Print, Broadcast, and Digital Media
“Residents fear losing Hurricane Katrina FEMA trailers: May 30 set as date for many to move out; critics say they have no other options,” Chicago Tribune, May 8, 2009
This article references A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008, a PolicyLink report that examines how renters and homeowners have fared since hurricances Katrina and Rita.
"Affordable housing? Not in my backyard, many say,"May 2, 2009, Times Picayune
Kalima Rose, Senior Director at PolicyLink, "expects that 7,000 of the 17,000 households now getting aid are poor enough to qualify for permanent Section 8 vouchers. But the rest "will need the homes that would come on line through these developments that are currently being opposed," she said.
“Obama's 100-day report card,” Salon.com, April 29, 2009
Bloggers, activists, economists and writers grade the president's performance. The Salon article features Sen. Russ Feingold, Dan Savage, Markos, Michael Pollan, Gloria Feldt, Angela Glover Blackwell, and others.
"A look at state spending of the stimulus funds, April 10, 2009, The Takeaway
The Takeaway mentions PolicyLink during a conversation about how low-income communities are trying to secure stimulus dollars.
"De la cuna a la cárcel: Programa busca evitar que mas niños sean encarcelados," April 3, 2009, El Sol del Valle de San Joaquin
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, along with many other social justice advocates gathered in Sacramento to address concerns with incarceration rates affecting young boys and men of color.
"Who will give out the new green jobs? Who will get them?, March 24, 2009, Nieman Watchdog
Judith Bell, PolicyLink President, discusses the opportunity for green jobs in the stimulus bill; stating that "It’s not clear who will get these jobs. If the money just gets pumped out through the same channels it always has, low-income communities, communities of color and small businesses are almost certainly going to get left out. However, the bill does include some language that could help steer jobs to communities that need them most. The bill calls for the investments to “help those most impacted by the recession” and “invest in transportation, environmental protection and other infrastructure that will provide long-term benefits.”
"Cheap Food Trumps Healthy During Recession," EconWatch (CBS Blog), March 23, 2009
President Judith Bell comments on the importance of access to healthy and affordable food--particularly during a recession. The piece refers to research conducted by UCLA and PolicyLink around the lack of access to healthy foods in many low-income communities across the country.
Op-ed: "The $45 billion stimulus question: What now?," Capitol Weekly, March 19, 2009
"This package offers the single greatest opportunity to jumpstart our state’s transition to a 21st century economy by investing in California’s clean energy future and creating good jobs, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We must both revive our ailing economy while confronting the threat of climate change. We can and must do both."
"President Envisions Anti-Poverty Efforts Like Harlem's 'Zone', Education Week, March 10, 2009
"I think the most exciting thing is to understand while the Harlem Children’s Zone is very impressive, nothing one sees comes from magic crystals," said Angela Glover Blackwell, the group’s founder and chief executive officer. "It comes from good, solid data about 'Who are the children and what are their
needs?' A focus on data, as well as spending a year each for organization
and startup, will help create a successful program, she said."
"Obama Taps N.O. for Blueprint:
Some Neighborhoods Still Wait for Government to Clear Red Tape," The Washington Times, March 9, 2009
Kalima Rose, senior director of the Louisiana recovery effort for PolicyLink, stated, "What we've learned here in Katrina is going to be important in what the president is going to implement in other cities now - job initiatives and addressing the housing crisis - stuff that was pretty much dismantled over the last administration." Rose also said that "she has seen the president lay down a liberal blueprint when talking about Gulf Coast recovery - from housing assistance and infrastructure projects to more funding for unemployment insurance included in his economic stimulus plan."
"Making Every Stimulus Dollar Work," Salon.com, March 2, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, discusses the importance of spending stimulus money on projects that get "the most bang for every buck." Blackwell goes on to say that the "stimulus spending must engage, listen to and learn from the Americans who are actually facing these challenges every day -- and who are also financing the solution. That is why it is crucial that each state set up its own state-level oversight board, to get money flowing to the local projects that will have the greatest economic impact, both short- and long-term."
"Who are the Poor? Advocates Use Many Means to put a Face on Poverty," Catholic News Service, February 26, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, stated at a recent event that, "the economic crisis forces us to think about poverty not because we ought to, but because it's something we have to do to compete in the global economy," she said in calling for funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- popularly known as the economic stimulus bill -- to be used to the benefit of poor people as well as other parts of the economy. We need to think about everybody," she said.
"Small, Green and Good: The Role of Neglected Cities in a Sustainable Future," Boston Review, March/April 2009
According to the article, "A new literature is taking shape that recognizes the distinctive characteristics and potential of smaller cities. From the Journal of Urbanism, launched in March 2008, to recent studies by the Brookings Institution’s Jennifer S. Vey, to PolicyLink’s 2008 report To Be Strong Again: Renewing the Promise in Smaller Industrial Cities, to the work of Ball State University’s Center for Middletown Studies, small cities are gradually being taken seriously again. That quiet shift reflects changes in the rest of the world."
Op-ed: “Food and Health in a Failing Economy,” Nieman Watchdog, February 23, 2009
Judith Bell, president for PolicyLink, lays out the dramatic correlations, in low-income neighborhoods, between the lack of healthy food choices and the onset of obesity and diabetes.
"Public transit, amenities are key to neighborhood uplift, PolicyLink founder says," Times Picayune, February 12, 2009
"At a forum in New Orleans on Wednesday evening, the founder and chief executive of PolicyLink offered strategies for working around the tensions and prejudices that often arise around integrating people of different economic classes to build diverse and textured communites that provide economic opportunity for all their residents."
"Solís debe ser confirmada," La Opinion, February 6, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, says it's time to confirm Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor. To read the full op-ed, translated in English, visit EquityBlog.
"How Obama must sell his Recovery Plan,"Salon.com, February 5, 2009
PolicyLink founder and CEO, Angela Glover Blackwell, states that "Democrats have to explain how their funding priorities will create jobs and build a stronger, more inclusive economy."
"Washington and Our Economic Fate," New York Times, February 3, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO and founder of PolicyLink, responds
to "Sins of Omission: The Forgotten Poor," an editorial that discusses the stimulus package’s lack of attention to the concerns of low-income Americans. In a letter-to-the-editor, Blackwell states how "the
huge infrastructure spending already included in the package could easily be retargeted to dramatically improve the lives of millions of low-income Americans and their communities."
"Stimulus + Mass Transit = Opportunity," Streetsblog, February 3, 2009
Streetsblog, a daily news source, online community, and political mobilizer for the Livable Streets movement, disscusses Angela Glover Blackwell's letter-to-the-editor in the New York Times which focuses on how infrastructure dollars in the stimulus package can be easily retargeted to improve the lives of low-income people.
"Where's A Good Earmark When You Need It?, Huffington Post, January 28, 2009
"
As we are witnessing in the ongoing $750 billion TARP debacle, massive, no-strings-attached government expenditures have a way of getting "lost" on their way to their expected destination. Without clear directives on how the money should be spent or concrete expected results -- and no mechanism for ongoing transparency or accountability from banks, regulators or legislators -- the TARP dollars have basically disappeared from public scrutiny. It could be years before we know exactly what happened to all that money and we may never know what opportunities were wasted as the money languished out of view."
"Stimulus Should Target Low-income Urban Areas," San Francisco Chronicle, January 16, 2009
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell
discusses the proposed federal recovery package and lays out the case for investing in the people and communities that need help the most. "This recovery package can and should invest in the nation's human capital and rebuild communities that have been forgotten for too long already. If we do it right and reform now, this package could be a once-in-a-generation tool to fight poverty and expand opportunity."
