The Alliance for Health Equity is pleased to share our first edition newsletter for June 2021. Please send any opportunities, resources, or events to Lucy Peterson to be included in an upcoming newsletter. Thank you for your continued partnership!
Alliance for Health Equity Upcoming Committee and Workgroup Meetings
- Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Committee Meeting – Tuesday, June 8, 9:30 – 11:00 am
If you would like to attend an AHE committee or workgroup meeting, please email Lucy Peterson at Lucy.Peterson@iphionline.org
Opportunities
- Advocate Aurora job openings—position descriptions
- Program Leader—The Program Leader will assist with the Imani Village Summer and Fall programs. This person will be responsible for leading a team of 6-8 “Green Health Advocates” who will be responsible for promoting the health of people and nature on Chicago’s South Side. Deadline June 7th
- Associate Program Leader—The Associate Program Leader will assist the Program Leader with the Imani Village activities and with the management of the “Green Health Advocates”. Deadline June 7th
- Greater Chatham Initiative—position description
- FoodLab Coordinator—The FoodLab Coordinator will work in Avalon Park, Auburn Gresham, Chatham, and Greater Grand Crossing. They will be responsible for helping oversee the successful execution and completion of FoodLab Chicago’s project and activities that are consistent with FoodLab Chicago’s theory of change.
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)—position description
- Peer Specialist Apprentice—A Peer Specialist is an individual with the lived experience of recovery who has been trained to help others by providing support as they move forward in their own wellness journey. DBSA is seeking interested individuals to participate in their apprentice program and be trained as peer specialists. Deadline June 11th
- CHI+ILLINOIS Young Famers Coalition (ChIYFC or Chillinois)—leadership team
- ChIYFC is the northern Illinois Chapter of National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC). The chapter has been traditionally governed by an equal distribution of farmers, with voting power within a board of invested active farmers and farm advocates. As part of its restructuring, the group is hoping to identify a four-person leadership team of:
- 2 (or more) active farmers, 8-10 hours monthly commitment
- 2 agriculture advocates, 8-10 hours monthly commitment
- In addition, they are seeking committed board members to attend monthly meetings. Those interested in any of these positions should email: chillinoisfarmers@gmail.com.
- ChIYFC is the northern Illinois Chapter of National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC). The chapter has been traditionally governed by an equal distribution of farmers, with voting power within a board of invested active farmers and farm advocates. As part of its restructuring, the group is hoping to identify a four-person leadership team of:
- Healthy Communities Foundation (HCF) 2021 Grant Cycle is open Funding is available only for specific regions of the city. Learn more about the application criteria on the HCF website. Questions may be directed to Gillian Knight, gknight@hcfdn.org. Deadline June 18th
- USDA Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) now open $76.9 million is available for FMLFPP. Projects under the Farmers Market Promotion Program support direct-to-consumer markets like farmers markets and CSAs. Projects under the Local Food Promotion Program supports indirect-to-consumer markets like food hubs and value-added product incubators. Deadline June 21
- FY 2020 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs The Economic Development Administration provides economically distressed communities and regions with comprehensive and flexible resources to address a wide variety of economic needs, including construction, non-construction, planning, technical assistance and revolving loan fund projects. Deadline ongoing
- USDA announces historic FSA Debt Relief payment process for socially disadvantaged producers As part of the American Rescue Plan, the USDA will send out a letter to all eligible direct loan borrowers with a Notice of Available Funding (NOFA) and instructions on how to accept payments. See USDA’s FAQs for more information.
- CFPAC is seeking partners to complete the Chicago Food Access Survey The purpose of the survey is to assist the Chicago Food Access Team in collecting stories of food access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to highlight and bring awareness about organizations that have put worked diligently to provide food access to residents and community members throughout the City of Chicago.
- IL Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has developed a toolkit for small businesses, workers and residents The toolkit contains links to grants and other resources.
Resources
- Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) has launched their Food Access Map In partnership with the Thierer Foundation, GCFD created this database with the goal of making the process of finding food assistance as easy as possible. Quick resource guides in English and Spanish and the Find Food Flyer are available for partners.
