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Gail Schechter

Community organizer, director of Open Communities, teacher
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Blog Posts

Election Reflection: Local Elections Matter

Voter turnout of 18% for the April 2013 north suburban races means we need to reinvigorate the public forum. Bring back investigative reporting, contested races, and join nonpartisan watchdogs.

Awareness

Suburbs: Housing Matters

Elected officials: Suburbs must provide housing for people at all income levels to accommodate a multi-generational and multi-economic reality.

Stopping Violence: What Fair Housing and Public Health Have in Common

Mass public school shootings have been in white, rich towns. Other shootings of children are in African American or Latino, poor neighborhoods. Segregation kills.

Development from the Ground Up: Will it Be Business as Usual?

With the turnaround in the economy, our suburbs have an opportunity to put housing developments in place that serve the needs and incomes of residents of all ages as well as the local workforce.

Neighborhood predicts our children's future

Neighborhood predicts whether a child scores in the 10th or 90th percentile in an achievement test. It is our collective obligation to all children to build supportive communities.

Real Estate

Helping the Housing Market One Step at a Time

If you are a typical homeowner and feel left behind by federal mortgage reforms, you are not alone. Newly proposed bills in Congress can help you and correct the housing market at the same time.

The Moral Leader Next Door

This is the story of a teacher and a girl. Listen to the call of stories, as Robert Coles writes, and find moral encouragement. These stories of inspiration live on in the people around us.

Awareness

An Open Letter to Governor Quinn

Governor Quinn, please follow through on the spirit of the state's Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act and meet the human need for housing and community.

Patch's House & Home

African Americans Remain Few in the Northern Suburbs

While the northern suburbs are increasingly diverse (up from 10% persons of color in 1980 to over 26% in 2010), the Black population in most suburbs is under 1%. Segregation is alive and well.

A Different North Shore Top-10 List: Where We Are Knit Together

Every suburb or neigborhood has places where people feel comfortable and unselfconscious. These are the places where community flourishes. What's your favorite "social seam" in the northern suburbs?

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