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Worker-Owned Cooperatives are Building Their Own Investment Network

Oscar Perry Abello

January 28, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States

Cooperatives are getting the funding they need through a “nationwide network of loans funds and incubators that specialize in supporting and investing in cooperative businesses.” Coops lack access to traditional funding and are typically member funded. The new source of funding has allowed historically marginalized Black and Hispanic communities the opportunity to create coops where workers share ownership equally.

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St. Louisans Mapped Monuments of Their City, and Uncovered Surprising Connections

Lyndsay Knecht

January 27, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

When the Public Iconographies project asked people in St. Louis "how would you map the monuments of St. Louis?", it got 750 hand-drawn maps telling stories of often-overlooked sites throughout the city. By letting people from the community determine what is important, the project ended up with a data-filled report channeling freeform responses. They included the spot where a Ferguson police officer killed Michael Brown, the site of a 1917 race riot, and Cahokia Mounds, a pre-Columbian site in the city. The project formed a counterpoint to efforts to remove problematic symbols, like a Columbus statue.

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Michigan's New Clean-Slate Law Makes State a Leader in Criminal Justice Reform

Roshan Abraham

January 27, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Michigan

A new law in Michigan will automatically expunge misdemeanors and felonies after several years, making it easier to find employment for those who have a record. The automatic nature of the expungement removes the barriers of cost and time for successfully completing the long application process. A clean slate makes it easier for people to improve their lives through better housing and higher pay, leading to lower rates of recidivism.

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Tiny House ‘Villages' for People Experiencing Homelessness Spreading Across the Country

Jared Brey

January 26, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Wilmington, North Carolina

A successful tiny home community in Missouri is inspiring a doctor-nurse duo to establish one in Wilmington, North Carolina. The idea took hold after they realized that chronic homelessness had a huge impact on health which led to frequent, preventable ER visits. Eden Village is supportive, permanent housing that residents can stay in forever as long as they abide by some rules.

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Baltimore is Democratizing the Economy, One Pint at a Time

Oscar Perry Abello

January 26, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

A worker-owned cooperative in Baltimore is giving employees an “alternative to exploitation in traditionally-structured enterprises.” Employees at ice cream maker Taharka Brothers can eventually qualify for ownership, which enables them to weigh in on big decisions and share in profits when the business does well.

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A Florida Study Showed How to Save Energy at Home. Why Aren't More Cities and States Following Suit?

Chad Small

January 21, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Florida

A pilot energy retrofit project in Florida has shown that these upgrades for homeowners ultimately saves them money and energy, and can be made accessible to people from all types of socioeconomic backgrounds. This private-public partnership retrofitted 56 single-family homes, some with “shallow” retrofits like LED lightbulbs and smart plugs and some with “phased deep” retrofits like energy-efficient windows and air conditioners. The program showed that all participants saved energy and could be scaled to other states.

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What Happened When Activists Took Over Vacant Homes in Los Angeles

Maansi Shah

January 21, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Vacant homes owned by the state of California were occupied in protest by activists in Los Angeles who want to bring attention to the homelessness crisis. Known as the Reclaim and Rebuild Our Community collective, the activists’ stance is “homes should be used to house the City’s growing homeless population.” As a result of the tactic, 25 homes have been successfully transferred to the Los Angeles Housing Authority.

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When Drivers are in the Drivers' Seat for Taxi and Ride-Hail Companies

Oscar Perry Abello

January 21, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States

Driver cooperatives are providing an alternative for gig workers who use ride-hailing apps to make a living. Though the pay isn’t high, drivers are paid fairly for the time they spend working, have stable schedules and employment, and know their complaints and suggestions will be heard and implemented.

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The Sausage-Making to Revive a Black-owned Sausage Factory in New Orleans

Oscar Perry Abello

January 14, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Community land trusts typically provide affordable housing but now one is responsible for the revival of a family business in New Orleans. Commercial community land trusts are emerging as viable solutions for tenants being displaced by higher rents as well as the revitalization of historically Black centers of commerce. Commercial land trusts are an avenue for the Black community to have “economic self-determination.”

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A Tiny Public Housing Authority Offered Residents the Vaccine. Could Others Follow Suit?

Jared Brey

January 12, 2021 |

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Response Location: United States, Central Falls, Rhode Island

A small public housing authority in Rhode Island took the initiative to develop a methodology to administer the COVID-19 vaccine once the city began to offer the vaccine publicly. While a significant number of the residents had signed up to receive the vaccine, this number increased after the mayor and mayor-elect were publicly vaccinated at the site.

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