"Antipoverty Groups See Opportunity in Economic Stimulus Plan," Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 16, 2009
The Chronicle of Philanthropy refers to Angela Glover Blackwell's views on the economic stimulus package, stating how, if spent wisely, " the stimulus proposal could
provide a huge lift to impoverished Americans."
"Oakland Honors King on his 80th Birthday," Oakland Tribune, January 15, 2009
(This article also appeared in the Contra Costa Times and in the Alameda Times-Star).
Following the recent
killing of Oscar Grant III, Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, addressed citizens at Oakland City Hall at an event to honor Rev. Martin Luther King. Blackwell stated that, "Dr. King would have been proud of the young people who were disciplined, peaceful and organized, and disappointed by the splinter group," and that "we could have used Dr. King the past couple of weeks in Oakland."
"Oakland Vows to Help Vandalized Businesses,” ABC-7, January 15, 2009
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell speaks to citizens at Oakland City Hall at an event to honor Rev. Martin Luther King. Blackwell stated, that "a few people did things that made us all sad, embarrassed, sorry, but the big story is that there was a disciplined march on multiple occasions with lots of people around a simple message, 'justice has to operate here.’”
"Make the Stimulus Big, Smart and Fair," Salon.com, January 12, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, states that "we have to invest where people live and where they need the most help. Two-thirds of Americans -- and the vast majority of the nation's poor -- live in urban regions. By fixing and expanding existing infrastructure there, we can lay the foundation for long-term growth and get struggling residents back to work. We also must invest in the rural areas that have never benefited from the infrastructure many Americans take for granted."
"Who Really Needs the Stimulus," Marketplace, January 9, 2009
"President-elect Obama's stimulus package calls for billions to be spent on infrastructure projects. But commentator Angela Glover Blackwell says to make the most out of the money -- and build up overlooked communities -- it needs to be invested in the right projects."
"A Recovery Package for All?," Huffington Post, January 8, 2009
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO and Founder for PolicyLink, comments on the need for President-elect Obama to emphasis on recovery that benefits all Americans. "This means a direct focus on the poor, the vulnerable and people of color who have not been able to participate for some time."
"Obama's Huge Challenge," Denver Post, January 4, 2009
(The op-ed also appeared in the Seattle Times)
Neil Peirce writes about how Obama will have to respond to this economic crisis with an "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,"..."That means immediate action to create new jobs — Obama's goal is 3 million in two years. But it also means an early start on future-oriented investments in areas where the nation has been lagging, such as crucial infrastructure, renewable energy, and information technology to start modernizing our health-care system."
"Obama Economic-Stimulus Plan Could Fight Poverty," Huffington Post, December 26, 2008
"As President-elect Barack Obama develops his multibillion-dollar plan to stimulate the economy, nonprofit leaders should push federal, state, and local governments to use the money to pay for construction projects that help the poor, writes Angela Glover Blackwell, an anti-poverty activist."
"Forging an Equity Agend Aimed at Inclusion Across America," Huffington Post, December 19, 2008
Arlene Roberts disusses Angela Glover Blackwell's recent keynote at the New School
where she outlined the framework for an equity agenda.
"Who decides which Infrastructure Projects to do?," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 18, 2008
Richard Baron, chief executive of McCormack Baron Salazar Inc. and PolicyLink board member; Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO; and Amy Liu, deputy director at the Brookings Institution
talk about how infrastructure dollars should be invested. "We must invest in people: creating new jobs, training a new work force and connecting people to work. Unfortunately, the current, flawed spending system does not serve the greater good — either for people or our economic prosperity."
"Even More Stimulus Plans," New York Times, December 16, 2008
This America 2050 piece outlines recommendations for rebuilding America’s infrastructure as well as stimulating both short- and long-term economic growth. America 2050 is a national initiative to meet the infrastructure, economic development and environmental challenges of the nation as we prepare to add about 130 million additional Americans by the year 2050.
"A Whistle-Stop to Opportunity" Huffington Post, December 15, 2008
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink CEO and Founder, discusses the importance of infrastructure investments
and how neccessary it is to invest in the people, places, and projects that will spread the most opportunity to communities that most need it.
"Critics question whether new New Orleans public housing will meet needs," Times Picayune, December 8, 2008
"Demand remains a subject of much debate and little clear data. But housing advocates say there's a dire need for housing affordable to poor residents of a city where, before the 2005 flood, 58 percent of apartments rented for less than $500, according to PolicyLink, a nonprofit research organization."
"New White House Needs Anti-Poverty Plan," Medill Reports: Washington, November 25, 2008
"In a memo to Obama Monday, the Brookings Institution offered a list of practical and attainable goals for the new administration in the fight against poverty. Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, said it is the government’s responsibility to provide a safety-net for those who can’t fend for themselves. Despite the disagreements on how Obama should fight poverty, the panelists agreed that the conditions are right for the president-elect to make this a priority."
"Rents up in New Orleans while $846m Sits Unclaimed," Associated Press, November 24, 2008
"The rental market in New Orleans will never be the same," said Annie Clark (PolicyLink program associate) and co-author of a New Orleans housing report released in August by the research group PolicyLink. The failure of the small rental program is one reason why, three years after Katrina, many blue-collar New Orleans residents find themselves no longer able to afford life in their beloved hometown. It also illustrates how the billions of taxpayer dollars thrown at the hurricane recovery effort have yielded limited progress."
"FACE Maui: 'Yes, We Can!'," Maui Weekly, November 25, 2008
Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) Maui, a Gamaliel Foundation affiliate that focuses on justice and equity in Hawaii, recentley held its founding covenant celebration that gathered 300 attendees to discuss some of the island's top issues.
"It’s obvious that as a community you have the wisdom and voice to make change, said Dwayne Marsh, director of policy engagement for PolicyLink, a Mainland community policy company."
"Ideas for Change," The Nation, November 13, 2008
To guide the presidential transition process and steer government in a new and progressive direction, Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President, captures the best-thinking of 67 scholars, advocates, authors, activists, and officials--some of which include: Bracken Hendricks and Van Jones writing about a low-carbon economy; Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center on Renewing our Democracy; Joan Claybrook on Green Reforms for Environmental and Consumer Safety; Peter Edelman and Angela Glover Blackwell on Economic Opportunity; Lawrence Korb on Redeploying from Iraq; Joseph Cirincione on Securing America from Nuclear Threats; and Ellen Miller on Government Transparency."
“Progressive Patriotism: How the 44th President Can Change Washington and America,” Huffington Post, November 12, 2008
Mark Green,
president of the New Democracy Project and Air America,
shares the Introduction to Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President, which Green co-edited, intended to guide the presidential transition process and steer government in a new direction.
"All Americans at the Table,” Sojourners Blog, November 5, 2008
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink and Sojourners board member, reminds us that all Americans should be given the chance to participate and prosper.
“Why ACORN Matters,” La Opinion, October 24, 2008
PolicyLink CEO, Angela Glover Blackwell stands up for ACORN against the withering assault of right-wing critics. Though Ms. Blackwell’s op-ed was published in Spanish, click here to read the English version posted on EquityBlog.
"In one of the most insidious attempts to confuse issues during this political season, ''a scathing video" inserted by the Drudge Report into the conservative blogosphere blames the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for the current housing crisis, ''the basic argument being that the CRA forced banks to loan to all people and, therefore, precipitated the sub-prime crisis and irresponsible people getting loans they couldn't afford,'' writes Oakland, California-based PolicyLink President Judith Bell in her national research-and-action institute's Equity Blog, calling the claim both morally repugnant and factually off-base."
