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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROGRAM ALLOCATION FOR BUDGETED FY 2022 EQUITY AND INCLUSION SPECIAL PURPOSE FUNDS
WHEREAS, in October 2021, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed Resolution No. 21-5542 creating a special purpose fund for Equity and Inclusion ("Equity Fund") dedicated to addressing historical disparities and disinvestment communities that are marginalized or have experienced other social and economic disparities; and
WHEREAS, seeding money for equity investment in fixed charges as well as directly to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System was an important step taken by Cook County to address racial disparities and build on the Cook County Policy Roadmap commitment to advancing equitable policies and addressing systemic disparities; and
WHEREAS, Cook County incorporated the initial FY 2021 $40M Equity Fund investment into the FY 2022 Budget and an additional $10M from the County's surplus fund balance from the end of FY21 has been allocated in the County's fixed charges for transfer into the Equity Fund; and
WHEREAS, the remaining Equity Funds are budgeted and allocated in the FY 2022 Budget; and
WHEREAS, through the Equity Fund, intentional investments from government resources are allocated to address historical and continued disparities and disinvestment, particularly in Black and Latine (as defined in the Equity Report) communities, and to bring advocates, service providers, and other partners to the table as thought partners and decision-makers; and
WHEREAS, the vision behind the Equity Fund was to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities in Cook County by reimagining and transforming systems around justice, public safety, health, housing, economic opportunity, community development, and social services to benefit Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities and proactively invest resources in solutions and supports to achieve equitable outcomes; and
WHEREAS, efforts have been undertaken with various Cook County d...
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