuals
is disappearing due to demolition or conversion to high-rent apartments.
To help residents combat mental, emotional and physical disabilities, as
well as unemployment, substance abuse, physical or sexual abuse, and chronic
health problems, Deborahs Place works with Northwestern Memorial Hospital,
St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital and other medical centers to provide a full
range of medical and counseling services. Modeled after Washington Square
in Newport, New Jersey, the apartments and health program were made possible
with funding from HUDs Community Development Block Grant, the city
of Chicagos Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department
of Human Services, and the Supportive Housing Program.
Contact: Patricia Crowley, Phone: (773) 292-0707
Tracking Number: 810
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)
Best Practice: Mid-America Leader Foundation's
Community and Economic Development Program
Matched Savings Accounts Teach Families
the Value of Saving
Chicago.
Mid-America Leadership Foundations (MLF) Community and Economic Development
Program was established to help low-income families in impoverished communities.
The hope of homeownership gives the poor a stake in the futurea reason
to save, to dream, and to invest time, effort, and resources in creating
a future for themselves and their families. MLFs program addresses
these issues through matched savings accounts, financial literacy training,
workforce enhancement, and business opportunities. The matched savings accountscalled
Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)match participants savings
dollar for dollar up to $600 a year, for three years. Participants can only
use this match money for home purchase, post-secondary education, and business
start-up. A financial literacy course must be completed before match money
can be used. The course covers topics such as capitalism, materialism, values
and power, family financial security, debt management, insurance basics,
home purchase, investing and giving back. Participants must pass two quizzes,
a final exam and attend 10 of 12 sessions to complete the course. MLF utilizes
the Work Readiness Index designed by the Denver Workforce Initiative (DWI)
to assess a participants readiness to find and retain a job. This
tool provides feedback that offers strengths and weaknesses of an individual
that can be discussed with a "coach." In addition, MLF has business
mentors who are available to work with participants interested in starting
their own businesses. To date, 54 IDAs have been opened and more than $10,500
has been saved since May 1999. And, 261 people have benefited from at least
one of MLFs financial literacy classes.
Contact: Gary Nederveld, Phone: (312) 427-2017
Tracking Number: 2111
Winning Category: Program (Community Builder)
Best Practice: Center for Conflict Resolutions
Fair Housing Dispute Resolution Orientation
Dispute Resolution Helping to Resolve Fair
Housing Disputes
Chicago.
The Center for Conflict Resolution, an affiliated program of the Chicago
Bar Association, provides voluntary mediation services to the public. One
of the most efficient and promising developments in the nations fair
housing industry has been the increased use of alternative dispute resolution.
Since there is a large backlog of fair housing cases, this mediation program
helps reduce the number of cases in Chicagos judicial pipeline.
The center with the use of Community Development
Block Grant funding sponsored a volunteer mediation program entitled the
"Landlord/Tenant Mediation Program." In March 2000, the center
hosted an orientation for 20 program mediators. The purpose of the orientation
was to enable the mediators to further assist participants in fair housing
disputes so that they may come to workable understanding of their differences.
Maurice McGough, director of HUDs Chicago Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
office gave attendees a fifteen-minute overview of fair housing enforcement
The program was presented in cooperation with
other local nonprofits, including Access Living, Lawyer's Committee for
Better Housing and the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities.
Contact: Ed Sacks, Phone: (773) 871-4700
Tracking Number: 1499
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)
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