“Don’t Forget the Campaign trail Stops,” MarketPlace, October 14, 2008
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO and founder of PolicyLink, discusses how local, state, and federal leaders can work together to restore the promise of America’s smaller industrial cities.
"More than three years after Hurricane Katrina, nearly 6,500 privately owned, federally subsidized apartments sit unrepaired in the state of Louisiana. Most -- about 4,000 -- are in the New Orleans area. Before the storm, the apartments made up nearly 5 percent of the city's total rental stock and about 40 percent of the subsidized housing affordable to extremely low-income residents, according to PolicyLink, a nonprofit housing research organization." To learn more about the report, click here.
"Not easy to eat healthy in Riverside County,” The Press-Enterprise, October 10, 2008 (Riverside, CA)
"More than half of Riverside County's cities and communities last year had more fast-food restaurants and convenience stores than grocery stores and produce stands, according to a recent study by the Riverside County Department of Public Health. Riverside County's research is similar to that of a study released earlier this year that determined that San Bernardino County had the highest retail food index among California's 24 most populated counties. Riverside County came in 16th, according to the report. The study was conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy, California Center for Public Health Advocacy and PolicyLink, a research institute that examines economic and social inequities."
"African Americans and Latinos,” La Opinión, October 8, 2008
"Early this week, African American and Latino activists from all over the country gathered in Los Angeles to discuss differences and points of agreement between the two groups as part of the National Black Latino Summit. We applaud these types of meetings that further understanding between two communities who have more in common than differences that set them apart.”
"Villaraigosa waded into the volatile issue of race at the National Black Latino Summit, a conference of community leaders and organizers who came to Los Angeles to tighten bonds between the nation's two largest minority groups and counter the "hyperventilating" over perceptions of a racial divide."
"We wanted to dispel what the media was saying," said Ruben Lizardo of PolicyLink, an Oakland-based social research institute that helped organize the conference. "We're working together, but nobody knows we're working together. It's not as important to us whether Hillary is president or Barack is president. We care more about the agenda for people in poverty."
KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez talks to PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell about the Black and Latino Summit.
Blackwell stated that "this summit is meant to address one thing that came out strongly, and that is that the media has made a bigger deal and drawn more attention to the negative than it has lifted up the positive. While people acknowledge that tensions exist, we think the media has made it look disproportionate."
"Bailing on Poverty and Ordinary Americans," The Nation, September 30, 2008
"As panel witness Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink and co-chair of the Center for American Progress Task Force on Poverty said following the hearing, "I know that we have to deal with this meltdown… but I do worry that it's going to cut right into the money that we've been trying to get to focus on dealing with poverty and other urgent issues… As we are thinking about how to save Wall Street, we need to think about how to put in … requirements – that we deal with the foreclosure crisis, that we deal with the issue of poverty in America, and that we don't take from a needy source in order to give to an irresponsible source. I am very worried that without an outcry from the American people that we are just going to see this money go without the safeguards that are needed…."
"Reporters Analyze Wall Street's Downward Turn," Tell Me More, NPR, September 22, 2008
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, spoke with program host Michel Martin about the impact of the Wall Street financial crisis on the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
Blackwell reminded listeners that “there are 90 million people in the country ... living 200 percent below the poverty level.” The crisis she said, “will be felt all the way from Wall Street to Main Street to people living on the street.”
“We're all Community Organizers!,” Pacifica, September 10, 2008
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO and Francis Holland of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, talked to Producer Karen Miller about the important role of community organizers in this country.
"Unconventional Community Organizers,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 10, 2008
The Chronicle of Philanthropy highlights PolicyLink President Judith Bell’s EquityBlog posting about unconventional community organizers.
“For Local Filmmakers, Katrina a Mighty Muse,” Times Picayune, August 30, 2008
"Front-and-center as a panel member during PolicyLink's Equity '08 summit on poverty and equity last March at the downtown Sheraton, (Danny) Glover's eyes were brimming with tears and reddened by emotion. Glover was at the summit primarily to sound a call to action on issues of social justice, but he had brought with him a 15-minute sneak-peek reel of "Trouble the Water," a Katrina documentary for which he was an executive producer."
"Annie Clark worries that the affordable housing will be unfairly distributed, as wealthy neighborhoods will buy up all available “Lot Next Door” parcels and crowd out low-income housing. “In certain neighborhoods, homeowners are going to get a windfall, increase their property value and there’ll be no requirement for affordable housing in that neighborhood,” Clark says. “And in some neighborhoods where land is cheaper, they’ll be stuck with all that affordable housing. I’m kind of worried about the re-concentration of affordable housing in neighborhoods that traditionally have held much of that housing.”
“New Orleans, Three Years Later,” Alternet, August 29, 2008
"According to a study by PolicyLink, 81 percent of those who received the Federally-funded, State-administered Road Home grants had insufficient resources to cover their damages. The average Road Home applicant fell about $35,000 short of the money they need to rebuild their home, and African American households on average had an almost 35 percent higher shortfall than white households.”
"What's At Stake," KTVU (San Francisco), August 25, 2008
KTVU reporter, Corey Cook, reports on the Urban Renewal panel, of the African American Caucus in Denver, during the DNC.
In his report, Cook states that, "In a couple of days I’ll post something about the significance of that organizing experience in electoral terms. In policy terms, those of us who care about cities (and I would hope that regardless of ideology, that’s most of us living in the Bay Area) might uncover a substantial between the candidates and their commitment to cities as socially and economically vibrant places. That someone as thoughtful and progressive and forward-thinking as Angela Blackwell might have a voice in a presidential administration suggests a real difference between the parties."
The Best and the Worst of the Week,” Gambit Weekly, August 25, 2008
“Road Home Rental Programs, designed to assist landlords and replace some of the more than 82,000 rental units damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have delivered only 2,600 units so far, according to a recent report by Policy Link, a research and advocacy organization. The small rental program, which originally received $869 million in funding, has managed to bring only 370 units in Orleans Parish to the final stages of the reimbursement program. The average rent in Orleans Parish has increased by 46 percent since Katrina.”
“Report Finds Road Home Fall Short,” New Orleans Magazine, August 25, 2008
"The research group PolicyLink released a report showing that most applicants to the state's Road Home program did not receive enough money to rebuild their homes and that the program will only replace a fraction of the state's damaged rental housing stock with the funding now available. The report, called "A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008," stated that "enormous obstacles" blocked recovery for homeowners and that 81% of Road Home recipients were awarded less than was needed to complete repairs of their homes.”
"Katrina Housing Crisis Still Hinders Recovery, Report Says,” The Louisiana Weekly, August 25, 2008
"The new report, "A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008," shows that while some progress has been made during the past year, thousands of residents who want to return home are facing a critical rental housing shortage, inadequate rebuilding grants and a recovery plagued by red tape and ever-changing rules.For three years, Louisianans have been working hard to get back home," said co-author Kalima Rose, the director of the PolicyLink Louisiana Initiative. "But enormous obstacles still stand in the way of a true recovery. Workers can find few places to rent. Homeowners are short on funds to rebuild. A fair, just housing recovery is vital to the overall recovery of the Gulf Coast."
"Analyzing data from The Road Home and other government-funded rebuilding subsidy programs, a report issued last week by the California-based research institute PolicyLink found the tightening national credit market is squeezing homeowners and small-scale landlords who are increasingly unable to secure loans needed to rebuild. "The standards for traditional loans have risen because of the credit crisis,” said Annie Clark, Policy Link research associate and a co-author of the report. “People with decent credit and a job who two years ago would have qualified no longer do.”
