LOVE Building Community Benefits Agreement 2023 (with addendum) Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Definitions 3. Core Values 4. Benefits 1. Resources 2. Programming 5. Evaluation and Accountability 6. Signatories & Advisors 7. Addendum ________________ 1. Introduction The LOVE Building, located in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, will be home to Allied Media Projects, Detroit Justice Center, Detroit Disability Power, Detroit Narrative Agency, Detroit Community Technology Project, and Paradise Natural Foods. Joining together under one roof allows us to create a hub for collaborative social justice organizing and serve as a resource for the surrounding neighborhood. Though our individual missions vary, they are rooted in the collective vision of cultivating liberation, joy, and justice for all Detroiters. The LOVE Building provides a community space that is deeply accessible and environmentally responsible. It nurtures and amplifies the art, organizing, and cultural work being done by Black, Brown, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, and Disabled Detroiters. It provides valuable resources to the surrounding neighborhood, such as legal services, healthy and affordable food, media arts programming, and a community Internet hotspot. The purpose of this Community Benefits Agreement is to help the LOVE Building put this vision into practice. This document reflects conversations that took place between 2019 and 2022 with the tenant partners and advisory councils of the LOVE Building. ________________ 2. Definitions Community The LOVE Building exists within three primary rings of community (Communities): 1. The six organizations who share the office space of the building (Tenant Partners). 2. The surrounding Core City Neighborhood (Neighborhood). 3. The wider artist-activist community of the city (Local Network). Benefits For The LOVE Building, “benefits” include all commitments and intentions we are setting for how this building will provide a beneficial value to the three rings of our community. These benefits include physical resources (like Internet connectivity) as well as programs such as pro bono legal services and digital media trainings. They include both short-term commitments and long-term possibilities. Agreement By signing this document, the LOVE Building and its six tenant partners are stating our commitment to implement the benefits described herein, within five years of the public opening of the LOVE Building. We will continue to engage our Communities in a spirit of collaboration to bring the vision of this document to life. Because we know that the needs of our Communities are not static and will evolve over time, we commit to revisiting the CBA every five years and revising as needed (see Evaluation and Accountability section below). ________________ 3. Core Values These were designed collaboratively by the six LOVE Building Tenant Partners at the beginning of the development process. We intend to keep these values at the center of all the work that we do together as the LOVE Building. We recognize that these values are not distinct, but rather integral to each other. Visionary Organizing We are attempting to model the liberated, joyful, and just world in which we want to live, while fighting and dismantling harmful systems at the same time. We are prioritizing the visionary organizing of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, and Disabled Detroiters. Accessibility We are modeling an approach to accessibility that is rooted in love and hospitality, while countering the pervasive ableism of our world. We work to make our space usable and welcoming to people with disabilities and others who are often excluded from social justice organizing. Intergenerational Wisdom We are rooted in Detroit’s legacy of activism and the wisdom of those who came before us. We value and work to create spaces where elders, children, and everyone in between can contribute their brilliance. Creativity We believe that liberation is a creative process. We are providing a gathering space for artists, performers, cultural producers, and all people to do the creative work of social transformation. Community Accountability We begin by listening. We are cultivating an environment of trust by always being transparent, self-reflective, and responsive to community needs. Environmental Responsibility We are committed to practices, such as solar energy and green infrastructure, that minimize our impact on the environment and cultivate healthy communities for future generations. Place-Keeping We are committed to honoring the legacy and present reality of Core City as a majority Black and Brown neighborhood through archiving, oral history and remembrance practices, in addition to participating in local organizing to hold new developments accountable to existing residents’ needs and resisting displacement. 4. Benefits The benefits of the LOVE Building are organized into two main categories: Resources and Programming. Each resource and programmatic offering has two sections: short term and long term, which delineate those items that we commit to accomplish within the first five years of opening, and those that we will commit to exploring, with the hope of implementing within five to 10 years. 