ACORN 2006 Annual Report

7/31/2019 ACORN 2006 Annual Report

1/40


2/40

ABOUT ACORN

ACORN the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now is the nations largest community organiza-tion of low and moderate income families, with more than 350,000 families organized into neighborhood chapters inover 110 cities around the country and internationally. Since 1970, ACORN has been taking action and winning victorieson issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include living wages and better benefits for low-income workers,affordable housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, increased utilization of the EITC and other tax credits, moreinvestment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools.

ACORNS ORGANIZING PHILOSOPHY

For 36 years, the neighborhood organizing drive has been the core of ACORNs work. During these drives, ACORN

organizers visit low and moderate income neighborhoods, having one-on-one conversations with hundreds of residents intheir homes. In 2006, ACORN conducted 492 organizing drives in communities across the country. Organizers ask com-munity members what issues they are concerned about, and what their hopes and dreams are for their family, for theircommunity, for their city, and for their country. Each organizing drive culminates in a neighborhood-wide meeting, wheremembers elect their own officers, take stock of their emerging power, and choose a set of issues to work on. Withindays the new ACORN chapter moves into action, tackling a range of community issues while helping members see them-selves as political actors with the power to get things done.

New leaders emerge as members develop their skills and discover their strengths. As chapters continue meeting month-ly, they develop a broader agenda that speaks to the more fundamental concerns of members, including education, jobs,and housing. But the basic principle remains the same: ACORN members those who are directly affected by the issueat stake are the ones who take action on their own behalf to win the victories that make a difference in their lives.


3/40

2006 was a monumental year for ACORN. At

the close of 2006, ACORN is organizing in

more than 110 cities and 40 states across theU.S. and the District of Columbia, as well as in

Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. We also grew

to more than 350,000 ACORN members in the U.S.

and internationally! Our major campaign this year

raising the minimum wage by ballot initiative in

four states led to raises for 1.5 million workers.

ACORN also ran the nations largest nonpartisan

voter registration effort this election cycle, kept upthe fight for justice for Katrina survivors as they

return and rebuild New Orleans, and organized

on many more issues affecting low-income fami-

lies. These campaigns were widely covered by the

national press, including front-page articles in the

New York TimesMagazine and Washington Post.

I invite you to read the following highlights ofACORNs organizing and I look forward to sharing

even more exciting work in the year ahead.

In solidarity,

Maude HurdACORN President

A C O R N 2 0 0 6 A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 1

MESSAGE FROM ACORNS NATIONAL PRESIDENT

ACORN is organizing

in more than 110

cities and 40 states

across the U.S. and theDistrict of Columbia,

as well as in Argentina,

Canada, Mexico, and

Peru.


4/40

P a g e 2 A C O R N 2 0 0 6 A n n u a l R e p o r t

RAISING WAGES FOR WORKING FAMILIES

Minimum WageBallot Initiatives DeliverRaises in Four States

On November 7, voters in Arizona, Colorado,

Missouri, and Ohio overwhelmingly approved

ACORN-backed ballot initiatives to raise

their states minimum wage by $1.35 or

more with indexing to inflation. The

wage increases will deliver raises to

1.5 million workers! To pass the mea-

sures, over 1,600 ACORN members,

canvassers, and volunteers worked with

labor-faith-community coalitions to

contact 380,000 voters in low-income

neighborhoods. ACORN led the field

effort that gathered 1.28 million signa-

tures to qualify the four initiatives for

the ballot.

Lawmakers Pass

ACORN-backedMinimum Wage Bills

tive campaigns resulted in raises for over 3.5

million workers.

