Annual Report - Impact for Equity

our 2021 Impact

Though 2021 brought significant challenges, BPI advocated with a fierce commitment to racial, social, and economic justice. We achieved victories in several longstanding BPI priorities:

The creation of a community oversight ordinance for the Chicago Police Department that serves as a national model and holds great promise.

The installation of the Ida B. Wells monument in the Oakwood Shores community.

Expansion of access to higher education in prison.

Meaningful support of the Altgeld-Riverdale Early Learning Collaborative and preparation to transition it to a truly community-led coalition.

We work to get to the core of problems and address them in a way that produces long-term change, shifting the balance of power towards equity.

Police Accountability

In July 2021, we celebrated the Chicago City Council’s passage of a transformative ordinance to empower Chicago communities in building public safety in Chicago. The Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance represents many years of work by the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA) and Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), two broad-based community coalitions.

Housing

As a member of the Ida B. Wells Monument Committee and fiscal sponsor of this project, BPI proudly participated in the unveiling of the monument in June 2021. Created by sculptor Richard Hunt, the memorial honoring renowned journalist and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells stands in the center of Oakwood Shores, the new mixed income community on the former site of the Ida B. Wells public housing development.

Criminal Legal System

Stable housing is also imperative for reentry success, but returning residents face several obstacles that limit their ability to find a home. Unlocking Reentry Housing: Keys to Building Collaborative Tenant-Based Voucher Programs, a report released by BPI in 2021, presents the Partnership for Housing Access findings. This 18-month pilot program involving carceral and housing system stakeholders and reentry advocates provided returning residents in Cook County with tenant-based vouchers and supportive services to help them obtain affordable housing and settle into their neighborhoods.

History of the Altgeld-Riverdale Learning Coalition

2022

The Coalition celebrates ten years and prepares for a shared leadership structure and a more active community role in the leadership of the Coalition.

2021

The Coalition is accepted into the Collaboration Institute and engages in planning for its future, including a focus on sustainability and governance, to ensure its longevity.

Despite the challenging environment, the Altgeld Riverdale Early Learning Coalition helped fill over 80% of the pre-k slots in the community. That’s a higher percentage of filled slots than #Chicago's avg and higher than 78% of the rest of the city's community areas.

— BPI (@BPIChicago) November 8, 2021

2020

In response to the pandemic, the Coalition shifts its meetings to virtual platforms and focuses on the immediate and public health needs of the community.

Equity in Education in the Time of COVID-19: Two Local Perspectives

2019

Trauma Counseling Offers Support for Pre-K and Kindergarten Students in Altgeld-Riverdale

2018

A Community Effort to Support the Transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten

2017

Significant Improvements Slated for Altgeld Gardens – BPI Chicago

2016

Early Learning Coalition Brings Science Enrichment to Altgeld-Riverdale Kids

2015

Altgeld-Riverdale Innovation Zone Praised at State Conference

2014

Community-Powered Early Learning Collaboration in Altgeld-Riverdale

Celebrating Two Years of The Altgeld-Riverdale Early Learning Coalition

2013

In 2013 the Coalition launched The Community Beat, a web portal for the Altgeld-Riverdale community. Coalition members were partners in its creation, had their own pages, and contributed to the community calendar.

2012

In May 2012, a kick-off meeting Altgeld-Riverdale Early Learning Coalition formally launched with the mission to “build a comprehensive community infrastructure that ensures that all children (ages 0-8) within the Altgeld-Riverdale area are on track to succeed by the third grade.” The Coalition included 6 Schools and Pre-K Centers, CPS, CHA, Resident and Community Organizations, Social Service agencies, Faith-Based organizations, TCA Health Clinic (federally qualified health clinic on-site), Property Management, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, City of Chicago DFSS and the Chicago Police Department Fifth District. The Coalition also worked with the Health and Wellness Collaborative (working to increase healthy food options and exercise); the Altgeld-Riverdale Consortium (focusing on youth and overall community safety); and Catholic Charities Roseland Doula/Home Visiting Program.

2010

BPI, drawing on its focus on education and on new research supporting the importance of early learning for brain development, decides to focus on early learning at Altgeld Gardens. BPI conducts intensive interviews with dozens of people and organizations in the Altgeld community to gauge interest in a coalition focused on young children.

While CHA Nears Key Milestone, More Work Remains

2009

BPI issues mid-course report on the Plan for Transformation; in response, CHA asks BPI to work with CHA to develop a strategy to improve conditions at Altgeld Gardens.

2008

BPI begins interviews with Altgeld community members to learn about issues facing the community.