1. Resources Cultural preservation The Core City neighborhood of Detroit has a rich legacy as a Black neighborhood with thriving businesses and community development organizations, community art, and neighbors who take care of one another. This legacy persists today. The LOVE Building will contribute to the cultural preservation of the Core CIty neighborhood through the following: * Design a mural through a collaborative, community process around the theme “Ancestral Love, Moving Us Forward” that features portraits of beloved community members who have passed away. As part of this process, we will: * Consider long-term preservation (protection from inclement weather, etc) in the design and construction. * Continually add portraits to the mural on a biennial basis, through a participatory process. * Consult with local grief workers to add ritual to this process, hold space that will support healing and remembrance through the creation of the mural (ex: House Full of Black Women ritual art installation). * Create a collectively-generated image/audio description of the mural that can be played outside or made available using a QR code or something similar. The LOVE Building will commit to explore: * Adding interactive, textural, multimedia components to the mural (ex: audio recordings about the people represented in it that are accessible from a phone). * Creation of an oral history archive of audio interviews (with transcriptions) and photography from both the 4731 Grand River Building and the Core City Neighborhood. * Establishing a partnership with “The Old Westsiders” to further neighborhood historical preservation. * Researching and establishing relationships with artists and culture creators in the Core City neighborhood. Community gathering space There is a strong need in the Core City neighborhood for more places where communities can gather to access resources, celebrate, build relationships, and organize. To help meet this need, the LOVE Building will commit to the following: * Create a multi-purpose room that can be rented by the general public for various types of community-oriented events. The multi-purpose room will include: * A sprung subfloor to accommodate dance and other types of fitness classes. * Built-in multimedia performance and livestreaming capabilities. * Seating to accommodate bodies of all sizes. * Provide accessibility guidelines for use of the space and support with implementing those guidelines by providing referrals for ASL vendors, childcare providers, and other access services. * Provide rent-free use of the multi-purpose room for Core City Block Club meetings, such as the Grand River Block Club and United Block Club Council. * Provide discounted rental rates for Core City residents holding private events (birthday parties, baby showers, etc.). * Work with Neighborhood Advisory Council members to determine the boundaries of Core City. The LOVE Building will commit to explore: * Inviting elected officials to host semi-regular “coffee hours” at the LOVE Building, during which time constituents can discuss needs and have questions answered. * Actively supporting neighborhood organizing around future CBA processes with new developers entering the Core City neighborhood. Digital infrastructure Digital redlining (the practice of systematically denying low-income neighborhoods access to affordable, high-speed Internet) is a problem in the Core City neighborhood. In order to increase access to the Internet in the short term, the LOVE Building will commit to: * Provide a free public wifi network. * Circulate promotional materials within the neighborhood and around nearby bus stops to ensure the public is aware of the network (provide these in both text and Braille) * Host a neighborhood directory and other applications on an Intranet. * Provide a publicly accessible computer and printer station for short-term use by the general public. * Provide screen-reader software on the computer. * Work with the Love Building Community Advisory body to determine specific usage guidelines and protocols. In order to address digital inequity and grow community-owned communications technologies in the long term, the LOVE Building will explore: * Partnership with the Detroit Community Technology Project to expand its Equitable Internet Initiative to the Core City Neighborhood. Green infrastructure The LOVE Building will pursue green infrastructure and environmental sustainability, while avoiding policies that would negatively impact disabled people (for example: straw bans or stigmatization of prepared foods). The LOVE Building will commit to the following: * Design a pocket park at the corner of 15th and Grand River in collaboration with advisors from our Communities, prioritizing stormwater management features, accessibility, and flexibility for a variety of community uses. * Prioritize energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability in furniture selections and interior design. * Provide recycling and composting services for all building tenants. The LOVE Building commits to explore the following: * Work with Mogo to provide a bike rental station near the LOVE Building and advocate for adaptive bikes to be included. * Addition of a green roof. * Creation of an off-the-grid “comfort station” / public restroom as both a demonstration project and community resource that is also highly accessible (see: Stalled Project). * Install EV charging stations in the parking lot. * Install Soulardarity Solar Lighting Models. * Creation of a solar-powered charging station in conjunction with nearby bus stops. * Ideal charging capacity would support motorized wheelchairs in addition to small electronics. * Instructions for usage of the station would be available in large format print and multiple languages, including Braille. Neighborhood directory and capacity-building While Core City is home to a wealth of community organizations, social services, businesses, and other resources, there is not a central directory through which this information is easily accessible. Many neighborhood organizations have been historically under-resourced and are in need of capacity-building support. The LOVE Building will commit to the following: * Create and maintain a neighborhood directory that includes information about the location of food pantries, mutual aid programs, temporary shelter, and other human service organizations, local businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, churches, and other resources. As part of this process, the LOVE Building will commit to the following: * The directory will be available in multiple languages and formats for maximum accessibility. Additionally, the LOVE Building will explore the following: * Disseminating neighborhood information through a newsletter, website, or social media. * Organizing volunteer days through which LOVE Building tenants to support neighborhood organizations. * Providing pro-bono services to Core City non-profit organizations in organizational development (grantwriting, financial management, etc). 