~ The release of Kids Forward's "Race to Equity 10-Year Report: Dane County" has been welcomed by the City of Madison, Wisconsin. The report highlights the fact that racial disparities in the community are deep, persistent, and exceed state and national levels. Despite some progress in addressing these disparities, much more needs to be done.

The report notes that Madison and Dane County are growing rapidly, but this growth has not been shared equally among black and brown residents. Lower-earning BIPOC families have been left out of the City's prosperity and their voices are too often lost or sidelined in public debates.

The City has worked diligently to address a number of issues including the lack of affordable housing. Over the last four years, they have permitted 15,000 new housing units of all types and more than doubled the affordable housing fund. This year they are proposing to increase the fund by another 60% over six years. The relatively small amount of money in their affordable housing fund has leveraged hundreds of millions: since 2015, they have provided over $35 million in affordable housing support which has leveraged over $226 million in other investment.

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The City has also launched a guaranteed income program to help stabilize some of their neediest families as well as Madison's Community Alternative Response for Emergency Services (CARES) program which is a mobile response team for behavioral health emergencies designed to better serve patient needs and reduce contacts with police.

In addition, they have committed to the largest TIF on record for South Madison which will generate some $115 million in investment. The recently-released 2024 budget plans $24 million in investments for new housing and an expanded Public Health Clinic as well as a North-South bus rapid transit line to supplement the East-West line under construction which will reduce congestion and local air pollution while providing faster access to job centers – especially for underserved populations.

Despite these steps taken by the City, much more needs to be done according to this report. They hope that decision makers at every level of government will heed its recommendations and join them in prioritizing racial equity; however their ability is greatly impeded by state laws that prohibit them from taking many of these measures such as enacting a local living wage ordinance or requiring paid sick days or protecting tenants' rights – all of which disproportionately impact poor and minority residents.

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