ACORNs Minimum Wa

LEGISLATIVE VICTORIESMD, 44,000 workers, $6.15

AR, 127,000 workers, $6.25

NC, 300,000 workers, $6.15

CA, 1.4 million workers, $8.00 by 2

CA

AZ

CO

ARIZONA$6.75 per ho

345,000 work


5/40


Campaigns Raise Wages for Over 5 Million Workers

MI, 500,000 workers, $7.40 by 2008

A, 754,000 workers, $7.15 by 2007

MA, 315,000 workers, $8.00 by 2008

L, 647,000 workers, $8.25 by 2010

MO

MI

IL

BALLOT INITIATIVE VICTORIES

OHIO$6.85 per hour

720,000 workers

MISSOURI$6.50 per hour

256,000 workers

COLORADO$6.85 per hour

135,000 workers

MD

MA


6/40



On the Web:Life at theMinimum Wage

ACORN, the

AFL-CIO, and

actor and

comedienne

Roseanne Barr

teamed up

for a ground-

breaking video blog event in 7

Days @ Minimum Wage, whichused YouTube and blogging to

give America the

chance to meet

seven minimum

wage workers

and get a glimpse

into what life on a

minimum wage is

really like.

Paul and Susan--Paul is a con-struction laborer, while Susan was seri-ously injured in a car accident and cantwork. Paul explains: [The work]varies from picking up trash todigging a trench, using a pickand shovel. By the end of theday, Im looking at like $35, andI pretty much broke my back.

Jeffrey--Single father andfood service worker: SometimesI wonder where my next meal isgoing to come from. I do what Ihave to do to make a living for me and myfamily.

Jessica--Single mother of four andclerical worker: Ive worked basically atminimum wage my whole entire life. I tryto make my children strong. I dont tellthem that the reason why mommys noteating tonight is because Id rather foryou to eat than me.

City after city has said wecant let people who workhard every day taking care ofour children, taking care ofour parents, cleaning up afterus, serving us our food, [and]making the products we needlive in poverty when theyreworking full time. This is amatter of justice I want tothank SEIU and ACORN, whohave led the fight.

--Sen. Hillary Clinton


7/40


In June 2006 when her neigh-borhood ACORN chaptertried to stop her local dollarstore from selling crack pipes,De Phillips got involved. She andother ACORN members fromher chapter met with the stores

owners and local police officials,and eventually convinced thestores owners to sign and honoran agreement to stop selling thepipes.

At ACORNs July 2006National Convention, theworkshops Ms. Phillips attend-ed inspired her to fight forColorados campaign to raise theminimum wage. The issue hitsclose to home, says Ms. Phillips,who worked for the minimum

wage at a clothing store beforebecoming a graphic designer. Itshard when you have children,and you cant pay all the bills, andthen they start shutting off yourelectricity, she explains. Ms.Phillips wanted Colorado to givelow-wage workers a raise.

At the convention Ms.Phillips also discovered her talent

for public speaking. During a roll-call portion of the program, thespeaker for Colorado could notbe found. Though Ms. Phillips hadnever spoken in public before, shestepped up to the microphoneand felt a surge of energy when

facing the crowd. I was on fire,she says. I came away from theevent wanting to be a motiva-tional speaker.

After Colorado ACORNgathered 130,000 signatures toput the wage measure on theballot, Ms. Phillips got anotherchance to try out her publicspeaking skills. She went to thestate capitol to present lawmak-ers with the signatures. Thisputs real money into the pockets

of hardworking individuals, shetold the crowd of ACORN mem-bers and other supporters.

When the initiative wasapproved by Colorado voters,Ms. Phillips was energized. AtACORN we get together and doit, she says. We dont just talk.We do it.

ACORN LEADER IN ACTION

De Phillips Denver, CO

At ACORN we get

together and do it.

We dont just talk.

We do it.

Ohio ACORN

Campaign at

Forefront of

Living WageVictories

Ohio ACORN member Julie Smith

emerged as a strong and articulate

national leader in the minimum

wage campaigns, appearing at

local, state, and national rallies

with elected officials and on

radio and television programs

including the CBS Evening

News.