2. Programming The six tenant partners of the LOVE Building currently lead programs that address many of the immediate neighborhood needs that were identified through the CBA process. We will continue to evolve and refine our programs to better support neighborhood needs over the next five years. The following programs will be launched within the first five years of the LOVE Building opening: Pro-bono legal services Through the work of the Detroit Justice Center, the LOVE Building will provide the following: * Returning citizens support (e.g. traffic warrants, child support) * Property Tax Appeals/Foreclosure Prevention * Renters Rights * Eviction Defense * Business/Non-Profit Development * Consumer debt defense Training and Education While some classes will be fee-based, the LOVE Building will commit to provide a regular schedule of tuition-free classes. Core City residents will receive a discount on fee-based classes. Potential training and education opportunities include: * Digital Stewards training (workforce development for IT industries) * Worker-owned cooperatives training * Community Land Trust training * Digital media classes (film, audio, graphic design, web design) * digital accessibility best practices will be promoted within these classes. * Nutritional and culinary arts education * Dance and other fitness / wellness classes, with emphasis on classes that are accessible for all body types and abilities. * Know Your Rights training Arts & Cultural Programming * Public film screenings, concerts, performances, and art exhibitions. * The LOVE Building will create an accessible event guide to support and encourage program organizers to provide ASL, CART, and other access accommodations at public events. * Rentable recording studio and video production spaces. * The LOVE Building will prioritize artists who align with the LOVE Building’s values. Disability Justice Programming When designing programming by and for disabled people, the LOVE Building (staff and partners) will prioritize the following: * Programming that addresses the intersections of racism and ableism, and that attends to the fact that not everyone uses the term disability as an identifier. * BIPOC leadership in disability justice programming and organizing. * Interaction opportunities with community elders, children, unhoused people, incarcerated or formerly-incarcerated people, and others who may be impacted by ableism but may not identify as disabled. Specific programming provided by Detroit Disability Power, within the first two years of the LOVE Building opening include: * Community Care Circles: gatherings for people living with disabilities, chronic pain, and chronic illness, as well as caregivers of people with disability/ chronic illness, to share stories and grow community. Future Programming Within the first five years of opening, the LOVE Building will explore the following additional programmatic offerings: * Partnerships with other organizations who provide training in areas such as: food service industries, emerging green industries, skilled trades and home repair, youth mentorship, tax preparation, financial literacy, and neighborhood development, energy efficiency workshops. * Creation of a media equipment library for rent at low cost to the community. * Semi-regular neighborhood festivals that support oral history-telling and neighborhood identity-formation. * Kid and teen-centered programs, potentially in collaboration with local schools. * Educational programming such as freedom schools that provide cultural and political education to help youth understand their roots and role in society. * Paid internships for teens to help put on the exhibitions and programming 5. Evaluation and Accountability Upon completion of the CBA, the LOVE Building will establish a permanent Community Advisory Body (CAB), composed of representatives from the Tenant Partners, Neighborhood Advisory Council, Art & Archive Council, and Disability Justice and Access Advisory Council. The CAB will meet quarterly beginning in 2023 to advise on various aspects of the implementation of the CBA. Before the end of 2027, the LOVE Building will engage a third party to conduct an evaluation of its success in fulfilling the commitments of the Community Benefits Agreement and produce a public report with its findings. Following that evaluation, the LOVE Building will lead a process to reassess the needs of its Communities and revise the CBA as needed. 6. Signatories & Advisors Tenant partner signatories: Allied Media Projects Detroit Justice Center Detroit Disability Power Detroit Narrative Agency Detroit Community Technology Project Paradise Natural Foods Advisors and endorsers: Neighborhood Advisory Council Phases 1 & 2 * Andy Chae * Bruno V * Cornetta Lane * Elanor Parnell * Jerry Martin * Laura Amtower * Lillie Bell Skinner * Nefertiti Harris * Rico Moore * Rod Byrd * Tony Johnson * Alake Williams * Latia Leonard * Daniel Washington * Rayvon Williams * Georgia Watson * Karen Hopes * Edwynn Bell Art and Archive Advisory Council * Gloria “Aneb” House * Erik Howard * Halima Cassells * RoseMarie Wilson Disability Justice and Access Advisor: * Aimi Hamraie ________________ VIII. ADDENDUM: Additional Disability Justice and Access Benefits For the policies and programs of the LOVE Building Table of Contents I. Background + Process II. Guiding Values