Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
How could it not go to churches, in some way? These neighborhoods don't have a lot in the way of secular neighborhood groups or community development corporations. Half of the Advisory Council for the Fund are from religious organizations.
I guess the first batch of awardees is okay. Who knew Chicago had so many soul food joints? Still, there's very little in the way of grocery stores or essential businesses, just a lot of restaurants and art venues. |
Therein lies the problem. “Essential services” generally entail chains—grocers, pharmacies, etc. And I’m pretty sure the city doesn’t want to start handing money out to those guys. It’s about supporting small businesses. But I agree that giving it all out to little restaurants seems to be a waste.
I would propose altering the policy such that no more than 30% of such funds go towards restaurants.