CALEB news feed and blog - CALEB

#DevelopWithUs Candidate Forums

2/1/2021

Monday, Feb. 1st starts our series of discussions with local candidates in the municipal elections. Both mayoral and city council candidates will discuss economic development, respond to our calls for transparency and accountability in public development decisions, and state whether they're willing to work with CALEB membership on this issue if elected. Discussions will be livestreamed on Facebook Live, and recordings are posted on our website.

We hope you'll join us. You can also check out the events through Facebook at
www.facebook.com/CALEBChatt

Next General CALEB Meeting: Feb. 11th

1/31/2021

CALEB's monthly organizational meeting provides a time for our member organizations and At-Large Caucus members to come together to discuss our goals, hear from our different task forces, and find ways to support public actions and events in the coming month. Although this is a meeting for membership, interested community members are welcome to join us and learn about our work.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAode6hpzssGdZxy7ZocVSkuveeHMiRCXoJ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

CALEB Meeting Details

11/20/2020

Next CALEB General Meeting:
Thursday, Dec. 10th, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM EST

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckcOCrrT8iGdJVSPyHSROnJ-s2sNuI6eZx

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Task Force Meeting Details

For links to Task Force meetings, email request to info@calebcha.org.

Application Process Now Open for Bail Fund Manager Position

10/8/2020

Job Description:
Hamilton County Community Bail Fund Manager
Full-time

Click this link to go to the APPLICATION FORM: https://forms.gle/v92Nxked1rPFNon76

Job Summary
The Bail Fund Manager will work primarily out of Bail Fund office for computer and telephone-based work, with trips to Silverdale Detention Facility, Hamilton County Jail and Hamilton County Bonding Office to conduct interviews or to post bonds. Court reminders are to be sent to both defendants as well as their community contacts prior to court dates. This position also entails communication with CALEB members, as well as a small amount of fundraising and public presentation tasks.

Salary: $40,000/ yr.
Benefits: Healthcare Savings Account Contributions, IRA
Expected Workweek: 40-45 hours

Responsibilities:

Identify, interview and communicate with eligible defendants and their community contacts
Send court reminders
Post bond at bonding office (currently downtown, with plans to be moved to Silverdale Detention Facility)
Data Entry and Paperwork Filing
Weekly supervisory meetings
Compile monthly report for CALEB’s Criminal Justice Task Force
Manage volunteers as necessary
Public Presentations
Fundraising

Qualifications:

Commitment to goals of CALEB’s Criminal Justice Task Force: ending money bail, greater pretrial liberty, ending fines and fees, Decarceration (see www.calebcha.org/criminaljustice)
Clear understanding of pretrial legal process
Clear understanding of the harm of racial and class disparities in the criminal justice system, and fervent commitment to address them through systemic reform
Ability to travel between Silverdale Detention Facility and Downtown (vehicle required)
Willingness to work flexible hours
Great communications and interpersonal skills
Proven self-management skills, including time management and workload

Community Land Trusts 101

8/22/2020

Recording of a presentation and conversation on community land trusts with Michael Brown, consultant for Burlington Associates.

Quick and easy tool for Absentee Ballots

7/14/2020

Recently, a court order in Nashville has opened up the option to vote by mail (via absentee ballot) to every registered voter in the state. To take advantage of this, we want to encourage people across our community to vote safely and securely from home.

Our partners at CIVIC TN have created a convenient tool to help people quickly and easily (a) check if they are registered to vote and (b) if so, to easily request an absentee ballot request that will be sent directly to their home address.

English

Español

Provided by CivicTN and Powered by CampaignOS.

CALEB's "District Issues" video series focuses on Education challenges and community perspectives

6/30/2020

Our Education Task Force has created a series of videos and outreach materials around the upcoming School Board elections, based on three questions:

"What are your biggest concerns about education in this time of COVID-19?" here on Facebook and here on Youtube
"What issues will be most important for Hamilton County Schools in the coming four years?" here on Facebook and here on Youtube
"What do you want to see in the people elected to School Board in August?" here on Facebook and here on Youtube

Please pick your favorite (or all three) and share them widely with your organizations, personally if you use social media or have good email lists you are part of. These videos are part of our first real effort to build up engagements and issue-based campaigns to drive positive change in local elections.

Sign up for an Interview

Tennessee United launches El Pueblo Fund

6/25/2020

Since the beginning of the shutdown and pandemic response, and throughout the rebuilding after the Easter tornado, Tennessee United has been coordinating dozens of volunteers and public financial support for home repair, rental assistance and essential supplies. Yet in spite of good work being done, the Latinx community remains the hardest hit population for COVID-19. With an extreme rise in confirmed cases we are seeing a corresponding rise in death rates.

The El Pueblo Fund looks to provide a moderate level of direct support to COVID-affected families so they can have the freedom and security to shelter-in-place without fear of economic devastation. Fund donations may also be used to aid families burdened by unexpected funeral expenses.

Disbursement of funds is happening immediately. The fund will allow families to shelter in place at home or a hotel (depending how many people are covid19 positive per household). Knowing their bills and basic needs will be covered, will allow them to quarantine safely. The fund will allow TNU to cover, in addition to rent and bills, basic needs such as diapers, formula, medicine and personal hygiene products. Having that peace of mind during quarantine is also needed for their mental health.

While providing these needs TNU also hopes to provide accurate written information in their language, to erase myths that are spreading about covid19, and to eliminate the fear in our community.

CALEB launches Eviction Court Watch program to monitor housing cases

5/28/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused massive disruption to our local economy and social systems, but many of the effects are only beginning to be seen. Historic levels of unemployment, business closures, and reduced work hours have left many working families without the resources to pay bills. Many of the hardest hit sectors (hospitality, leisure, retail) already relied heavily on low-wage work, and the coronavirus has only added to financial insecurity. Next week we'll begin to see how this is translating to housing instability.

The Hamilton County Courts suspended hearings for eviction cases (legally termed "detainer actions") in mid-March, but on June 16th those cases will begin to be heard. The massive backlog of cases means that multiple courtrooms will be handling these cases, and other types of civil cases are still suspended until the court catches up. To limit exposure, the courtrooms will hear one docket per hour, with ten cases for each docket.

It is important that the community is aware of the scope and outcome of what could become an evictions crisis that threatens community stability. Yet because General Sessions Civil Court isn't a court of record, the outcomes of these cases aren't publicly catalogued. More than ever, we need to make sure that tenant protections and support are open and available.

Next week, CALEB launches Eviction Court Watch, a volunteer program to monitor hearings and record details that can offer insights into housing instability and the court process. We're looking for community members willing to attend the dockets and record information based on a simple template form. This information can then be compiled together to give us a better understanding housing security, and possible steps to improve it.

This program will run for at least one month, and we will reassess after that.

If you would like to be a court watcher, click the link below:
www.calebcha.org/court-watch

Eviction & Civil Procedure Training

5/21/2020

The coronavirus has reportedly left 1 in 10 people in the greater Chattanooga area unemployed, with other industries at risk. Courts have postponed eviction proceedings, but they are set to open up next month under a massive backlog of cases. Our city needs to be aware of the potential scale and danger to community stability that an eviction crisis could have.

This training is meant to provide a starting point to understand how eviction cases work in Hamilton County, and what we should look out for. You can register with the information below:

When: May 27, 2020 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqdu2pqDkoE9chh67-jHqhaGUgcvI2HSTI

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.