III. Final Commitments A. Paid Committees B. Front Desk Procedures C. Training D. Creation of a paid staff position E. Hiring + Selection Practices F. Cultural Preservation Resources DJ Method G. Policies and Practices H. Communications Standards H. Enforcement I. Tenant Partner-Specific Asks I. Background + Process The Disability Justice and Access Advisory Council (DJAAC) was established in the Spring of 2021 by Allied Media Projects (AMP) with the purpose of guiding them on how to foster disability justice in the design of the interior spaces and operational policies of the LOVE Building. The DJAAC met in two phases. Phase one was led by Aimi Hamrie, with community members Owólabi Aboyade (also known as William Copeland), Tameka Citchen-Spruce, Taraneh Fazeli, and Ani Grigorian. Jenifer Daniels and Jeanette Lee participated as AMP Co-directors and LOVE building representatives. Phase one activities focused on defining what disability justice meant to the group, particularly in the context of Waawiiyaatanong/Detroit (since Hamrie does not reside here), and how this compared to the usage of this term more broadly (such as by the Bay-area Sins Invalid collective). These discussions and one design charrette occurred over six meetings. This process resulted in a private report authored by Hamrie with the input of the DJAAC group, in which Hamrie made specific recommendations related to the design of the building interiors, furniture, and fixtures. While the DJAAC was convened separately from the CBA process, Lee requested at the close of Phase 1 that DJAAC members review the CBA, then add feedback and requests. Since this was not part of the original ask and there weren’t meetings remaining, the group requested a Phase 2. Lee agreed and specified the benefits could be added as an addendum through a similar but truncated process to the main CBA. Hamrie then layered disability justice considerations to every facet of the CBA that was adopted by the Core City resident CBA advisors in February 2022. *This siloing of input after the original process was not ideal and would be fully incorporated in future CBAs, but the DJAAC recognize that AMP was figuring out an unprecedented process as they went. In the Spring of 2022, three of the original five members continued in phase 2 to author a set of benefits and revisions collectively. They reconvened in six meetings with the purpose of developing these additional recommendations related specifically to the programs and policies of the LOVE Building, as opposed to Phase one’s focus on interior design. The initial meetings were led by Lee, after which she, as the AMP representative, stepped out, and Fazeli facilitated. DJAAC Phase 2 members: * Taraneh Fazeli, facilitator - Iranian-American queer art curator and cultural organizer originally from Lenapehoking/New York with experience incorporating access and disability justice into arts and healing spaces, participant in DJAAC Phases 1 & 2. She lives with multiple chronic illnesses and neurodiversity she’s had since childhood. * Owólabi Aboyade, longtime participant in the AMC and AMP network, Detroit cultural organizer across healing, environmental, and disability justice movements, participant in DJAAC Phases 1 & 2. He lives with End Stage Renal Disease. * Ani Grigorian, staff member of LOVE Building Tenant Partner Detroit Disability Power and accessibility consultant for events and facilities, participant in DJAAC Phases 1 & 2. She lives with chronic pain and illness. The final commitments below reflect a synthesis of what was requested by the DJAAC and what the LOVE Building and its Tenant Partners could ultimately provide. This addendum is mostly authored by Phase 2 team members with some carryovers from Hamrie’s internal report from DJAAC 1, which was then edited/added to by Partners. Despite being unable to met all requests the three DJAAC members endorsed the negotiated commitments, recognizing the substantial impact they will make in Detroit and beyond. The leadership and tenant partners of the LOVE Building are aspiring to meet these commitments in good faith. We also recognize that our attempts will likely be imperfect, as we work to model a world of disability justice and access that does not fully exist yet. We invite open dialogue and support from our community as we move forward on this journey together! II. Guiding Values *Expansive Definition of Disability- We work from an expansive definition of disability that includes those with physical disabilities, mental health disabilities, chronic illness, inherited immunodeficiency, chronic pain, are D/deaf or Hard-of-Hearing, Blind or low vision, DeafBlind, Autistic, neurodiverse, or many others whose lived experience makes navigating their bodyminds and this ableist world a common challenge. This is whether or not they have access to medical diagnoses of disability or are comfortable claiming that identity. Anti-ableism Addressing how ableism goes beyond the exclusion of disabled people within the built environment. We encourage the LOVE Building to actively work against ableism in its development and future activities, as defined by Talila “T.L.” Lewis: “A system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, excellence and productivity. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics, misogyny, imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism. This form of systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s appearance, language, religion, and/or their ability to satisfactorily [re]produce, excel and ‘behave.’ You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism." Understanding access as an anti-ableist practice which is economic, cultural, and social as well as physical. It can’t be addressed via universal design solutions or siloed disability accommodations alone. Ableism plays out in organizing, event, and working structures/processes. Working and organizing must be done in a flexible way that is responsive to how disability and illness impact our lives as team members and colleagues. Ableism includes ideas of normalcy which may not present as disability but may present as people being “too loud” or “not fitting in” or “not using our language” and may result in formal or informal practices of exclusion. Waawiiyaatanong/Detroit-specificity Anti-Blackness, anti-immigrantness, and colonialism. We operate from an understanding of Disability Justice (DJ) rooted in Detroit’s identity as the largest majority-Black city in the country. Its specific histories of slavery, Black nationalism/liberation, industrialization, urban development, redlining, gentrification require a specific approach. Other racialized and colonized communities such as the Latinx community and the largest Arab-American population in the country in adjoining Dearborn are harmed by the individualism and pressures to assimilate pervasive in this country. These stresses, along with the lack of social safety net, make ableism isolating and potentially deadly for people who are racialized and disabled and unable to attain the “ideal” of self-sufficiency or assimilation into normalcy. Being inclusive of experiences of ableism that don’t neatly fit into existing disability identity frameworks or disability pride-We must acknowledge the way that racialized people may not identify with the term “disability” but nevertheless experience physical, mental, and/or spiritual debilitation as consequences of oppression, which we see as manifestations of ableism. Classism in disability pride and non-profit organizing-Waawiiyaatanong/Detroit has a legacy as a working-class city deeply invested in organized labor struggles. There are rich cultures that emerge from this. Now the city has one of highest poverty rates after deindustrialization and the decimation of institutions in the city, especially the more radical ones. Much of contemporary activist culture comes out of collegiate culture. Any community initiative or organizing must address these material conditions and the culture that results from them as to not be exclusionary or limited in their scope. DJ frameworks often get imported from the country’s coasts. Limitations of accessibility in contexts of inequity-The language of austerity is often used to excuse inaccessibility in development or public services, specifically in post-emergency management Waawiiyaatanong/Detroit. New projects and developments often use amenities that provide greater accessibility for some to promote themselves as being more equitable. However, the limited scope of who benefits from these improvements in design is often used to cover broader systems of privilege, exclusion and/or ongoing violence to many others. Community Care Asking LOVE to recognize and learn from the models of mutual aid and community care that are abundant across the city, through which accessibility is created collectively rather than treated as an individual accommodation. As the LOVE Building and Tenant Partners (Partners) are organizations with paid staff and more resources than various communities and grassroots groups may have, their activities should operate understanding their different roles and capacities. This requires going beyond the language of care in community or borrowing tools and practices from there. It involves supporting those with less resources in meaningful ways, especially as Waawiiyaatanong/Detroit mutual aid, organizing, and culture circulates as a “brand” wrapped up in the rhetoric of resiliency. For example, with an understanding of why they might not, we suggest supporting and partnering with existing organizations that don't necessarily use language of DJ but in some way already employ its values. Cross-disability perspective and alliances We are three non-experts speaking primarily from our personal experiences with fairly non-apparent disabilities. Even though we endeavored to incorporate community feedback from Sidewalk’s canvassing and our general knowledge of cross-disability experience, we recognize how our somewhat-narrow experience of disability impacted our recommendations. As such, our requested benefits include other opportunities for input and we encourage the LOVE Building to include people with different disabilities than ours that were not as well represented in this process in those. We recognize that often the same people get invited to give access and DJ input across the city. This highlights a need to build stronger relationships between disabled people and organizers across the city. Also, to facilitate more training, political education, and paid work opportunities to build capacity among both disabled and non-disabled Detroiters. III. Final Commitments The LOVE Building is a community space with six Tenant Partners with varying missions, but all invested in cultivating liberation for all Detroiters. The benefits below attempt to strengthen the connections between the Building and Partners activities, so they work holistically. Also, to avoid siloing access or DJ initiatives, solutions are embedded within existing resources and create collaborative human structures to support the integration. Creation of paid committees Within 18 months of opening to the public, the LOVE building will commit to establishing the following paid committees and focus groups: Wayfinding focus group (one time) * A focus group to identify navigational challenges and suggest improvements. Their findings will influence building policies and resources, such as Partner and LOVE building communications, front desk signage, practices, and policies. Accessibility, Hospitality, Safety, and Community Wellness (ASHCW) committee (ongoing) * A committee charged with devising new or refining existing practices and policies around hospitality, accessibility, safety and community wellness. These elements are