Recent Happenings at NOAH
Noah’s monthly meeting was held on February 12, via ZOOM. As part of the meeting each Task Force gathers, and then provides the whole group updates on the recent efforts and concerns in their area of interest. Listed below are brief summaries:
- Criminal Justice Task Force- is focusing on 3 areas: a scheduled follow up meeting with Chief Drake concerning a medical response to persons acting out due to mental health issues rather than a police response,
- a push for the public schools to make use of Social Emotional Learning rather than SRO’s to respond to acting out issues in the school settings,
- Working on Cash Bail Reform and how fines are often randomly assigned, affecting people of color more often and causing too many people to be held in jail because they can’t afford the bail.
- Economic Equity and Jobs Task Force-this task force is working with other groups to develop a Living Wage Certification Program for businesses, raising awareness of the issue of low wages in the city and looking into the process funding for schools, public safety and related issues.
- Education Task Force-the task force has reached out to its members to contact Governor Lee opposing threats to withhold funding if schools do not open, continuing to build allies in advocating for revisions to the state funding formula for school, and more transparency on equitable access.
- Affordable Housing Task Force-The State Working Group of the AHTF and the Education Task Force met with 9 of the 12 state legislators of Davidson County. and discussed working cooperatively on redirecting the real estate transfer tax to affordable housing and removing the state’s pre-emptive of inclusionary zoning and increasing the basic Education Program (BEP) especially the line item for school social workers. The Education Group is also gathering data on current evictions and possible funding to prevent future evictions.