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Formerly Incarcerated Women Launch Worker-Owned Food Business During COVID-19

Oscar Perry Abello

May 14, 2020 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

ChiFresh Kitchen is a worker-owned cooperative that gives formerly incarcerated people an income, and a second chance, under a corporate structure that attacks high unemployment from the ground up. Formed as a catering business on Chicago's West Side just as the pandemic shutdown began, ChiFresh shifted its intended clientele from nursing homes and schools to food-relief programs distributing free meals. The co-op, initially formed by mostly black women with hopes of scaling up to about 100 worker-owners, echoes the sorts of enterprises formed in response to Jim Crow restrictions of the past.

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Washington D.C. Works to Fill a Gap in Treatment for Justice-Involved Individuals

Rikha Sharma Rani

May 14, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. is piloting an approach called Thinking for a Change to help break the cycle of recidivism. The approach itself has been around since 1997, and it brings together individuals involved in the justice system for facilitated small-group sessions on conflict resolution, social skills, and problem-solving. While still in the early phases in D.C, the approach has had demonstrable effects in other places, and early adopters in D.C. are pushing for more.

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Philadelphia Based Artists Fill the Walls With Hope, and Public Safety Know-How

Emily Nonko

May 13, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, a project called Fill the Walls With Hope has come together, pairing public art with hyper-local information. The initiative, which has collaborated with various local organizations, came together as a response to COVID-19 and the need to get out timely, factual public safety messaging. Run by volunteers, the project pays local, participating artists, and has been working with local news outlets to help creatively engage residents.

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A Virtual Landscape-Architecture Camp Introduces Girls to Careers They Didn't Even Know Existed

Jared Brey

May 13, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, South Bend, Indiana

An Indiana-based architect started a virtual camp for elementary school-aged girls focused on the lesser-known field of landscape architecture. The weekly virtual lessons work by explaining the career and concepts of landscape architecture through fun relatable activities, and feature lectures from women working in the field. The architect leading the camp hopes the camp will engage young girls to participate in their community and introduce them to a potential career, one which is in need of more diverse perspectives.

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Hoping for Federal Help, Cities Experiment with Rental Assistance

Jared Brey

May 12, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Many U.S. cities have responded to Covid-19 related layoffs by using a portion of the CARES Act funds to create local rent assistance programs that keep renters in homes and landlords generating income. For example, Dallas used $13.7 million from the CARES Act for a rent assistance program and within 26 hours they had 25,000 applicants, with about 10,000 meeting requirements and funds likely going to just 1,000 renters. States and cities do not have enough money to meet the demand for rent assistance and are urging the Federal Government to pass a recently introduced bill that will provide more funding.

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Las Vegas Mural Project Brings Color to Businesses Closed By Coronavirus

Sonja Swanson

May 08, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Las Vegas, Nevada

The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency is providing funding for businesses closed by COVID-19 to board up their windows with public art. Offering up to $2,000 per business, its purpose is to help support local artists who have become unemployed, and bolster public safety by discouraging break-ins. So far, more than 30 businesses have participated, with no mention of ending the program soon.

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How a Former Dry Cleaners Became a Cleveland Community Hub

Cinnamon Janzer

May 07, 2020 |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

PNC Fairfax Connection is a community center run by PNC Bank but separate from its corporate services. The center is free and accessible to all, was built with community-focused design, and seeks to build strong community ties. Programming is based on member input and ranges from social events to professional development resources. For example, over 400 residents attended a concert hosted by the center and another program helped six formerly incarcerated community members to secure employment with resume creation and interview preparation support. The center is currently closed due to Covid-19.

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Cooperative Connection Gets PPE from Appalachia to the Bronx

Oscar Perry Abello

May 05, 2020 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A home health care cooperative, based in NY, turned to a worker-owned cut and sew cooperative, based in NC, to produce masks for their employees when they were unable to source them elsewhere. The cost of masks and gloves became too high for Cooperative Home Care Associates, the largest worker-owned cooperative in the country. And hospitals and nursing homes were first in line for government assistance securing PPE. The textile cooperative has sent 500 more affordable and reusable masks a week for the home health workers and hopes to double that to 1000 per week soon.

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Minneapolis Launches Mental-Health Fund for COVID Stress Relief

Cinnamon Janzer

May 01, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

In Minneapolis, a collaboration between the Division of Race and Equity, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the city’s procurement department has helped establish an emergency mental health fund that aims to more equitably supply resources to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reimbursement-based fund provides clinical counselors with the financial support necessary to increase their caseloads and focus on "helping people of color, women, indigenous people, disabled people, and those who are undocumented."

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Community Development Lenders Turning to Fintech for a Boost During Crisis

Oscar Perry Abello

April 30, 2020 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

CNote has provided a source of funding for federally certified Community Development Financial Institutions by pooling cash from foundations, bigger banks, philanthropists, and donor-advised funds to counter the lack of available cash flow experienced by CDFIs, which are lenders but not banks. Federal COVID-19 funding set aside $30 billion specifically for CDFIs that overwhelmingly lend to women- and minority-owned businesses, which face persistent racial and gender biases and are unable to successfully tap into lending and grants such as the Paycheck Protection Program through traditional lenders.

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