A host of new data is showing an increase in diversity across the suburbs on a whole but many suburban communities still appear to be re-segregating. In some cities segregation is declining faster in the city than in the suburbs.

As this report notes, Affordable housing is limited in newer, affluent, and predominantly white suburb.  The report suggests greater enforcement of the Fair Housing Act is necessary to combat housing discrimination and segregation.

The report also details problems in education, noting that African American girls, in particular, face numerous challenges stemming from racism, sexism, and classism.

What can be done to combat racism and segregation?  The report suggests five general strategies:

• Raise awareness of racism
• Build skills for relationship-building
• Target patterns and practices in institutions
• Organize the community for action
• Further policy work, including research and development

The full report can be read here.

See what BRHC is doing to combat segregation and lack of access to affordable housing in the region here

Arindrajit Dube, the author, makes the following argument:

• The federal minimum wage peaked in 1968 at $10.68 per hour in 2013 dollars. This represented 55% of the median full-time wage, in contrast to today’s $7.25 representing 37% of median full-wage income.
• Due to legislative inaction, inflation-adjusted minimum wages have decreased in both relative and absolute terms since that time.
• Over three-quarters of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, support raising the minimum wage to at least $9 an hour. Voters in Nevada and Florida recently voted to raise their state minimum wage and legislators in Vermont recently voted to index theirs to inflation.
• The best existing evidence shows that raising the minimum wage will hardly hurt employment; a 10% increase in wage could be expected to lead to between 1-3% decrease in employment. The group most heavily impacted by this change is teenagers.
• A recent panel on President Obama’s proposed increase to the minimum wage found that 47% of panelists supported the policy and only 11% opposed it.

Read more about the work CPHA is doing to combat the neighborhood divide through efforts such as the Opportunity Collaborative.

As the Baltimore Sun recently noted, the curfew is opposed by both the ACLU and the Baltimore chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, They argue the curfew creates tension between police and youths  and diverts the attention of law enforcement personnel from other tasks.

However, proponents of the curfew advocate for reform that will nonetheless ensure that youths are indoors after a certain hour. District 2 City Councilman Brandon Scott has introduced legislation that would impose an earlier curfew based on criteria such as age (teenagers are distinguished from children) and whether school is in session.  His bill would make the following changes to the curfew law:

• Create a year-round 9pm curfew for children younger than 14.

• Impose a 10 pm school nights and 11 pm weekend and summer curfew for teenagers aged 14-16.

• Create certain special exemptions based on religious, school, or recreational events.

The City Council Public Safety Committee will hear proposed changes to the youth curfew policy:

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 5:00pm
5:00 PM Du Burns Council Chamber, 4th floor, City Hall
100 N Holiday St Baltimore, MD 21202

See changes and updates to the schedule by visiting the City Council’s legislative calendar here.

Click here for information on how to offer oral or written testimony.

West Baltimore CARE invites you to Health Literacy and Plain Language in Community Health Settings, a free workshop for all health professionals who care for patients in the West Baltimore Health Enterprise Zone (HEZ) or are partners of the HEZ.

Literacy plays an important role in a patient’s ability to follow instructions given by a health professional. Patients with low literacy often are mislabeled as “non-adherent” or “non-compliant” when they simply do not understand the instructions presented. Join West Baltimore Care as we learn techniques for effectively communicating health concepts verbally and in writing.

The workshop will be held:

Tuesday, December 17, 2013 9:00 – 10:30 AM
Community Works 1st floor meeting room
26 N. Fulton Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21223

Register by Friday, December 13 by clicking here.

“Creating jobs and spurring new investments in Baltimore has to be a top priority and this strategic plan provides a clear roadmap for our city,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “The new strategic plan will provide specific recommendations to create jobs, attract investment, and revitalize Baltimore’s neighborhoods—the key components of economic growth.”

The planning process will include input from city residents, business owners, community leaders and other stakeholders through a variety of opportunities, including, but not limited to, public meetings, targeted small-group discussions, and an on-line survey.

The strategic planning process will be led by a team from AngelouEconomics. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, AngelouEconomics has helped the cities of Austin, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati to develop similar economic development strategic plans.

“This process is the city’s chance to take stock of its existing conditions, chart its future, articulate its aspirations, and then commit to focusing its resources accordingly,” says Donald C. Fry, President & CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee and a member of the selection committee.

