SE Illinois News

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Harrisburg) recently questioned witnesses at a House Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force hearing how the grants offered by the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program should be measured for their effectiveness.

“When we look back on this grant, how will we judge whether or not you’ve been successful and the grant itself has been successful in achieving its goals?” Windhorst asked Dr. Patricia Booker Easley of the NAACP and the Westside Collaborative Project.

A total of eight West Side nonprofits and civil rights organizations united to form the Westside Collaborative Project last year. “Given that this is a new grant and we’re serving a population in very different ways, when we talk about measuring, I think we need to be broad and flexible on that,” Booker said.

The Westside Collaborative Project received $1.8 million as part of R3 in the fall. Booker continued, “We will provide some instances on that for pre-testing, post-testing, pre-assessments, post-assessments, those sorts of things, so we can have some quantifiable numbers for you. But, on the other hand, we also have to look at changing minds of this particular population. If we can change the mindset of our clients, neighbors and friends, they can transfer that new knowledge within their families and their blocks and communities.”

The project is led by the Chicago Westside Branch of NAACP. The project offers different types of services like violence prevention, career development, mental health, and other support services. Charise Williams, ICJIA’s deputy director, mentioned that she was pleased with the Collaborative’s plans. “This is amazing, very inspiring, and we look forward to making the impact on the communities that need it the most,” she said. “We hope to have a long relationship with the Westside Collaborative and thank you for having us.”