8/40



Living Wage Campaigns Across the Country

ACORN and allies ran successful campaigns to win fair wages and benefits for low wage workers as

part of the national living wage movement. In Pine Bluff, Ark., Washington, D.C., and Nassau County,

N.Y., ACORN-backed coalitions won measures providing living wages for thousands of workers.

Chicago ACORN helped pass a landmark ordinance requiring big box stores in the city to pay $13

per hour in wages and fringe benefits, though the measure was vetoed by Mayor Richard Daley.

Chicago ACORN and its allies won a landmark victory

in July when, by a margin of 35-14, the City Council

approved the first ordinance in the country requiring

large city retailers to pay their employees living wages.Although Mayor Richard Daley vetoed the law, the cam-

paign received extensive press coverage in the New

York Times, Newsweek and in other major publications

bringing national attention to the living wage move-

ment.

When you work for the people doing Gods work

fighting to give working families a fair chance to suc-

ceed youre going to win, said ACORN community

leader Toni Foulkes.

When Wal-Mart planned to open a store in the

predominately black West Side neighborhood, ACORN

members organized to demand the company pay fairwages and benefits. With the help of the Brennan

Center for Justice at New York University, ACORN draft-

ed the big box living wage ordinance, which required

large retail companies in the city like Wal-Mart, Target,

and Home Depot to pay employees at least $13 per

hour in wages and fringe benefits by 2010.

People are barely scraping by on low wages, said

Chicago ACORN president Beatrice Jackson. Employers

are getting an honest days work, they should pay an

honest days wage. They need to pay a living wage.

ACORN members garnered support for the ordi-

nance by knocking on 25,000 doors, holding ralliesand vigils, meeting with dozens of city aldermen and

building a coalition of allies including SEIU Local 880,

the Grassroots Collaborative, UFCW Local 881, the

Chicagoland Federation of Labor, SEIU Illinois Council,

and many of Chicagos clergy.

Were not through yet, Ms. Jackson said. It was

just the start.

People are barelyscraping by on lowwages. Employers aregetting an honest dayswork, they should payan honest days wage.

They need to pay a livingwage.

--Beatrice Jackson.Chicago ACORN president

Chicago Takes on Big Box Retailers


9/40


ntil an ACORN organizerknocked on her door two

years ago, 58-year-old Judy Linkhad never considered becomingan activist. I felt pretty helplessabout changing things, she says,but then no one had ever cometo my door like ACORN did,with so much enthusiasm.

Judy hated the proliferationof payday loan businesses in herneighborhood, so she helped herlocal ACORN chapter plan a rallyat an intersection which had pay-day outlets on all four corners.I said we should call these plac-es loan sharks and next thing

I know Im on that corner withACORN, and Im wearing a giantshark costume.

When ACORN began fight-ing for the minimum wageincrease in 2005, Judy did what-ever was needed. She overcamea terrible fear of public speak-ing to hold press conferences.She published letters to editors

and phoned voters to assurethem that Arizona could supporta wage increase benefiting thou-sands of workers.

If a voter told me thathigher wages would send jobsoverseas, I told them most mini-mum-wage workers are serviceworkers. Id say, We cant sendour hotel beds overseas, Judyexplains.

Judys hard work paid off onelection night when a speakerat campaign headquartersannounced Proposition 202s win.To celebrate, Judy and a group of40 ACORN members walked into

headquarters chanting slogans,and were met with thunderousapplause.

In the coming year, Judywants to continue honing hernew activist skills with ACORN.I love the organizers, she says.Theyre energetic and passion-ateyou cant help but get excit-ed about anything were planning.

I felt pretty

helpless about

changing things,but then no one

had ever come

to my door like

ACORN did.


Judy LinkMesa, AZ


10/40


RAISING OUR STATES 2006 ACORN NATIONAL CONVENTION

More than 2,500 ACORN

members gathered on

the campus of Ohio State

University in Columbus, Ohio

for ACORNs 16th National

Convention on July 8 to 10.

