Chief Equity Officer Statement
These efforts have grown the diversity of businesses that engage the City. In 2022, 43 % of the Prime-awarded contracts issued by the City went to women-owned and / or minority-owned businesses.
The City also has been focused on addressing issues of income and economic disparity through accessibility to community-based resources, educational opportunities and strategic partnerships.
One notable example is the Arlington Financial Stability workgroup, which is a multi-disciplinary group that is committed to serving the needs of our most socioeconomically vulnerable residents by coordinating the resources of the public, private and non-profit sectors to increase financial literacy to those in need of assistance.
As a part of our broader strategy to better position Arlington to effectively address socio-economic vulnerabilities, the City has partnered with the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, UTA and the United Way of Tarrant County to conduct a comprehensive, 18-month research study of Arlington’ s non-profit sector, titled“ The State of the Sector: Catalyzing A Thriving Non-Profit Community.” This innovative initiative is a big step forward in understanding the needs of area nonprofits whose missions vary from arts and culture to education to animal welfare to human services.
Housing Access and Affordability
The Unity Council’ s recommendations addressing housing access and affordability have also experienced steady progress. The City’ s Grants Management Office and the Arlington Housing Authority continue to administer HUD funds to make housing access and homeownership a reality for more Arlington residents. Both entities continue to collaborate on innovative solutions to address housing accessibility and affordability, homelessness and preservation of renter rights.
As a result of these efforts, we are seeing more opportunities for affordable housing throughout Arlington, while creating more stable, diverse communities with greater access to opportunity for all.
A core value of stable communities is the need to feel safe and to be treated equitably in the criminal justice system. The Arlington Police Department has implemented most of the recommendations set forth in the original Unity Council Report, many of which spoke to the need to build
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