inextricable and must be addressed together. * The committee will help mediate conflicts or uncertainties that arise through the process of understanding and meeting the varied access needs of building users. * They will work in cooperation with outside local consultants specializing in these areas as needed, such as Detroit Safety Team (safety), Healing by Choice! (community wellness), or Detroit Black Deaf Advocates (accessibility). * They will work with LOVE Building staff to update and implement access resources. Within the next two years, the LOVE Building will explore the creation of the following committee: Programming committee * This committee would help balance diverse community needs met by LOVE specific programs that fill gaps between Partner programs. * Program ideas would be gathered through input forms in-person and online. * This committee would work towards a goal of ensuring that 15% of all LOVE Building programs be led by and for disabled people. Please see data collection for further info. Front desk procedures Prior to its public opening, the LOVE building will commit to: * Hire and train Front desk staff in the following: * How to ask visitors about their overall needs, with knowledge of access needs. * How to adapt certain gestures of hospitality based on sensitivity to various disabilities and cultural practices. For instance, some people might not want to be looked in the eye, for reasons ranging from neurodiversity and different cultural backgrounds. * Establish a process for documenting and presenting any access needs back to the ASHCW committee (once it has been established) and LOVE Building leadership that were requested and could not be met. * Make input forms accessible and available (in person and online) for the public to share access needs. Training Within one year of opening to the public, the LOVE Building will commit to: * Provide disability justice training to all LOVE Building Partners, staff, and the Community Advisory Body. Training will ideally be led by a BIPOC disabled person with local expertise and abolitionist approaches. Data collection methods In order to measure success towards providing programs by and for disabled people, the LOVE Building will periodically survey participants and program leaders. Prior to launching public programs, the LOVE Building will commit to adopt the following approach to data collection: * All surveys will be completely optional. * They will be given to participants that have participated in multiple LOVE Building events (attendees, organizers, presenters) so we have developed a relationship with them prior to asking for their demographic information. * The ASHCW committee will be engaged to help develop survey questions that can measure disability identity without necessarily requiring self-identification as “disabled.” Creation of a paid staff position Within two years of its public opening, the LOVE Building will commit to hire the following staff position: Accessibility Coordinator + Community Organizer * This full-time staff position (or two part-time positions) will be charged with supporting the local organizing community and coordinating access needs. DJAAC suggested this ideally be one full-time role because too often they see accessibility support implemented as technocratic accommodation rather than rooted in complex community needs and power-building from the ground up. * If broken into two roles, job descriptions and hours will be aligned for maximum synergy between roles. * This role may encompass the following: * Provide administrative support for the ASHCW Committee (convene and facilitate meetings, etc). * Supporting existing community organizing efforts in Core City and connecting disability issues with other forms of oppression under ableism. For example, working with tenant organizations to include intersectionality with disability/ chronic illness/ mental illness in their program work. * Supporting the work of Detroit Disability Power in the areas of relationship building centering disability in Core City and across disability organizations and communities throughout Detroit. * Continuing the engagement work started by Sidewalk Detroit (workshops, door-knocking and relationship-building) with an explicit focus on disability issues. * Coordinating accessibility for the LOVE building and its programs. * Coordinating a referral network of access consultants for Tenant partners and others seeking to deepen their access practices (e.g. ASL interpreters, access auditors for websites). * Synthesize various learnings from committees and infusing access into building culture + supporting staff. Hiring and selection considerations The LOVE Building will commit to incorporate DJ into committee selection and hiring through the following: Overall * Whenever possible, hire and pay disabled people to be part of organizational processes and decision making about what happens in the building. * Consider a candidate's relationship to Detroit, cross-disability, culture, race, age, class, gender, sexuality, indigeneity, and immigration status. * Promote DJ in all hiring and retention by making a robust commitment to recruiting disabled people and allowing necessary workplace accommodations, including remote work. Ideal experience and characteristics for specific roles are: Accessibility Coordinator + Community Organizer * A long-standing relationship to Detroit. * The technical aspects of access can be learned, but it is key that this person understand access expansively through surrounding community needs (which may not be described as disability, but show up as aging or substance use). The preference is that a hire have both community organizing and access/DJ experience; if one has to be weighted due to applicant pool, community organizing experience with an understanding of DJ is preferred over experience with accessibility support. * Lived experience with