Latino Policy Forum

Latino Policy Forum
Formation	1983
Type	Non-profit organization
Purpose	Latino civic engagement
Location	Chicago, Illinois ;
Services	Conducts analysis to inform, influence, and lead. [1]
Key people	Sylvia Puente, Martin Torres [2]
Website	http://www.latinopolicyforum.org
Formerly called	Latinos United

Last updated October 08, 2019

The Latino Policy Forum is a non-profit organization that provides policy analysis and information and pursues more just housing, education, and immigration laws for the Latino community in Chicago and Illinois.^[3]

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, however learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy.

Immigration is the international movement of people into a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle or reside there, especially as permanent residents or naturalized citizens, or to take up employment as a migrant worker or temporarily as a foreign worker.

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,705,994 (2018), it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the US, with portions of the northwest city limits extending into DuPage County near O'Hare Airport. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland. At nearly 10 million people, the metropolitan area is the third most populous in the nation.

History

The organization began in 1983 as the Housing Committee of Harold Washington's Mayor's Advisory Committee on Latino Affairs (MACLA). MACLA investigated the severe underrepresentation of Latinos in all forms of subsidized housing. In 1989, the organization incorporated and became Latinos United. Latinos United received support from another Chicago advocacy group, the Latino Institute, which provided office space and clerical services.^[4] In 2006, Latinos United expanded their purview to include education and immigration policy. Then, in 2008, the group formally adopted a broader policy agenda, and changed their name to the Latino Policy Forum.^[3]

Harold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in February 1983. He served as mayor from April 29, 1983 until his death on November 25, 1987. Earlier, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1983, representing Illinois's first district. Washington had previously served in the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1965 until 1976.

The Latino Institute was a non-profit research and advocacy group based in Chicago, Illinois. It was best known for producing reports and analysis on the conditions faced by the Latinx population, and studies of their economic and political potential.

Chicago Housing Authority lawsuit

Latinos United gained importance by vanguarding the class action lawsuit against Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for discriminatory practices.^[3] Latinos United accused CHA of not attracting Latinos to apply for housing assistance, then discouraging them after they applied. Latinos United also attacked CHA for not employing enough Latinos on their staff.^[5] CHA's administration denied these charges, but in 1996, CHA settled the lawsuit. The result was a federal consent decree, requiring CHA to increase their services to Latinos. The decree expired in 2005.^[6]

A class action, also known as a class action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member of that group. The class action originated in the United States and is still predominantly a U.S. phenomenon, but Canada, as well as several European countries with civil law have made changes in recent years to allow consumer organizations to bring claims on behalf of consumers.

Chicago Housing Authority municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is a municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago. The agency's Board of Commissioners is appointed by the city's mayor, and has a budget independent from that of the city of Chicago. CHA is the largest rental landlord in Chicago, with more than 50,000 households. CHA owns over 21,000 apartments. It also oversees the administration of 37,000 Section 8 vouchers. The current acting CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority is Eugene Jones, Jr.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government. Although its beginnings were in the House and Home Financing Agency, it was founded as a Cabinet department in 1965, as part of the "Great Society" program of President Lyndon Johnson, to develop and execute policies on housing and metropolises.

Mission and actions

The mission of the Latino Policy Forum is: "to build the power, influence, and leadership of the Latino community through collective action to transform public policies that ensure the well being of our community and society as a whole."^[7] To that end, the Forum helped register thousands of people to vote, and they disseminate information on local and state candidates.^[8] The Latino Policy Forum also lobbies the Illinois State Legislature to promote legislation, particularly for fair housing measures.^[1]

Related Research Articles

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The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights is a consortium of American law firms in Chicago that provides legal services in civil rights cases, with a focus on seven major projects: the Education Equity Project, the Community Law Project, the Housing Opportunity Project, the Hate Crimes Project, Voting Rights Project, Police Accountability Project and Settlement Assistance Program. Recent activity has explored avenues to promote and protect civil rights in the Chicago metropolitan area through education, healthcare delivery, the environment, and voting rights.

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References

1 2 "Newsviews: Latino Policy Forum". ABC7 Chicago. 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
↑ "What I've Learned: Latino Policy Forum's Sylvia Puente". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
1 2 3 Latino Policy Forum records. DePaul University Special Collections and Archives, accessed June 14, 2017.
↑ Ontiveros, Sue (December 5, 1998). "After 25 years of giving, it's payback time". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank.
↑ "Cha Neglecting Hispanics, Group Charges". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
↑ "LATINOS DEMAND EQUAL ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING | The Pilsen Alliance | Chicago". www.thepilsenalliance.org. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
↑ "Who We Are". Latino Policy Forum. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
↑ Dietrich, Matthew (2014-10-27). "The Latino Policy Forum hoped to share candidates' views with Illinois Latinos". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

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[Newsviews:_Latino_Policy_Forum-1] 1 2 "Newsviews: Latino Policy Forum". ABC7 Chicago. 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

[2] "What I've Learned: Latino Policy Forum's Sylvia Puente". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 Latino Policy Forum records. DePaul University Special Collections and Archives, accessed June 14, 2017.

[4] Ontiveros, Sue (December 5, 1998). "After 25 years of giving, it's payback time". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank.

[5] "Cha Neglecting Hispanics, Group Charges". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

[6] "LATINOS DEMAND EQUAL ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING | The Pilsen Alliance | Chicago". www.thepilsenalliance.org. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

[7] "Who We Are". Latino Policy Forum. Retrieved 2017-06-14.

[8] Dietrich, Matthew (2014-10-27). "The Latino Policy Forum hoped to share candidates' views with Illinois Latinos". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-06-14.