1. Dream Team for Community Change
Collaborating for Equitable Housing in Kalamazoo, Michigan

2. The Innovation Grant
$20,000 innovation grant from the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE)
Additional $10,000 from MDCR for Racial Equity training at the City of Kalamazoo
Direct investment from City of Kalamazoo & KZCF

3. our goals
Build and deepen relationships between government and community organizations
Connect government, non-profit and community organizing processes, information, and resources
Racial equity framework for local government, including engagement and plan development for Housing and Urban Development required plans – the Consolidated Plan and Analysis to Impediments to Fair Housing.

4. The partnership Michigan Department of Civil Rights
Fair Housing Center of Southwest Michigan
Interfaith Strategies for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC)
Kalamazoo Community Foundation (KZCF), Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT)
City of Kalamazoo, Community Planning & Development

5. The process
Survey on housing issues, including discrimination knowledge and experiences
Review of recent community engagement data
Focus groups for specific identity groups
Engagement with providers, decision makers and housing advocates
ACS and other available data

6. The Process

7. challenges
Different expertise/experience often means different language
Unique challenge of being people of color working to end inequalities while simultaneously experiencing them
Community mistrust of key institutions – impact on partnership
Tension between institutional rules, regulations & processes vs community needs
Community partners/community eager for the outcomes of report

8. Lessons learned Be prepared for opposition & critique
We are automatic translators
Use group agreements and other tools to help build trust and prioritize relationships
Take time to share decision making
Clarify and re-clarify shared purpose and roles
Don’t underestimate time and staffing needs
Reaching higher levels of transparency isn’t always easy

9. successes Partnerships like this CAN work
Relationships of trust are key when community challenges and crisis arise
Creation of shared ownership in solutions vs finger pointing
Collective thinking generates best ideas
External work can lead to internal shifts in our organizations around racial equity
Community members impacted the most came to share their powerful voices and stories for change

10. Questions