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Building Integrated Communities Project Update.
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Staff:
Department:
Loryn Clark, Executive Director
Housing and Community
Sarah Osmer Vi?as, Assistant Director
Overview: This item provides an update on the Building Integrated Communities (BIC) project, a two year collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Recommendation(s):
That the Council receive this report.
Overview of the Building Integrated Communities (BIC) Project
BIC is a multi-year planning process that helps North Carolina local governments successfully engage with local foreign-born, refugee, and Hispanic/Latinx residents in order to: improve relationships, enhance communication, and promote civic participation and leadership in local government.
As a result of working with BIC, local governments and diverse community stakeholders gain tools and build capacity to generate locally relevant strategies for promoting economic development and strengthening educational advancement. Since 2010, the statewide BIC initiative has partnered with the municipalities of Greenville, High Point, Winston-Salem, and Sanford to create and implement four citywide action plans for improving the integration of newcomers.
Following a competitive process, the Town of Chapel Hill was selected as one of two municipalities to participate in the BIC project for 2017-2019. The BIC project aligns with the Town's goals of making Chapel Hill a Place for Everyone, and an Inclusive Community, both of which are goals identified in our Comprehensive Plan and Council Goals.
Project Process & Progress to Date
Over the summer of 2017, an interdepartmental staff team, led by our Office for Housing and Community, began working with the UNC BIC Team to carry out the three-part project process outlined below.
1. Community Assessment (September 2017-February 2018)
* Establish steering committee
Progress to date
* The core project team recruited 22 individuals to serve on the BIC project ...
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