The convention, the largest in

our history, brought ACORN

members together with national

leaders like Senator Hillary

Clinton and former Senator

John Edwards to build support

for ACORN campaigns.

Widely covered by national

press, the convention highlighted

the minimum wage ballot ini-

tiative campaigns underway in

Arizona, Colorado, Missouri,

and Ohio. Over 2,000 ACORN

to rally with Ohio

of the Ohio AFL-CIO and U.S.

Representative Stephanie Tubbs

Jones.

You cant live on minimum

wage. Get educated and get in

Jones told the large crowd.

In addition to Clinton and

Edwards, notable speakers also

included AFL-CIO President

John Sweeney, Reverend Al

All of us are locked arm-in-arm in thisfight, to make sure that we live in acountry where no one man or woman works full time and still lives inpoverty. former Senator John Edwards


11/40

ACORN used innovative tech-

nology to broadcast the con-

vention on the Internet, allow-

ing people around the countryand the world to log on and

view in real time the speeches

of Senator Hillary Clinton, for-

mer Senator John Edwards, and

others as they addressed over

2,500 ACORN members and

allies.

Convention Speakers

Hillary ClintonU.S. Senator

John Edwards

Former U.S. Senator

Stephanie Tubbs JonesU.S. Representative

Sherrod BrownOhio State Senator

Michael ColemanCity of Columbus Mayor

Joyce BeattyOhio House Minority Leader

C. J. PrentissOhio State Senator

Tim BurgaOhio AFL-CIO

Roseanne BarrActor and Comedienne

Al SharptonActivist

John Sweeney

AFL-CIO President

Eliseo MedinaSEIU Executive VP

Webcasting the ACORN NationalConvention to the World

At the 2006 National Convention, ACORN community

leaders led workshops on living wages, buildingstronger and safer communities, Hurricane Katrina

recovery, and immigration reform.



12/40

P a g e 1 0 A C O R N 2 0 0 6 A n n u a l R e p o r t

INCREASING CIVIC PARTICIPATION

ACORN Runs Largest GOTV Effort in MidtermElection History

registered

1.5 million houses

voters reached withinformation onelections

over 1.6 million peopleregister to vote andhas contacted 9 mil-lion voters about local,state, and federalelections since 1993

4,100 ACORNvolunteers andcanvassers went doorto door in targetedneighborhoods in 20states

ACORN was thelargest registrant ofyouth voters in the

United States during2006

ACORN helped toregister more votersduring this electioncycle than anyorganization in anymid-term election inUnited States history

4

4

4

4

4

4


13/40

A C O R N 2 0 0 6 A n n u a l R e p o r t P a g e 1 1

Istill dont know what I wantto be when I grow up, saysMinneapolis ACORN Member

Karen Inman, age 69. A specialeducation teacher for thirty-three years, a lawyer for nineyears, and a union representa-tive for the National EducationAssociation for twenty years,Karen joined ACORN two yearsago. Ive been an activist all mylife, and ACORNs issues arealways my issues, she explains.

Karens experience earn-ing a teachers salary helped heridentify with low-wage workers

who would benefit from St. Paulsliving wage legislation proposedlast year, and her experience asa lawyer gave her the skills sheneeded to get that work done. Ican talk forever about anything,Karen says, explaining that it waseasy for her to meet with citycouncil members and to con-vince Minneapolis/St. Paul TV and

radio stations and newspapersto cover ACORNs work on thewage issue.

She also helped contact andregister voters during the 2006election, and credits Minnesotasvoter-friendly laws with mak-ing her phone-calling and door-knocking exceptionally easy.Minnesotans can register onelection day and just vote. So,you arent limited to contactingregistered voters--you can calleveryone!