disability and prior knowledge of DJ and skillset of intersectional accessibility and cross disability needs preferred. Ideally would have a familiarity with supporting those who are/have neurodiversity, physical disability, Deaf/deaf and hard of hearing, Blind and low vision, Mad, chronic illness, substance use, and more. Front desk staff * Front desk staff will work closely w/ access coordinator + community organizer to ensure that interactions w/ visitors and staff are informed by good access practices as someone on the front lines * Aspire for 25% of front desk staff to be people from the Core City neighborhood. Community Advisory Board (CAB) * There will be at least two disabled members on the permanent Community Advisory body * These two people will have different identities and experiences as indicated by the framework above. * Ideally one representative would have ties to Core City, one would have ties to Detroit disability organizing. Wayfinding focus group * Will be composed primarily of people with disabilities, in order to shift the lack of disabled representation in design spaces when making decisions that overwhelmingly impact disabled building guests. * Accessibility Coordinator + Community Organizer will attend and provide feedback to front desk and building staff. Accessibility, Hospitality, Safety, and Community Wellness committee * At least one-third of the committee will be disabled people. * The number of community representatives will be balanced with the number of representatives from the building staff and tenant partners. * Two members will be representatives from tenant partners, on a rotating basis. * There will be at least one LOVE Building staff member represented. * Accessibility Coordinator + Community Organizer will attend and provide feedback to front desk and building staff. Cultural Preservation Resources DJ Method Within the next two years, the LOVE building will explore the following: Representing disabled ancestors/elders * This would happen through the ancestor memorial mural and the creation of an oral histories archive. * It would involve engaging skilled interviewers who can draw out experiences with disability, even if folks don’t identify as disabled for a myriad of reasons. This will help bridge the divide between those who already embrace disability identity and experience openly, and those who do not, as well as create broader awareness about the many ways disability may appear in our communities. Documenting the complex process of working towards disability justice, access, and equitable development. * Within ongoing archival or cultural work, this may include candid discussion of harms, failures, and critiques of the LOVE Building or its tenant partners, alongside successes. The goal of this documentation is not intended to shame or blame, but to learn from the difficulties experienced by organizations working towards equity. Policies + Practices Within 18 months of opening to the public, the LOVE Building will commit to create the following policies and practices: Foster a culture of DJ, access, and hospitality: * Normalize asking people questions to figure out their access needs, whether or not they identify them explicitly as such. This includes all people, ranging from building staff, maintenance, other contract workers, visitors, participants at events, members of advisory boards and committees, and more. Use this information to continually refine what access at the LOVE Building means. * Habituate access practices in all that occurs in the building, from greeting visitors, to programs, to staff meetings * Practice transparency about access decisions, including what factors are being weighed, what communities are being centered in various decisions. * Develop an accessible meeting guide that builds upon existing guidelines, such as those that have been developed by DDP, the AMC, and others. * Who does this? * The LOVE Building will work to create a culture in which all users of the building invest in these values. * The Access Coordinator + Community Organizer will play a specific role in facilitating this culture. As the building policies and programs unfold over time, the LOVE Building will identify who else may be responsible for aiding in fostering and growing a culture of DJ, access, and hospitality. Those functions will be explicitly integrated into job descriptions. Devise clear policies regarding access to public + semi-public dimensions of the building site * These policies will address parking, bus stop integration, the entryway, the lobby, the restaurant, and first floor bathrooms, showers, and water fountains. * They will signal disability inclusion through physical accessibility + wayfinding signage. * Communication on these policies will be clear and consistent, including on websites, PR, and in signage around the building. * Policies will not discriminate against community members based on factors such as their appearance or the perception of their housing status. Devise policies regarding use of flex spaces and public meeting rooms * Engage the Access Coordinator + Community Organizer, in consultation with the relevant committees on the development of these policies about how to use the flex rooms and what staff support or physical resources are available to those who do. * Policies for these rooms will incorporate notes from the Flex Space 2 design charette in DJAAC phase 1, which identified possible conflicting or overlapping needs in projected use of these spaces. * For rooms where there are moveable walls or furniture, usage policies will ensure accessibility, for example, that chairs are set up with pathways wide enough for wheelchairs. Devise a policy to make the LOVE Building accessible to immunocompromised people * These policies will consider scent-free cleaning and hygiene products, HVAC filtration systems, ventilation via fresh air and opening windows, janitorial