“A Long Way Home,” 98.5 WYLD, August 24, 2008
"Annie Clark, program associate for PolicyLink, discusses findings from the new PolicyLink report, A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008.
"Report: Road Home falls short, Cost of rebuilding in N.O. exceeds grants,” Times Picayune," August 21, 2008
"The group PolicyLink produced the report, called "A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008," after analyzing three major federally funded housing-recovery programs: the Road Home and the state's small and large rental-repair programs. Researchers concluded that "enormous obstacles" blocked the recovery for homeowners, most of whom faced shortfalls to rebuild, and renters, who cannot find moderately priced places to rent."
“Good News and Bad News on New Orleans,” Chicago Tribune, August 21, 2008
"According to another new study by the PolicyLink institute, is that 80 percent of residents who are rebuilding their ruined homes did not get enough state and federal relief funds to cover the cost of their repairs, with homeowners coming up an average of $35,000 short. Renters — who outnumbered homeowners in New Orleans before Katrina — are even worse off: Rents across the city are 46 percent higher than before the hurricane. That's largely because of scarcity. Fewer than 1 in 3 rental units have been repaired or replaced in the last three years.”
"Many of the small-scale developers targeted in the Louisiana Recovery Authority's Small Rental Property forgivable loan program have been shut out because they cannot get the initial bank loan they need to qualify, the researchers found.
The program, introduced in January of 2007, has hundreds of millions of dollars in funding allocated for the creation of 18,000 affordable units, but as of the June only 42 apartments had been completed, the report says. Another 1,000-odd units are under construction now, according to LRA spokeswoman Christina Stephens. "Financial vulnerability of small-property owners, combined with tightening national credit markets, has stalled the small-rental repair program," wrote researchers Clark, Kalima Rose and Dominique Duvol-Diop."
“All Those Federal Funds: Why the New Orleans Recovery is Slow,” Huffington Post, August 21, 2008
Harry Shearer references the Times Picayune front page story, which discusses findings from the PolicyLink report, A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008.
"A new report released yesterday by the nonprofit research and advocacy organization PolicyLink found that many New Orleans many residents are still unable to afford to rebuild their homes or find an affordable place to rent. A Long Way Home: The State of Housing Recovery in Louisiana 2008” shows that while some progress has been made during the past year, thousands of residents who want to return home are facing a critical rental housing shortage, inadequate rebuilding grants and a recovery plagued by red tape and ever-changing rules. The report analyzes three major federally funded housing-recovery programs: the Road Home and the state’s small and large rental-repair programs."
"Louisiana, New Orleans Katrina Recovery: Misplaced," Bayou Buzz, August 21, 2008
"For example, the state’s Road Home program has been nothing short of a mismanaged disgrace. The program is still not complete and according to a new report, the grants are insufficient. The group Policy Link noted in a report released yesterday that the average Road Home grant only covers about 30% of the repair costs for hurricane victims. Is it any wonder that many of these people cannot afford to rebuild and return to the area?"
Food bank offers healthy alternatives for low-income families,” Bakersfield Californian, August 15, 2008
"Compared with 23 other California counties with more than 250,000 residents, Kern is No. 3 with 5.23 times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as supermarkets and produce vendors, according to the study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the research institute PolicyLink and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.”
“Trouble the Water,” KQED – Forum with Michael Krasny, August 13, 2008
KQED interviews Trouble the Water filmmakers Tia Lesson and Carl Deal, as well as executive producer Danny Glover; and Kimberly Roberts, rapper, videographer and New Orleans resident. The documentary on Hurricane Katrina, which won the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, features stunning video from inside New Orleans' 9th ward during the storm.
"Fox said she hopes “To Be Strong Again” will encourage investment in smaller cities at the state level. “We think it’s a wiser choice to invest in existing places, rather than continue a pattern of outward development,” she said. “I think we’re starting to see re-urbanization.” Smaller cities are similar to large cities, but with key differences, according to the report. They more likely to be affected when a large employer closes or opens a business, because that business will have a larger effect on the local economy. The government in small cities is more accessible than in bigger cities. In small cities, there is no “far away,” and it’s harder for residents to feel as though problems such as poverty and decay are located in a distant section of the city.”
“Positive news on Y’town shouldn’t mask negative,” Youngstown Vindicator, July 29, 2008
"The study, “To Be Strong Again: Renewing the Promise of Smaller Industrial Cities,” was conducted by PolicyLink, based in Oakland, Calif. It was inspired by Youngstown, which officials of the national policy organization visited.” “The image of Youngstown is steel mills that are closed, nothing is going on and it’s a dying economy,” said Radhika Fox, the associate director who wrote the report. “But when I was there, I saw a lot of exciting work happening. We were inspired by what we saw in Youngstown.”
“Study: Older cities face brighter future,” The Gazette (MD), July 25, 2008
‘‘There’s a growing amount of discussion about how rising gas prices are going to refuel a re-urbanization and this will be a good thing for cities,” Fox said. ‘‘The good news for Cumberland and Hagerstown is they are cities in a strong state economy, so the question is how do they leverage the dynamics of the economic base of Maryland and capture some of that economic vibrancy.”
“City could learn from 2010 plan,” Toledo Free Press, July, 25, 2008
“While the focus of the study was cities with populations up to 150,000, there are numerous important themes that can and should be transplanted to the City of Toledo. Of particular interest was PolicyLink's review of the Youngstown 2010 plan.”
"Report: Scranton on Right Track," The Times-Tribune, July 24, 2008
Radhika K. Fox, associate director for PolicyLink and author of To Be Strong Again: Renewing the Promise of Smaller Industrial Cities, states that “the goal is to build economic and social equity, where people have access to living-wage jobs, quality neighborhoods and good schools. The report lauds Mr. Doherty’s strategies to balance the city’s budget, raise its bond rating and then borrow money.”
"Sunday Forum: Rebuilding America’s Hometowns,” Pittsburg Post-Gazette, July 20, 2008
"In an era of high fuel prices and environmental awareness, small walkable cities are primed for revival, but we need federal help, say mayors Christopher Doherty of Scranton and Jay Williams of Youngstown”
"National Study Applauds Youngstown’s Progress,”Youngstown Vindicator , July 22, 2008
"I’m pleased Youngstown is being held up in a [positive] manner,” said Mayor Jay Williams. "For so long we’ve been seen as a poster child of what’s wrong, and now we’re the poster child of a smaller industrial city being revitalized. I hope in five to 10 years we become the poster child for what went right. I’m excited about it.”
“Is North Minneapolis getting gentrified?,” Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, July 9, 2008
"Over the years, gentrification has occurred under such names as “urban renewal” in the 1950s and ’60s. According to an April 2001 report by the Brookings Institute and PolicyLink on gentrification, it also took place during a “back-to-the-city” movement in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Today, gentrification is occurring in many U.S. cities as “urban redevelopment,” says National Economic and Social Rights Initiative Legal Program Director Tiffany Gardner. “There was just a redevelopment plan that was [recently] passed here by the New York City Council. The famed 125th Street, which is Harlem’s main street, is now going to have luxury high-rise condominiums."
