Unity Chair Statement
Addressing such matters in a proactive and inclusive way helps with maintaining our sense of community , protects social problems from magnifying and assists City leaders by providing them with key sources of information .
For example , in reading this report , you ’ ll find that once again , results from the 2022 Citizen Satisfaction Survey show that a strong majority of residents rate the quality of life in Arlington as “ good ” or “ excellent ” ( 69 %) and rate the quality of life in their particular neighborhood as “ good ” or “ excellent ” ( 74 %.) I ’ m also pleased to report that no less than 77 % of Black , 73 % of White and 66 % of Latina / Latino residents also feel this way .
However , there is significant evidence ( both quantitative and qualitative ) of inequalities facing our seniors , residents with disabilities and members of our LGBTQ + community .
And , while we ’ ve taken major steps toward addressing racial and ethnic disparities , these additional areas of inequity need to be explored further . As a result , findings from our one-on-one interviews often reveal impassioned , spirited and insightful comments . To be completely honest : some of the people that we spoke with have felt undervalued and overlooked . Nevertheless , they provided us with reasonable suggestions for improving their circumstances and quality of life .
The Unity Council was established to “ study equity strategies that the City of Arlington could implement to promote and encourage greater equality , to gather community input on the need to use equitable measures to build greater equality and to report findings and recommendations to the City Council .”
This report fulfills our charge from City leadership . We also hope that the report makes Arlington an even better place for people to feel welcome and call “ home .”
Unity Council Report 2023 9