- Statewide rental assistance resources compiled by Housing Action Illinois The allocation for rental assistance programs in Illinois is $834,709,843 and funds have begun to be distributed. Statewide rental assistance is now available and the deadline for applications is June 14th.
- NLIHC has launched an Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Resource Hub, Dashboard, and Program Table to monitor trends, facilitate resource sharing, and help renters access emergency rental assistance.
- Misdirected Housing Supports: Why the Mortgage Interest Deduction Unjustly Subsidizes High-Income Households and Expands Racial Disparities Authored by NLIHC and the Institute for Economic and Racial Equity (IERE) at Brandeis University, this report examines who is likeliest to benefit from the $25 billion annual tax expenditure on the mortgage interest deduction (MID) and finds that most benefits flow to higher-income, disproportionately white homeowners.
- The City of Chicago has opened COVID vaccines to anyone 12 years of age or older Options for registering for vaccine appointments including guidelines for registration are available on the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) website.
- Solutions & Challenges for Children’s Mental Health in the COVID-19 Pandemic This infographic published by the NIHCM Foundation highlights the challenges and the opportunities to improve the mental health system and support children’s mental health going forward.
- Chicago Grows Food has developed a list of educational materials for farmers Information for both home-based growers and small urban agriculturists is provided.
- Addressing the Growing Overdose and Addition Epidemic This NIHCM webinar recording discusses solutions to reduce overdose rates, with a focus on efforts to expand access to evidence-based recovery programs.
- Achieving Health Equity: What’s Next? This NIHCM webinar recording is part of the “Stopping the Other Pandemic: Systemic Racism and Health” series. This particular webinar focuses on key public health issues that harm health in America’s Indigenous, Black, and Latinx communities, in addition to solutions. All the webinar recordings from the series can be accessed here.
Events
The Virtual National Health Equity Summit
Monday, June 7th-Thursday, June 10th—Virtual
This free virtual summit will be hosted by Global Health Care, LLC with support from several national public health partners. To learn specific details about the agenda and speakers, please visit the event website.
Register here
Community Research Council Meeting #2
Tuesday, June 8th, 9:30-11:30am—Virtual
Partners with expertise in food or housing insecurity are encouraged to join and share thoughts on community-based approaches to address housing, food insecurity/access, and equity during the pandemic and beyond. Input gathered will be used to develop research questions for the Community Research Agenda, which is based on priority areas identified by Healthy Chicago 2025. See the flyers (English and Spanish) and notes from the first meeting for more details.
Register here
Men’s Health Virtual Pop-up
Saturday, June 12th, 10am-2pm—Virtual
Hosted by Access Community Health Network, this event will feature talks on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, prevent chronic diseases, and more. Sessions will focus on prostate cancer, diabetes management and weight loss, substance abuse and housing, physical fitness, healthy eating and cooking, stroke prevention, and mental wellness. The event will finish with a Q&A.
See flyer for meeting link
Civic Engagement and Civic Infrastructure to Advance Health Equity
Monday, June 14th-Tuesday, June 15th—Virtual
This free, virtual conference will be hosted by NASEM and will examine the relationship between civic engagement, population health, and health equity in the U.S. The agenda with more detailed information on available sessions can be accessed here.
Register here
Urban Growers Collective (UGC) June Workshops
June 2021—In-Person
UGC is offering several in-person workshops in June that are open to the public on: Orchard Care & Pruning, Compost & Vermicompost, Medicinal Plant Walk, and Harvesting & Post-Harvest Handling. Please see their website for specific dates & times and links to registration.
National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery: Alternatives 2021
Thursday, July 8th and Saturday, July 10th
Thursday, July 15th and Saturday, July 17th
The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery is excited to announce the 35th annual Alternatives Conference, to be held virtually over four non-consecutive days. To learn more about the workshops listed by topic, please see their website.
Register here
Mobility is Justice
Friday, July 16th, 12-1:30pm—Virtual
This event will be hosted by Equiticity, UIC, and MPC and will focus on the firsthand experiences from disadvantaged job seekers and job coaches to understand workers’ life experiences and the role transportation plays in their ability to obtain and maintain employment.
Register here