"Report: Black, poor children face higher toxic air risks," Final Call, June 2, 2008
"Too many kids in poor communities are forced to breathe unhealthy air from the moment they get up to the moment they go to sleep," stated PolicyLink President Judith Bell in response to the recent report, Breathing Easy from Home to School: Fighting the Environmental Triggers of Childhood Asthma
"Summit Crowd Tackles Diversity," Jamaica Plain Gazette," May 30, 2008
Rubén Lizardo, associate director for PolicyLink, addresses a crowd of 250 community activists at the "Building an Equitable Community Jamica Plain Neighborhood Summit"
“The Whole-Community Approach to Clean Air for Kids,” Celsias.com, May 29, 2008
"PolicyLink report, Breathing Easy from Home to School: Fighting the Environmental Triggers of Childhood Asthma calls on advocacy groups, parents, and community members to work for local government policies that will clean the air and help protect asthmatic children."
“After savoring their victories, activists return to battlefield,” Boston Globe, May 25, 2008
“Keynote speaker Rubén Lizardo, associate director of California's PolicyLink, has been a national leader in thinking about urban development and how to ensure that all benefit equally. He praised JP's spirit of activism and inclusiveness, noting that the vibrant neighborhood could be seen as a model in other communities facing similar challenges.”
Angela Glover Blackwell recently spoke at the Centennial Celebration for President Lyndon Baines Johnson at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“Prison and Healthcare Crisis Limits Opportunities for People of Color," BlackNews.com
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO and Founder of PolicyLink, “discusses how much ‘place matters’ in our society, and that many of the social problems for people of color are related to their unhealthy surroundings,” at the Freedom's Voice Conference sponsored by the Morehouse School of Medicine's Community Voices program.
Rubén Lizardo, Associate Director for PolicyLink, gives keynote address at the recent Jamaica Plain summit.
"Can City Farmers Stand in for Supermarkets,” Huffington Post, May 8, 2008
"The most recent addition came last week, when the think tank Policy Link published a study of 40,000 Californians finding higher rates of obesity and diabetes in communities that had a disproportionate share of fast food and convenience stores".
“Do calories count with fast food?,” MarketPlace, April 30, 2008
Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, discusses "Designed for Disease: the Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes," a study by PolicyLink, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy that examines the correlation between the health of nearly 40,000 Californians and the mix of retail food outlets near their homes.
"Clearly, the obesity crisis in California can no longer be seen only as a fight over personal choices," said Dr. Victor Rubin of PolicyLink, a research and advocacy institute that assisted with the study. "Families who live in communities with choices limited to high-calorie foods and beverages face substantially greater health risks."
“UCLA study links poor health to fast-food neighbors,” Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2008
"The study, by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and two nonprofit health advocacy groups, plotted demographic and health information from the center's 2005 survey of 40,000 Californians against the locations of retail food outlets. It found the average California adult lives near four times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as grocery stores and produce vendors.”
"East Bay a part of ‘junk-food’ jungle,” Oakland Tribune, April 29, 2008
"The East Bay has more than four times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as it does grocery stores and produce vendors, according to "Designed for Disease," a study released Tuesday by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, PolicyLink and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The greater an area's ratio of junk to regular food, the less healthy its residents are.”
This story can also be seen in the following newspapers: Contra Costa Times, Tri-Valley Herald, and Alameda Times-Star.
“Study links ‘food environment’ to diabetes, obesity,” Sacramento Bee, April 29, 2008
"In communities with an abundance of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, researchers have found, obesity and diabetes rates are much higher than in areas where fresh fruit and vegetable markets and full-service grocery stores are easily accessible." The same story also ran in the Modesto Bee.
“New Study shows obesity linked to location,” April 29, 2008, KGET (NBC)
"According to the study, Kern ranks third in a list of California counties with a high density of convenience stores and fast food chains compared to grocery stores.”
“Would You Like Fries with that Heart Attack?,” Central Valley Business Times, April 29, 2008
"Clearly the obesity crisis in California can no longer be seen only as a fight over personal choices,” says Victor Rubin of PolicyLink. “Public policies drive the universe of food options from which we can choose. Families who live in communities with choices limited to high-calorie foods and beverages face substantially greater health risks. Policy makers at the state and local level can save lives by giving Californians healthier food options.”
“Study links ‘food environment’ to diabetes, obesity,” The News & Observer (NC), April 29, 2008
"In communities with an abundance of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, researchers have found, obesity and diabetes rates are much higher than in areas where fresh fruit and vegetable markets and full-service grocery stores are easily accessible.”
"The implications are really dramatic," said Harold Goldstein, a study author and executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, based in Davis. "We are living in a junk-food jungle, and not surprisingly, we are seeing rising rates of obesity and diabetes."
“Study: Kern No. 3 for fast-food, convenience stores,” Bakersfield Californian, April 29, 2008
"Compared to the other 23 California counties with more than 250,000 residents, Kern sits at No. 3 with 5.23 times as many fast-food restaurants and convenience stores than supermarkets and produce vendors, according to the study from the nonprofit, nonpartisan California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the research institute PolicyLink and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research."
“Food Choices Limited,” San Bernardino Sun, April 29, 2008
"This study shows us in a way that had not been done before that if your neighborhood is crowded with fast-food stores and no outlets for healthier foods, you are at a significantly greater risk for serious health conditions," said Victor Rubin, vice president for research at PolicyLink, a nonprofit research organization which helped with the study.”
“The authors of a study being released today agree. Yes, eating healthy is a matter of personal choice, they said, but making the right choice can be difficult for people living in neighborhoods with a high concentration of fast food outlets and relatively few grocery stores. This imbalance is especially pronounced in low-income communities, they said.”
“In SB County, too much bad food,” Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, April 28, 2009
"Titled "Designed for Disease: The Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes," the study used data from more than 40,000 respondents statewide to measure the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The study also counted the numbers of grocery stores, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in communities."
“Fresno’s Fast-Food proximity harms health, study says,” Fresno Bee, April 28, 2008
"To determine the effect of food access on health for the latest study, researchers from the public health advocacy center, Policy Link and the UCLA Center for Health Policy looked at nearly 40,000 people who participated in a 2005 California Health Interview Survey. They matched the prevalence of obesity and diabetes with the ratio of fast-food and convenience stores to grocery and produce stores near their homes.”
"What's Race Got to do with It?," Newsweek, April 11, 2008
CEO and founder of PolicyLink, Angela Glover Blackwell, is mentioned in Newsweek's coverage of PBS series, "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?," a four part documentary that explores the connection between social inequality and health.
"Provide poorest communities with fresh food options," USA Today, April 11, 2008
Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink, urges private sector to provide low-income communities with fresh fruit and vegetables options, in a letter-to-the-editor in USA Today.
"Too many poor communities lack a supermarket or any other place to buy fresh food. Residents are forced to make do with the preservative-laden and sugar-heavy foods at their local convenience stores or fast food outlets. Is it a surprise that low-income communities are hardest hit with the nation's obesity and diabetes crises?"
"For the first time in its 35-year history, the federal Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program next year will offer fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and soy products to the 1.4 million low-income Californians the program serves.
The revised menu is a response to rising food prices, as well as poverty and obesity rates, according to representatives of the program, also known as WIC."
"The WIC food packages will make healthy choices easier and more affordable in low-income communities," said Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink...Bell said the changes offer an opportunity for state health programs and local advocates to 'work together in new ways to decrease health disparities.'"
Data from Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program is referenced in today's CounterPunch newsletter. "According to PolicyLink, Louisiana's plan for repairing rental homes damaged or destroyed will replace only one-fifth of this housing. There is nowhere for the working poor to live, which is why New Orleans' homeless population has doubled to approximately 12,000 people since Katrina."