The Minneapolis get-out-the-vote effort was a huge success,

with 13,000 voters registered.Karen herself was elected toher neighborhoods District 7Planning Council, an executiveboard that previews issues forthe city council. Working on thiscommittee, Karen hopes to pro-tect a low-income neighborhoodwhich is the future site for thecitys new light rail project.

Ive been an

activist all mylife, and ACORNs

issues are always

my issues.


Karen Inman St. Paul, MN

ACORN and allies including Project Vote

and the Advancement Project won legal

victories striking down restrictions on

voter registration in Ohio, Georgia,

and other states. In Pennsylvania,

Washington, and Maryland, ACORN

and allies defeated provisions disqualifying

voters based on routine errors in state

databases. In Florida, ACORN stopped

a series of measures making it harder

to put referendums on the ballot, like

ACORNs successful 2004 initiative raisingthe statewide minimum wage.

ACORN and AlliesProtect Voting Rights


14/40


INCREASING CIVIC PARTICIPATION

Building Neighborhood Networks of Political Activists

The ACORN Precinct Action Leader Program recruits and trains ACORN members to boost civic

participation in their neighborhoods by contacting and registering low-income, minority, and infrequent

voters. Each volunteer Precinct Action Leader creates and manages a list of voters many of who are

neighbors, friends, and family and is in charge of contacting each voter several times before the elec-

tion to make sure they are registered, informed and ready to vote.


15/40


When her brother ErasmoVillavicencio died inSeptember 2005, Alicia Russellwasnt an ACORN memberyet. She knew about ErasmosACORN work that for overtwo years he had worked onneighborhood improvementslike speed bumps, and he foughtpassionately to raise Phoenixsminimum wage but she had notyet joined the cause. After mybrother died, when I was goingthrough his things, I collecteda whole bag full of his notesabout ACORNs minimum wagecampaign, Ms. Russell explains.Then I decided to join ACORNand carry on his work.

Ms. Russell steadilyincreased her work with ACORN

and in July 2006 she became anACORN Precinct Action Leader,or APAL, and began registeringand engaging a network of votersin her neighborhood.

As an APAL Ms. Russellregistered 43 friends and fam-ily members to vote, and thenenlisted them to register others.Her daughter registered students

on the campus of her communitycollege, while Spanish-speakersin Ms. Russells APAL networkreached out to West PhoenixsLatino population.

Ms. Russells next step was toinform the newly registered vot-ers about Proposition 202. Sheknew what it was like to workfor low wages since she hadspent 12 years as a single motherraising two daughters on a pover-ty income so she related theseexperiences to voters to moti-vate their support of Proposition202. When I told women votersthat a wage increase would bene-fit 58 percent of Arizonas femaleworkers, they listened, she says.

When the wage initia-tive passed with 66 percent of

Arizonas vote, Ms. Russell knewher brother would have beenproud of her work. Erasmoknew what it was like to workfor low wages. We were bothraised in the Arizona cottonfields, working from the time wewere eleven. Erasmo would havebeen thrilled about this victory,she says.

When I told

women voters

that a wage

increase would

benet 58percent of

Arizonas female

workers, they

listened.


Alicia Russell Phoenix, AZ

picture or graphic needed here


16/40


KATRINA: THE RIGHT TO RETURN AND REBUILD

In 2006, ACORN organized to

address the needs of Katrina

survivors from New Orleans

and the Gulf Coast who con-tinue the fight to return and

rebuild their homes, lives and

communities. After reopening

its national and local organiz-

ing operations in New Orleans,

ACORN waged a successful

grassroots campaign in the city

to prevent low-income and

minority neighborhoods from

being seized and demolished.

At the same time, ACORN

worked to protect survivors

voting rights, help displaced fam-

ilies claim the Earned Income

Tax Credit, fight for additional

resources, and organize survi-

vors in Washington, DC, and

around the country for a real

voice in the rebuilding of New

Orleans.