frequency, and capacity limits for events. * Follow the lead of DJ organizations and disability advocates rather than the CDC when devising COVID safety policies. As of February 2023, the recommendation of the DJAAC is: * Do not require vaccination for entry; * Require masking in common spaces except when eating or drinking; * Providing free masks at the front desk for those who don’t have them. * Policies will be communicated clearly and consistently, including on websites, PR, and in signage around the building. Communications standards The LOVE Building will strive to adhere to the following accessible design standards in communication. Within two years, it will provide dedicated support for all of its Tenant Partners to do the same. * For print flyers, web listings, and social media posts, use high color contrast, and serif fonts, large format text (16-18pt minimum, ideally 18 pt), clear + concise language. * Include canvassing and door-knocking in outreach strategies. * Develop a comprehensive notification system and provide advanced notice of event changes and cancellations. * Make a good-faith effort to expand access for non-English speakers. Where possible, translate materials into Spanish and Arabic. * Follow WCAG2.0 standards for website accessibility. * Include image descriptions and alt text. * Connect tenant partners with access consultants who can support them to create individual plans for website/digital communications accessibility improvements. Engage the ASHCW committee for support in development of these plans, as needed. Prior to public opening, the LOVE Building will commit to the following: * Display signage that describes accessibility resources and public amenities 1) at the front desk 2) on the LOVE Building website and 3) on PR for programs. * Revise and update the signage annually with support from the ASHCW committee as needed. * The purpose of the signage will be: * to communicate whose and what needs are being addressed and how with available resources. * to inform building staff and Tenant Partners what is available and how so that they can help to answer questions and grow their understanding and commitment of access as it relates to the building, programs, and any services they provide. * This signage is one opportunity for the LOVE Building to l be transparent about the access decisions it makes, what factors it weighs, and what communities it is centering in decisions about which access needs are being resourced and/or prioritized. Enforcement * Once the Accessibility, Hospitality, Safety, and Community Wellness committee has been established, they will be engaged to develop corrective action plans for instances where policies are intentionally or inadvertently not followed. * Any responses to policy violations will assume best intentions of all parties involved, will work to understand the reasons why particular policies are not being followed, and will provide resources for resolution before taking punitive actions. * All policies and practices will be reviewed annually by the Accessibility, Hospitality, Safety, and Community Wellness committee and revised as needed. Specific Tenant Partner Commitments The Tenant Partners of the LOVE Building will commit to the following: Paradise Natural Foods: * Provide ingredient lists on food labels. * Make menu accessible in both print and digital formats, including screen reader accessibility. * Add nutritional values. * Taking common dietary health restrictions into consideration like gluten-free diets, soy free diets, lactose free diets, low sodium diets. Also, culturally specific restrictions, like no pork. * Ample accessible seating options where food can be consumed and in waiting areas during food preparation. AMP / Detroit Narrative Agency * When conducting cultural preservation through oral histories, prioritize uplifting the history and presence of disabled brilliance in Detroit. Detroit Justice Center * Develop and implement referral networks and/or resources to assist residents with disability related legal matters (for example getting and maintaining disability benefits/social security). * Prioritize having language interpretation (ASL, Spanish, Arabic, etc) available when needed, CART, and other accessibility support. * Consider traveling to community spaces organized around disability or that may support disabled people whether or not they identify as disabled or not, like Covenant House & MI Veterans Foundation. Also consider having accessible call-in hours so those who can’t travel easily can get resources. Detroit Community Technology Project * Assist people in the communities DCTP works in to get technological accessibility resources and health maintaining/managing equipment. * Prioritize disability web accessibility as a topic of discussion in neighborhood workshops, trainings, apprenticeships. For example, there are elders that could benefit from text to speech readers. * Create awareness of these supports, how accessibility may be an obstacle for community members accessing the internet and how community partners/staff etc. can better support access needs in digital communications. Prioritize having language interpretation (ASL, Spanish, Arabic, etc) available when needed in programs, CART/captioning, and other accessibility support. Detroit Disability Power * For DDP’s programing, conduct outreach specifically to local residents who might not use internet. * Offer Core City residents dues-free memberships. * Offer members “drop in” hours where they can come, hang out, organize, engage, use resources etc. * Do Get Out the Vote events focused on the Core City neighborhood. The LOVE Building, Inc. * Provide sliding scale rentals to disability justice collectives and organizations, based on budget size. * Offer specific programs that meet the economic needs of low/no-income Core City residents such as GED programs. LOVE BUILDING CBA