"New Orleans' Epic Housing Crisis," Guardian (UK), March 21, 2008
Annie Clark, PolicyLink program associate, discusses the rental crisis in New Orleans, stating that "There are few incentives for landlords to renovate their rental properties. The Louisiana Recovery Authority's "Road Home" program offers incentives for "small rental property owners" but it is not popular with mom-and-pop landlords." Clark added that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has rehabilitated only about 1,500 units of the 4,600 units it has set aside for seniors, the disabled and poor working families in New Orleans. "HUD really has shirked its responsibility in these units," Clark said. Gadbois has been tracking abandoned HUD scattered site housing on Squandered Heritage and the results are astonishing: usable housing that could be rehabilitated left to rot."
"Obama, Clinton and the black-brown divide," Salon.com, March 10, 2008
Joan Walsh, of Salon.com, blogs about Regional Equity '08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth in New Orleans held from March 5-7, 2008--focusing on "Election 2008: Keeping Race, Poverty, and Equity on the Political Agenda," a plenary which examined the black-brown divide.
"Hundreds of people from 35 states and five countries attending the summit at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans cheered a 9th Ward couple -- Kim and Scott Roberts, stars of an award-winning documentary, "Trouble the Water." "A ballroom at the hotel boomed with applause after the showing of a 15-minute excerpt from the movie, which recently captured the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. Actor and activist Danny Glover -- an executive producer of the film -- praised the couple for participating in a documentary that shows "New Orleans is not an aberration, but endemic of what's happening in urban areas all around the country."
"Danny Glover leads conversation on poverty, Katrina," The Florida Times-Union, March 6, 2008
Danny Glover discusses the issue of poverty after highlighting a clip of the award-winning documentary, "Trouble the Water" at Regional Equity '08.
The Louisiana Weekly newspaper highlights Regional Equity '08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth.
"Angela Glover Blackwell: PolicyLink's Driving Force!," New Orleans Tribune, Jan/Feb 2008
The New Orleans Tribune profiles Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, and highlights Regional Equity '08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth.
The following article refers to data from the following report by PolicyLink: "Bringing Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program
PolicyLink Founder and CEO Discusses Poverty on The Tavis Smiley Show
In the first installment of a dynamic six-part series for the Tavis Smiley Show, Tavis and Angela Glover Blackwell discuss the changing face of poverty in America. The series, set to run through mid-March, focuses on the individual stories of people living in poverty and offers policy prescriptions to help dramatically reduce poverty in this nation.
"Young Men are Dying," San Francisco Chronicle, January 9, 2008
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell responds to a recent article in the January 6 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle, titled "A father gets gunned down saving his daughter." In the letter-to-the-editor, Blackwell discusses how this unfortunate situation is another tragic reminder of the obstacles still blocking the way of too many poor families in the Bay Area.
“Year-in-Review Roundtable,” The Tavis Smiley Show, December 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, is featured in this very compelling year-in-review roundtable conversation between Tavis Smiley, Deroy Murdock, Cornel West, and Eddie Glaude.
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, discusses the four guiding principles of equitable development.
"Philanthropy's Role In Disaster Relief," The Wall Street Journal, December, 10, 2007
During an interview with The Wall Street Journal Dr. Ed Blakely, Executive Director of Recovery Management for the City of New Orleans, mentions PolicyLink as a resource.
Annie Clark, a PolicyLink research associate based in New Orleans, further discusses the recent New York Times article and video report that addresses the rental shortage crisis in New Orleans.
"Oakland Forum Addresses Race, Violence,"CBS (KPIX), November 20, 2007
National and local leaders where quoted at the "Men and Boys of Color in Crisis" event held at the Youth Uprising Center in East Oakland. Over 200 advocates gathered to listen to a panel focused on an action agenda to address racisim, violence, and other barriers young boys and men of color are currently facing.
"Crisis Facing Men and Boys of Color," ABC News (KGO-TV), November 20, 2007.
Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO and founder of PolicyLink, was quoted at the "Men and Boys of Color in Crisis" event held at the Youth Uprising Center in East Oakland.
"Homeless Camp at New Orleans City Hall," Associated Press, November 16, 2007.
The following article refers to data from "Bringing Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program.
"A‘Convoy of Hope for Men and Boys of Color," San Francisco Chronicle, November 16, 2007
An op-ed written by Joe Brooks, PolicyLink Vice President for Civic Engagement, highlights the challenges facing young men of color in the Bay Area and beyond.
"Helping Residents of areas in flux," Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, responds to questions around equitable development; raised by neighborhood forums that launched Great Expectations: Citizens Voices on Philadelphia's Future.
The article discusses, "Connecting Working Families to Economic Opportunities in the Philadelphia Region," a study conducted jointly by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (GPUAC) and PolicyLink.
"How Much is Too Much?, The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC, October 1, 2007
Rebecca Flournoy, associate director at PolicyLink, was featured on a segment that discussed why prices differ in supermarkets depending on their location. Rebecca also addressed the importance of making healthy foods available in low-income communities.
"Struggling in the Crescent City," Shelterforce, Fall 2007 Issue
Senior Director, Kalima Rose, addresses how grassroots advocacy groups and community-advocacy groups are taking the lead in restoring housing in New Orleans.
"N.O. divided but hopeful in progress," The Advocate (Baton Rouge), September 4, 2007
The article discusses the recently released PolicyLink report, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents two years after Hurricane Katrina and makes policy recommendations on what is needed to rebuild a divided city.
"Learning from New Orleans," San Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, discusses New Orleans, two years after Hurricane Katrina
"Two Years Later, It's Still Two Cities," Covenant With Black America (CWBA) Blog, August 29, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, discusses how the federal government must do more to help Katrina's most vulnerable victims.
“GO Gulf Zones Two Years After Katrina," Marketplace, August 29, 2007
Annie Clark, research associate for PolicyLink,discusses GOZone tax credits on Marketplace.
“Bayou Belles Changing Tide in N’awlins," MarketPlace, August 29, 2007
Dwana Makeba and Yashica Jordan, businesswomen from New Orleans, also known to many as "The Belles of Bayou Road," discuss the need to strenthen the small business community and bring more businesses back to New Orleans.
"Report: N.O. recovery leaves some behind," New Orleans City Business, August 29, 2007
The following article refers to the recently released PolicyLink report, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents while they continue to call for help.
"Hope Needs Help," Drum Major Institute (DMI), August 29, 2007
Annie Clark, research associate, discusses new PolicyLink report, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents while they continue to call for help.
“Storm Survivors Told to Get Active,”Times Picayune, August 29, 2007
Dominique Duval-Diop, senior associate for PolicyLink, argues that the federal government needs to take a more active role in rebuilding New Orleans.
“Recovery Blame Game Criticized,” The Advocate, August 29, 2007
Dominique Duval-Diop, senior associate for PolicyLink, discusses how the policies being made and the resources available during the recovery have an inequitable impact on poor people and people of color. She refers to the recently released PolicyLink report, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents while they continue to call for help.
“Neighborhoods Still Reeling Two Years After Katrina," Bergen Record (NJ), August 29, 2007
The following article refers to the recently released PolicyLink report, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents while they continue to call for help.
"The Hope and Help for New Orleans," The Tavis Smiley Show," August 27, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink and Rosalind Peychaud from the Neighborhood Development Foundation review a new report by PolicyLink, “Building a Better New Orleans: Hope Needs Help," that highlights the hope harnessed by New Orleans residents while they continue to call for help.
"Diagnosis: Katrina Amnesia," Public News Service, August 27, 2007
PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell talks about the displaced Katrina evacuees and what it will take to get them home.
