Browse Working Group Recommendations

Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER
Recommendation: Tie DA budget allocation to the increased use of diversion programs.
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Working Group: Healthcare
Key Issue: ACCESS & AFFORDABILITY OF HEALTHCARE TO INCREASE RACIAL HEALTH EQUITY
Recommendation: Create a municipal health care access program that guarantees affordable healthcare for any uninsured county resident who does not qualify for another healthcare plan, regardless of immigration status, income level, or pre-existing conditions.
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Working Group: Healthcare
Key Issue: IMPACTING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH TO INCREASE RACIAL EQUITY
Recommendation: Amend Zoning Codes, Incentive Zoning, and Planned Development Districts to support development of grocery stores, pharmacies, community health centers, primary and specialist care, recreational green space, and fitness centers in neighborhoods with high racial health disparities.
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Working Group: Healthcare
Key Issue: ANTI-RACIST, RESPECTFUL, INTEGRATED, AND QUALITY CARE
Recommendation: Establish a County-wide ombudsperson office where residents can report discrimination in healthcare (whether provided by the County or private healthcare systems) and receive assistance in filing complaints with the NYS Commission on Human Rights. Office to have a Community Advisory Board with requirements that members include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and representatives from other marginalized groups who (if permitted by state law) are compensated for their service.
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Working Group: Healthcare
Key Issue: ANTI-RACIST, RESPECTFUL, INTEGRATED, AND QUALITY CARE
Recommendation: Amend Section 63 of City Charter to prohibit discrimination, including racial discrimination, in health care
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES IN HOUSING
Recommendation: Monroe County and the City of Rochester should adopt a policy in support of “greenlining.”
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES IN HOUSING
Recommendation: Consider adoption of a County-level law prohibiting discrimination in the sale, purchase, financing, renting or leasing of housing
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: LAND USE REGULATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES
Recommendation: Work to reduce or eliminate exclusionary zoning.
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: LAND USE REGULATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES
Recommendation: Encourage or incentivize affordable housing in all communities within Monroe County.
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Recommendation: Explore the feasibility of a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase law in Rochester.
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Working Group: Housing
Key Issue: Parking Lot
Recommendation: Advocate for a public bank that can be used to support affordable housing efforts as well as credit unions that produce mortgages for low-income homebuyers. Public banking appears to require state legislation to amend state finance and / or banking law. State Sen. James Sanders Jr. has a pending bill to amend banking law to create a framework to allow cities and counties to create public banks. It is before the Banks Committee.144
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Working Group: Mental Health/Addiction
Key Issue: Cross Sector
Recommendation: Create a County-City Accountability Committee/Board composed of a diverse consumer, non-governmental organizations, and professional membership for monitoring system initiatives to overcome barriers to care based on structure, race, or ability to pay. To ensure independence and accountability to the community, however, the committee should not be led by a professional.
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Working Group: Mental Health/Addiction
Key Issue: Availability of sufficient, high-quality mental health and addiction services is extremely limited in trusted community settings for people of color and low-income people.
Recommendation: Practices: Develop Community Behavioral Health Advocates (CBHA), a program employing local residents who are trained and certified to assist people with advocacy; offer help to connect with and navigate behavioral 170 Mental Health Association of Rochester / Monroe County. “Racism is a Public Health Crisis.” https://www.mharochester.org/mha-acknowledges-racism-as-a-public-health-crisis/ 183 health services; identify distressed persons who need services before emergencies occur; and provide low-complexity therapeutic interventions, as appropriate.
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Working Group: Policing
Key Issue: HIRING
Recommendation: we recommend the final interview for police candidates include representatives from the community as interviewers, including interviewers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds for all local law enforcement officers.
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Working Group: Policing
Key Issue: TRAINING
Recommendation: Our working group recommends significantly increasing this requirement to include cultural competency training, implicit and explicit bias training, Procedural Justice training and historical aspects of policing training.
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Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: OLDER ADULTS
Recommendation: Support and Invest in Livable Communities for Older Adults Initiative
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Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: OLDER ADULTS
Recommendation: Upgrade senior centers in neighborhoods of most need
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