Evanston’s Equity and Empowerment Commission released a community survey Tuesday to gather input on racial equity issues in the city. 

The survey seeks to assess perspectives from Evanston residents, workers and students on issues like city services, neighborhood quality, housing affordability, the state of racial equity in Evanston and the role of government in addressing inequity. 

The EEC was created in 2018 to identify and eradicate inequity in Evanston’s programs and practices. The commission has committed to hold city staff accountable by creating indicators to ensure their goals are met. Among other efforts, the commission has worked on the city’s Restorative Housing Reparations Program.

The city will use the information from the survey to measure progress and incorporate community priorities into future equity and empowerment initiatives, according to a news release. The survey isn’t meant as a way to directly create change, but instead as a way of ensuring accountability. 

This is the EEC’s first survey, but the commission intends to repeat it. The survey will recur every two years, while the form itself will be annual. The survey can be found in English here and in Spanish here.

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