Dominique Duval-Diop, senior associate for PolicyLink, contributed to the following article that addresses recovery challenges in the gulf coast
The following article refers to the recent PolicyLink report, Bringing Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program, which evaluates rental program outcomes, cites current challenges and threats facing rental developments, and makes recommendations to meet the challenges and achieve intended housing goals.
"Foundation to focus on local issues," Tribune Chronicle (Warren, OH), July 27, 2007
This article highlights a PolicyLink place-based project with the Wean Foundation to ‘‘develop a community building philanthropic initiative for the northeast Ohio communities of Youngstown and Warren."
"What Took so long to address Poverty?," American Public Media--Marketplace, July 19, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, comments on how democratic presidential candidates are discussing the important issue of poverty, but still have a long way to go.
"Road to New Life After Katrina is Closed to Many," The New York Times, July 12, 2007
The New York Times refers to a recent PolicyLink report, Bringing Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program, which evaluates rental program outcomes, cites current challenges and threats facing rental developments, and makes recommendations to meet the challenges and achieve intended housing goals.
Inner city Dallas neighborhoods need grocery stores," Pegasus News (Dallas, TX), June 28, 2007
PolicyLink Report, Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities Through Food Retailing, is referenced in this piece about improving food access in Dallas.
"Getting good food an everyday issue," LA Daily News, June 24, 2007
Senior Associate Mary Lee discusses the struggles of low-income families to get healthy food in their communities, in an op-ed in the LA Daily News.
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, comments on the report released by the Presidents' Council to set a boundary for the regionalism debate in the black community.
"Race Left Out of Regionalism Discussions," 90.3 WCPN, June 21, 2007
"After three years of study the Presidents' Council, a group of black executives, has concluded that Cleveland is being marginalized when it comes to talk of regional cooperation. They came up with a 300-age report with 50 recommendations on how to achieve better regional solutions on such issues as education, housing, the quality of health care."
The Times Picayune highlights a new PolicyLink report, Bring Louisiana Renters Home: An Evaluation of the 2006-2007 Gulf Opportunity Zone Rental Housing Restoration Program, which states that two rental recovery programs haven't done enough to help the poorest of metro New Orleans' displaced hurricane victims.
“A Healthier New Orleans,” Drum Major Institute (DMI) Blog, May 25, 2007
Rajni Banthia, program associate, for the health team at PolicyLink, discusses how the people of New Orleans need a new way to envision the intersection of their health and their community--stressing the importance of parks, food access, and clean air.
"Think Tank Unveils Benchmarks to Cut Poverty in Half in Ten Years," Atlanta Progressive, May 23, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, quoted extensively about strategies for reducing poverty as described in the report by The Center for American Progress Task Force on Poverty, From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half.
"There's no Road Home for Renters," Drum Major Institute (DMI) Blog, May 17, 2007
Annie Clark, research associate for the Louisiana team at PolicyLink, highlights the under-the-radar fact that 80 percent of the nearly $9 billion Road Home allocations are for homeowners, leaving renters—mostly poor and/or of color—facing huge obstacles for returning to the Big Easy.
"If Democrats Want to Help the Poor . . .," Washington Post, May 4, 2007
Angela Glover Blackwell was mentioned in E.J. Dionne's Washington Post column in regards to her work with the Center for American Progress.
Radhika Fox, associate director for PolicyLink, addresses inclusionary zoning policies in the Spring issue of Shelterforce magazine.
“Eating Good in the Neighborhood,” Drum Major Institute (DMI) Blog, April 25, 2007
Rajni Banthia, program associate, for the health team at PolicyLink, discusses the lack of access to healthy foods faced by people living in low-income communities.
"Urban Challenges," The New York Times, March 27, 2007. Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink, advocates for more infrastructure spending. The letter is in reference to the article, "A Rail System (And Patience) Are Stretched Thin in Chicago," The New York Times, March 26, 2007.
"Bill Helps Gulf Area," USA Today, March 22, 2007
Kalima Rose, director of the Louisiana Initiative and associate director for PolicyLink, publishes letter in USA Today in reference to article "Farm aid plumps up Iraq funding."
"E-Advocacy, The Digital Divide and GIS," NetSquared podcast, March 1, 2007
PolicyLink program associate Arnold Chandler discusses the present state and future possibilities of using the Internet for advocacy and social change. He is the author of the PolicyLink pubication, Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy Revolution.
Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell joins Stanley Miller, exec. dir, Cleveland NAACP; Andrew Jackson, Greater Cleveland Partnership; and Mike Nelson, 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland to discuss opportunities for black people in Cleveland.
"Poor People Gotta Eat Too" American Public Media, NPR, February 13, 2007
Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell advocates for healthy food choices in underserved communities through increased investment.
"Suburbs have stake in housing solution,” The Baltimore Sun, January 27, 2007.
PolicyLink associate director Radhika Fox comments on the importance of suburban involvement in affordable housing.
PolicyLink president Judith Bell discusses the importance of "funding public transit that links suburban workers to job-rich communities nearby, promoting reverse or cross-suburban commuter programs and building mixed-income housing near job centers and encouraging transit-oriented development."
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO, addresses regional equity at a recent Akron Roundtable sponsored by the Akron Chamber of Commerce, the Akron Beacon Journal, and the Kiwanis Club of Akron.
The Morning Show -- KPFA, November 20, 2006
Judith Bell, President of PolicyLink, addresses the need for smart housing planning in rapidly changing cities
PolicyLink senior director and director of the Lousiana Initiative, Kalima Rose, addresses affordable housing in New Orleans.
Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink, discusses how important it is to equitably share the billions of infrastructure dollars--making sure that all Californians benefit.
Victor Rubin, director of research for PolicyLink, addressed concerns about more market-rate construction in Walnut Creek and questioned the city's commitment to affordable housing.
Arnold Chandler, PolicyLink program associate, comments on the importance of Community Mapping in Pittsburgh and throughout the country.
"Inclusionary zoning rules pass muster with council," The Providence Journal, August 17, 2006
South Kingstown is the first town in Rhode Island to adopt zoning regulations requiring builders to include low- and moderate-income units in their development plans.
Dwayne Marsh, associate director for PolicyLink, speaks out on how cities nationwide have successfully experimented with different strategies to combat gentrification.
"Louisiana Housing Plan Questioned," Morning Edition, April 27, 2006
Kalima Rose, Associate Director for PolicyLink, discusses the importance of restoring rental housing in New Orleans
"Summit focuses on N.O. residents’ fair-housing needs," The Advocate, April 21, 2006
Kalima Rose, associate director for PolicyLink, spoke at Baton Rouge's fifth annual Fair Housing Summit. Rose and the majority of the speakers at the conference addressed rental housing.
"Critics want more help for rental property," The Advocate, April 18, 2006
Kalima Rose, associate director for PolicyLink, speaks out about the governor’s housing program and how there is not enough money allocated to the rebuilding of rentals.
Housing experts and New Orleans lawmakers question whether or not state recovery proposals are placing enough weight on rebuilding rental housing.
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink is mentioned as a chapter contributer for The Covenant With Black America, a volume of essays pulled together by Tavis Smiley. The book has reached No. 1 on both the Washington Post and New York Times paperback nonfiction bestseller list.
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink and Keith Beauchamp, producer and director of "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" address UC Santa Cruz at the 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation.
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink spoke at two town hall meetings regarding "The Covenant with Black America." The meetings, which were part of a seven-city tour, organized by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, are to help raise attention to the crises facing Black America and to organize people around a plan of action detailed in the book.
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell comments on the importance of giving displaced residents, of all income levels, the opportunity to return to the gulf coast.
