The following is a schedule of our upcoming task force meetings. If you're a task force member but don't have a link to participate, let us know at info@calebcha.org.

This month, Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality & Benevolence (CALEB) has released a report outlining best practices and potential impact of establishing a city-wide Community Land Trust (CLT) in Chattanooga. The report, which was funded by the City of Chattanooga, details how the CLT model could be used to promote permanently affordable housing in a rapidly skyrocketing real estate market. This study was commissioned after multiple city housing reports recommended the CLT model as a tool to address affordability issues. 
 
We contracted with the nationally recognized CLT consultancy firm, Burlington Associates in Community Development, to aid in the development of the study. After conducting this research, we believe that establishing a city-wide CLT would be one of the most efficient and effective uses of local housing subsidies. 
 
An executive summary, FAQ, and a downloadable PDF of the full report can be found at www.calebcha.org/cltstudy. 

On March 17th from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EST, we'll be hosting a "Lunch & Learn" virtual event to discuss the findings of the report and answer questions. Registration for the event can be found at https://fb.me/e/238ttr1ZJ.

CALEB's next General Meeting is scheduled for March 11th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Meetings are opened to the public, and currently held over Zoom.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrc-GuqD4rH9JpZ5ymtMoEdAgetxBzGUJS

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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. 

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.