Evanston Reparations Program Applications Open For First Time

EVANSTON, IL — Applications opened Tuesday for the first initiative of Evanston's municipal reparations program, which offers grants to address the harm of discriminatory housing practices.

Black residents of Evanston between 1919 and 1969 and their direct descendants are eligible for up to $25,000 for mortgage assistance, home improvement or purchasing a home through the city's Restorative Housing Program.

The first-of-its kind Evanston Local Reparations program is funded through the first $10 million in revenue generated from a local 3 percent sales tax on the sale of recreational marijuana in the city under a plan approved in November 2019. The City Council in March allocated $400,000 of that revenue for the housing grant program.

Deputy City Manager Kimberly Richardson said during Monday's City Council meeting that city staff would accept applications for the program through Nov. 5.

"This process has been a couple years in the making," Richardson said. "And we'll continue to provide the community with community informational sessions on how they are able to apply to gain eligibility for the program."

Starting next week, city staff will be available during "reparations office hours" in the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center at 1655 Foster St. to discuss the application process from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Richardson announced.

Staff at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., will also be able to provide guidance on how to obtain the documents necessary to submit an application, she said.

After the initial application window closes in November, the city's Reparations Committee will determine their eligibility using program guidelines adopted by the City Council.

Under those guidelines, preference will be given first to those that qualify as an "ancestor" by living in the city prior to 1969, then to those that qualify as a "direct descendant," followed by those who experienced housing discrimination due to the city's policies or practices after 1969. All applicants must be at least 18 years old and of African-American ancestry.

Other than the preference for those who lived in Evanston more than 52 years ago, there are no other indications in the guidelines about how applications will be graded or how the committee will determine the first grant awards. The current program has enough funding for 16 grants at the maximum allocation.

Documentation is required for applicants to establish proof of residency in Evanston between 1919 — when aldermen established a zoning map — and 1969 — when the City Council strengthened a fair housing ordinance, the applicants relations to such a resident, or, for those who are neither ancestors nor their descendants, documentation of the city's policies or practices that discriminated against them, according to sample applications.

Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd Ward, chair of the Reparations Committee, said city officials hope to begin awarding grants in December. He said he looked forward to a longer debate next year about how to expand the program.

"We've been through the pageantry, we've had a number of meetings, and now we're down to the nuts and bolts," Braithwaite said. "By the end of the year, the goal is to be able to award the first repair reparation, and we're on track to to do that with a clear system in sight to make sure that it's successfully done and transparent."

More information and applications for the program are available on the city's Evanston Local Reparations website.

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