"Urban experts assess hurricane rebuilding," Sun Herald, March 2, 2006
PolicyLink Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell, Reese Fayde of Living Cities, and Amy Liu of Brookings Institution discuss prevalent issues facing the gulf coast in a "Report Card" conference call with Gulfport, Mississippi Mayor Brent Warr.
"MLK Convocation at Civic imparts dreams of freedom, justice," Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 1, 2006
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO for PolicyLink, spoke about the "the importance of being able to capture the wisdom and commitment of the heroes we often bring out during Black History Month," at UC Santa Cruz's 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation.
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell is mentioned as one of the participants in an upcoming discussion in which experts will draw up a "report card" on what progress has been made in New Orleans six months after the storm.
"Manuel Pastor and Rachel Rosner: A bridge to somewhere," Santa Cruz Sentinel, February 26, 2006
Manuel Pastor, co-director of the Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community at UC Santa Cruz and Rachel Rosner, a research associate at the center, announce UC Santa Cruz's 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation.
"Downtown residents need access to healthful foods," San Jose Mercury News, February 13, 2006
PolicyLink associate director Rebecca Flournoy is quoted from a recent PolicyLink report, Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities through Food Retailing.
"Housing, the Lynchpin of Rebuilding the Gulf Coast," KALW 91.7, February 13, 2006
KALW's Sandip Roy interviews PolicyLink Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell about equitable rebuilding in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.
PolicyLink president Judith Bell, gives a presentation on Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding America's Older Core Cities.
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell comments on the importance of regional equity in Northeast Ohio.
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell is quoted in the Shreveport Times after a press conference where Gov. Kathleen Blanco introduced a team of the nation's top planners that are assembling a plan for rebuilding Lousiana.
Letter-to-the-Editor "Diabetes, the Silent Epidemic," The New York Times, January 11, 2006
PolicyLink associate director Mildred Thompson responds to The New York Times series, "Bad Blood: Diabetes in New York City."
“New York's Grocery Gap,” Gotham Gazette, November 21, 2005
Gotham Gazette, a web site about issues facing New York City, cites Healthy Food, Health Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities Through Food Retailing, a report published by PolicyLink and The California Endowment.
The Brown Daily Herald, an independent newspaper serving Brown University, reports on the inclusionary zoning work PolicyLink is involved with in Providence, Rhode Island.
Progressive Grocer, a VNU business publication, reports on the release of Healthy Food, Health Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities Through Food Retailing, a report published by PolicyLink and The California Endowment.
"Communities And Health Policy: A Pathway For Change," Health Affairs, Winter 2005
PolicyLink president Judith Bell and co-author Marion Standish of the California Endowment highlight examples of asthma and obesity to show the potential for communities to act to make healthy policy changes.
"What Makes a Great Place? Cities For All: An Interview with Angela Glover Blackwell," Yes! Magazine, Summer 2005
Sarah van Gelder of Yes! Magazine interviews Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink founder and CEO.
"Study Looks at Regional Successes," Contra Costa Times, January 15, 2005
PolicyLink director of research Victor Rubin comments on the importance of regionalism and a new University of California, Berkeley project studying promising regional partnerships nationwide.
“The Geography of Inequality,” NOW
with Bill Moyers, November 19, 2004
Angela Glover Blackwell and Manual Pastor, co-authors (with Stewart Kwoh)
of Searching for the Uncommon Common Ground discuss regional equity with NOW correspondent David Brancaccio.
“Communities of Color and Health Issues,” The
Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio, November 16, 2004
Tavis Smiley interviews PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell
on strategies to reduce health disparities in communities of color.
"Make Room for More," New
York Daily News, November 9, 2004
Daily News columnist Errol Louis cites inclusionary zoning (and the recently-released
PolicyLink-PICCED IZ report) as a promising strategy for addressing the
housing affordability crisis in New York.
"In the Zone," City Limits,
October 25, 2004
City Limits magazine reports on the release of Increasing Housing Opportunity
in New York City: The Case for Inclusionary Zoning, a report published
by PolicyLink and the Pratt Center for Community and Environmental Development.
"A Hand Up: Toward Healthier Neighborhoods,” San
Francisco Chronicle, October 14, 2004
Angela Glover Blackwell and Robert Ross, president and CEO of The California
Endowment, call for a “new policy framework” encompassing not
only health care delivery but critical factors like supermarket access
and neighborhood air quality to improve health in low-income communities
of color.
“Community Capital,” The
Paula Gordon Show, July 2004
Radio host Paula Gordon speaks with Angela Glover Blackwell about her vision
for economic and social equity and the “magic moment” that “awaits
America if it chooses to invest in the people and places now being left
behind.”
"The Big Idea: Meet the New Boss," City Limits, June 2004
New York City-based City Limits magazine cites PolicyLink and several other national organizations as leading resources on asset-building and resident ownership strategies.
Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr. of Rochester -a leading smart growth and equity advocate who inaugurated the PolicyLink Breakfast Roundtable discussion series in January 2004-joins Tavis Smiley to discuss PolicyLink equitable development principles, the importance of bridging urban-suburban divides, and community revitalization strategies for the Rochester metropolitan area.
"Sacramento 2025," Sacramento News and Review, January 8, 2004
As ambitious redevelopment projects are debated in Sacramento, California, Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink, encourages planners to consider equitable neighborhood development and "the needs of the whole community."
Angela Glover Blackwell, PolicyLink Founder and CEO, comments on the 40th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson's sweeping anti-poverty initiative.
"Experts Dissect Affordable Housing Policy," San Luis Obispo Tribune, July 5, 2003
PolicyLink senior associate Radhika K. Fox comments on affordable housing policies in Atascadero, California, and advocates an effective inclusionary zoning provision for the city.
"Governments Lagging on Low-Cost Housing," Sacramento Bee, June 30, 2003
Judith Bell cites inclusionary zoning ordinances as a promising policy trend in California jurisdictions.
"Task Force Goal: Spur Development," Miami Herald, April 20, 2003
Dwayne Marsh presents equitable development policy solutions at an urban development task force forum in South Florida .
"New Commitment to Vitality," Oakland Tribune, March 18, 2003
Joe Brooks, PolicyLink vice president for civic engagement, highlights local organizations working toward equity and neighborhood vitality in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Childhood Asthma Epidemic Demands Good Policy," San Francisco Chronicle, March 9, 2003
PolicyLink founder and CEO Angela Glover
Blackwell and co-author Robert Ross, president and CEO of The California
Endowment, discuss promising policy and advocacy strategies to address
California'
's high childhood asthma rate.
"Charlotte Can Transform Gentrification into Equitable Development," Charlotte Post, August 8, 2002
PolicyLink senior associate Dwayne Marsh comments on gentrification, sprawl, and affordable housing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and provides examples of successful equitable development efforts that could benefit this rapidly-growing North Carolina region.
"Holding Onto Harlem ," New York Times, April 12, 2001
Citing policy solutions like inclusionary zoning, and resident ownership examples like the community-planned Market Creek Plaza development in San Diego , California , Angela Glover Blackwell affirms that, in Harlem and gentrifying communities like it, "prosperity can coexist with affordability."
"Diversity Isn't Just Skin Deep," Los Angeles Times , January 7, 2001
Angela Glover Blackwell, Stewart Kwoh, and Manuel Pastor-co-authors of Searching for the Uncommon Common Ground: New Dimensions on Race in America -call on the Bush administration, as well as state and local policymakers, to embrace "not just an agenda for diversity but a strategy for economic and social justice."
updated January 2009