Evanston’s Reparations Committee unanimously voted Thursday to amend the Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program to add direct cash payments as a fourth option for residents who were directly impacted by redlining in the city.
The committee also unanimously voted to explore the development of a cash payment program separate from the housing program.
Committee members Bonnie Lockhart and Claire McFarland Barber were not in attendance for the virtual meeting held on March 16.
The housing program allows those who apply and are chosen at random by a lottery to decide between three options on spending the $25,000 grants: purchasing a home, mortgage payments or up to $10,000 to be used toward home improvement projects with the remainder going toward one of the other two options.
Issues arose with the program when two siblings, Kenneth and Sheila Wideman, were chosen in the first round lottery but are renters and did not want to use their funds for the outlined options. The committee voted during its March 2 listening session to allow the pair to receive direct cash payments.
The reparations committee is applying the term “ancestors” to those Evanston residents who were at least 18 years old between 1919 and 1969 when the real estate industry practiced redlining. They are the first group being served reparations by the city. They are typically older residents and some have died waiting for the funding they applied for.
“If we’re forcing people to wait in line, the more time passes we’re losing more ancestors. We’re losing more seniors. We’re losing more folks who deserve this payment now,” Councilmember Devon Reid said. “The direct cash payment amendment, that fourth option, allows those folks to get their benefit in expedited time.”
Once the ancestor group has been served, the committee plans to move on to descendants, those who are direct living relatives of an ancestor who experienced redlining.
The committee has received pushback from residents who say Black Evanstonians who qualify should be able to use the money however they so choose. The program was designed to help those who qualify more easily reach homeownership in order to build wealth through property.
“We do have a program that was designed by community input that happened already,” Committee Member Robin Rue Simmons said. “If we can get to a path forward on the over 100 ancestors that we know we are losing … I think that is going to be in the best interest. You’ve (Devon Reid) made it very clear, and some others in the community, that a cash benefit standalone program is desired and we can do that work to accomplish that.”
Some have been hesitant to move forward with cash payments due to concerns about the tax implications but Reid said making adjustments just for those who don’t fit into the mold for housing in the current program doesn’t make sense unless it were to be added as an option for all.
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“Either we’re willing to amend this program in a substantial way, which is to allow for direct cash payments and recognize that direct cash payments can also build generational wealth and help close the wealth gap and folks can make those decisions themselves how that money is spent,” Reid said. “Or we’re saying ‘no, this program is rigid and this program has a specific purpose so we’re going to leave the program as it is.'”
The Reparations Committee is scheduled to meet again on April 6. Members plan to further discuss the direct cash payment program.