KENWOOD — A South Side alderman wants to start a task force to combat poverty in the city.
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) introduced an ordinance to City Council in late February that would create a Task Force on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security to address the root causes of poverty while increasing economic stability and improving the overall well-being of Chicagoans.
Robinson is calling for a “diverse” 10- to 17-member group that would include representatives from community-based organizations focused on poverty elimination and economic security, as well as at least three alderpeople, all appointed by the mayor.
Once the task force is assembled, it would study the impact of poverty on education, incarceration, health care and housing. The group would work with city departments to develop policies to reduce poverty’s effects while making recommendations to the state and federal government based on its findings.
“Chicago is a city of great diversity and opportunity, but it is also a city where too many of our residents struggle to make ends meet. We cannot ignore the stark reality of income inequality and poverty in our communities. This task force will play a crucial role in identifying solutions to address these challenges and improve the lives of all Chicagoans,” Robinson said.
Nearly 17 percent of Chicagoans live in poverty, according to census data. That’s a slight increase from 15 percent in 2013.
“Violence and poverty are intrinsically linked. We want to examine how we can expand on the city’s universal basic income program that took place during COVID,” said Sabha Abour, Robinson’s chief of staff. “The idea would be to work with Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood, who has already identified the blocks with the highest poverty and violence rates, and bring in the business/philanthropy community, elected officials and other stakeholders and essentially bring the entire force of government to address this.”
The ordinance will go before City Council’s Human Relations Committee next.
Robinson’s ordinance is the latest in a series of efforts to address poverty. In 2018, former 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar pitched a similar task force under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel that proposed a universal basic income pilot program, giving 1,000 Chicago residents $500 a month to pay bills. That program was inspired by an initiative launched in Stockton, California.
A basic income program was implemented under Emanuel’s successor, Lori Lightfoot, who pledged to end poverty “in a generation” during her administration. Over 176,000 residents applied to be one of the 5,000 households receiving $500 monthly for a year. Lightfoot also put an end to Chicago Public Library late fees while enforcing vehicle ticket payment plans, utility bill relief and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“Not everyone has access to the internet or awareness of programs that the city offers, but if we directly target residents on blocks with the largest poverty and violence rates, we can make a larger impact and dent in poverty. The task force job is to bring everyone to the table to take action,” Abour said.
Some community leaders are skeptical of yet another task force.
Roderick Wilson, executive director of the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, said the lack of affordable housing for the city’s most vulnerable residents has been one of the main contributors to Chicago’s rising poverty rates, and his organization has fought to keep neighbors in their homes.
While Wilson agreed that working toward eradicating poverty is necessary, he isn’t sure how another task force would be useful, he said.
“There are a million studies on poverty. We just need policies that help low-income working families. That’s it,” Wilson said. “If you’re talking about homelessness, it’s making sure you have policies that address rent control. That’s a policy that doesn’t cost anything, one that can help combat poverty. As long as landlords can just do whatever they want to do with rents, [families] will always be in a trick bag.”
Branden A. McLeod, an associate professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC, said the task force could be effective depending on its members and the group’s approach to the issue.
Like Wilson, McLeod — who co-founded the Lab for Empowerment and Advancement Through Dad-Driven Research, a program that works to support the health and well-being of urban families through father-focused research — said tackling poverty is a multi-agency, multi-governmental effort.
“The question I have is, are people with lived experience [going to be] on the task force? We have decision-makers at the table. That’s great. We have program practitioners at the table. That’s great. That’s needed. What seems to be missing is a group that represents people who are experiencing poverty, who’s at the table beyond just a nonprofit organization, because that nonprofit organization could then appoint maybe a client advocate or client, or a sort of a grassroots group that is actually living the experience,” McLeod said.
“The other thing is, if we’re studying the issue, how many researchers are on the task force? At the University of Chicago, they have an inclusive economy lab where they study the guaranteed income pilots. Are they at the table? Who’s at the table to really study this issue and provide insight into the real experience the lived experience of people who are struggling?”
While McLeod understands the skepticism, he said it’s important to keep the faith in the effort.
“It’s a system-wide issue and it’s an individual issue as well. We should understand the stories of people who are experiencing poverty. If we don’t understand the stories and we’re not clear on what’s ailing people, then we’re always going to miss the mark,” McLeod said.
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