Item A: Equity and Human rights Program Update

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Technology. The feedback will be used to help the department identify specific action items for the departmental level DESP plan. Communication/Engagement: Communicate openly, respectfully and effectively with the community. ? City Manager’s Office staff partnered with the Eugene Police Department to host several community listening sessions over the last year. These listening sessions helped provide a space for community members and police officers to gain a better understanding of each other’s experiences. ? The City’s Boards, Committees and Commissions recruitment process was recently reviewed and broadened to more accurately reflect our community, inviting community members to volunteer with the City. Recruitment for open positions on boards, committees and commissions was expanded to include new venues such as Craigslist, network trees, list-serves, panel presentations with opportunities for questions and answers, as well as traditional methods of recruitment such as outreach at City-sponsored events, Neighborhood Association participation, newspaper ads and posting to the City’s website. ? The Human Rights Commission and City Manager’s Office staff are developing systems and guidelines to ensure that complaints from community members regarding discrimination and harassment are accepted and receive a response. ? The City will use approximately $300,000 in funds from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to help encourage home ownership in areas hardest hit by foreclosures. The funds are targeted to help low- to middle-income residents buy and rehabilitate foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight in our community. ? Equity and Human Rights staff worked with the Neighborhood Survey team to make sure the survey was as accessible as possible (e.g. offering inclusive demographic options and Braille copies during the White Cane Day event). ? The Eugene Public Library system serves Eugene residents with more than 400,000 items in a variety of formats. Programming to children, and preschool children in particular, is a major service emphasis. The Library also refers patrons to local organizations and institutions that offer group and one-on-one tutoring in basic literacy, ESL (English as a Second Language) and classes in Adult Basic Skills such as reading, writing and math. Measurement/Accountability: Measure our performance to ensure our efforts effectively lead toward established goals. ? Departments are currently creating department-specific plans on equity and human rights and will present those to the Human Rights Commission and community in spring 2010. ? Equity and Human Rights staff and the Human Rights Commission participated in pilot groups that helped develop the Triple Bottom Line Tool (TBL), a project of the Sustainability Commission and Board. The Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan (DESP) will guide efforts to ensure that the City organization provides access, removes barriers, and is inclusive of all community members and employees. It provides useful tools that will help further incorporate the City’s core values into all of its work serving Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M091118\S091118A.doc