Community forums, facilitated by CPHA, will be held on the following dates and at the following locations:

Tuesday, December 3rd 6-8pm
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
1400 W. Cold Spring Lane

Wednesday, December 4th 6-8pm
Southeast Anchor Library
3601 Eastern Avenue

Saturday, December 7th 10am-12pm
St Francis Church
3617 Harford Road

Tuesday, December 10th 6-8pm
University of Baltimore, Learning Commons Town Hall
1415 Maryland Avenue

Wednesday, December 11th 7-9pm
Hunting Ridge Presbyterian Church
4640 Edmonson Avenue

For more information, please visit here

Download the flyer and spread the word here

On Giving Tuesday any donation you make to CPHA will be matched

(up to $250 a donor and $3000 an hour.)

Support CPHA and make a donation by clicking HERE

Get back for all you give. There are several coupons for CPHA supporters to be rewarded for their donations.

If you make a donation during the following time you will receive the following coupon in return:

• 12am-8am: $5 off Dooby’s Coffee
• 8am-10am: $15 off Tapas Teatro
• 10am – 12pm: $20 off Ten Ten Bistro
• 12pm-2pm: $25 off dinner at Gertrude’s at the BMA
• 2pm-4pm: $15 off at b, a Bolton Hill Bistro
• 4pm-6pm: $20 off Fleet Street Kitchen
• 6p-8pm: $10 off Joe Squared
• 8pm-10pm: $20 off The Helmand
• 10pm-Midnight: $10 off purchases of $30+ at Birroteca

We need YOU for all we DO! This funding allows CPHA to more effectively pursue all the great work we do:

Read about our recent annual event on the future of our schools

Learn about the work we are doing on the Opportunity Collaborative here

Learn about our work on reducing alcohol outlet density here

Read our work to promote affordable housing through the BRHC here

Read all our in the news, neighborhood resource, and get engaged articles that keep Baltimore Citizens informed, involved and shaping the City on a weekly basis.

Help CPHA continue to fight and advocate for a Healthy, Inclusive Baltimore!

Learn about various educational opportunities,  financial aid and assistance programs, SAT preparation, college admissions, and scholarships!

Colleges, Universities, scholarship organizations, and career schools will also be showcasing exhibits in the Central Hall.

The seminar starts at 6:30pm in the Wheeler Auditorium.

All of this will be:

Monday, December 9th, 2013

5:00pm to 8:00pm

Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch

400 Cathedral Street,

Baltimore, MD

Attendees must RSVP here or call 410-685-9199.

The Open Society Institute in Baltimore is hosting a film screening, free and open to the public.

Watch Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity, and be ready for a dialogue on race and racial disparity.

If you’re not attending our growing Baltimore’s economy workshop then keep your schedule free:

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Starting 7:00pm

Langsdale Library Auditorium, University of Baltimore

1420 Maryland Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21201

The Chicago Tribune has reported the findings of a study which examines needed income levels for buyers in 25 metro areas to purchase a median-priced home, according to the demands of principal and interest payments. The findings? Low incomes in almost any city in Ohio go a long way.  An annual income of $25,000 will likely put a buyer in range of being a homeowner in Cincinnati or Cleveland.  If a person is just within range of buying a home in Ohio, their income would need to swell up five times to 125,000 in order to buy the same in The City by The Bay.

In Baltimore, an income of 46,623 dollars is sufficient for buying a home, making the city the 16th most affordable city by this study.  Both articles have come to the conclusion that Baltimore is somewhere in the middle in terms of affordability. But this article, like its predecessor,  gives no consideration for rental prices or city/state taxes, both of which are high in Baltimore.

However they do note that incomes will need to be much higher than the ones listed, possibly even double or triple this level to cover the needed taxes, insurances and other expenses to live in the home, not to mention outstanding debt.

To see the full list of these baseline incomes click here

To learn more about a particular locations affordability click here

Participants will be able to sign up on location.  There will also be refreshments served.

The time and place are:

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

6:00pm to 8:00pm

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity House

2003 Pressbury St.

Baltimore, MD 21217

To register or sign up or for transportation, call 410-362-3011 by November 27, 2013, so be swift!