In February, nearly 500 Katrina

survivors from several states

the ACORN Rally for Return

and Rebuilding. They rallied with

Congressional leaders, met with

FEMA and administration offi-

cials, and brought the national

spotlight back to the need for

federal rebuilding assistance.

hurricane survi-

ACORN Katrina SurvivorsAssociation

houses gutted and

Cleanout DemonstrationProgram

displaced home-

ing counseling from

the ACORN HousingCorporation

displaced New

with information aboutMayoral and City Councilelections.

Helping Survivorsin Katrinas Wake

4


17/40


In 1985, a tanker car full ofthe toxic chemical butadieneexploded during a crash near

Gwendolyn Adams New Orleanshome. Ms. Adams joined herneighborhood ACORN chapterand marched with New OrleansACORN on City Hall to demandthe Ninth Ward be taken off theroute of tanker cars.

After Hurricane Katrina, Ms.Adams faced off with the City ofNew Orleans againthis timeshe fought with ACORN to stopthe city from demolishing homesthat Ninth Ward and other New

Orleans homeowners wantedto preserve. ACORN convincedthe city council to exempt NinthWard property from the citysplan to demolish damaged homes.However, ACORN could not actin time to win an appeal to saveMs. Adams home.

On August 19, one of herneighbors phoned to say that

bulldozers were tearing downher house. By the time we gotthere, there was nothing left, Ms.

Adams explains. Another neigh-bors home and a nearby churchwere also torn down.

For Ms. Adams, the heart-breaking incident underscoredthe need for citizens to vigilantlymonitor New Orleans city plan-ning process. We need to makesure that the laws that are passedare also enforced, she says.

She knew the key to creatinga stronger voice for Ninth Wardresidents was to bring them back

home, so next Ms. Adams workedwith ACORN to pressure thecity to restore water, sewer, andelectricity services to the area.The services were restored inOctober 2006, paving the way forher neighbors to return, rebuildtheir homes, and fight for owner-ship of their community.

Ms. Adams knew

the key to creating

a stronger voice

for Ninth Ward

residents was to

bring them back

home.


Gwendolyn Adams New Orleans, LA

In New Orleans, ACORN organized to prevent the city from taking property through emi-

nent domain in flooded communities and also successfully pressured the city to restore

utilities services in the Ninth Ward. In May, ACORN convinced the city council to pass a

law exempting the hardest hit areas of the Lower Ninth Ward from a demolition deadline.

In October, after meeting with ACORN members, the City certified the water in the LowerNinth Ward as safe for use, allowing residents to return to live in temporary trailers and

begin rebuilding their homes.

Bringing Back the Ninth Ward


18/40



ACORNs Home Clean-Out

Demonstration Program

gutted over 1,850 homes in the

Ninth Ward, Gentilly, and New

Orleans East neighborhoods to

preserve them for later rebuild-

ing. The program partnered

with Starbucks and other spon-

sors to recruit volunteers from

around the country who con-

tributed over 12,250 hours to

help remove debris in damagedhomes, save personal belong-

ings, rip out dry wall, and put

tarps on roofs to prevent dete-

rioration.

SavingNeighborhoodsOne House at aTime

Born and raised in

New Orleans, Tanya

Harris became a

community organiz-

er with ACORN after

Hurricane Katrina

and is working with

ACORN members tofight for the rebuild-

ing of the Lower

Ninth Ward.

ACORN is gutting up to 200 homes [per month]in poor parts of the city homes they hope can berebuilt. One of those belonged to 73-year-old EdnaAlexander Berkley, who had to chisel through the attic

of her home after the 17th Street levee collapsed. Shehas since relied on ACORN to gut her home and helpguide her through the beginnings of the rebuildingprocess like getting a permit from the city to rebuild.Now staying with her son, Berkley makes a simple vow:Ill be home soon.

--US News and World Reports, Feb. 27, 2006


19/40


n 2000 Joe Sherman movedinto the Hollygrove, New

Orleans, home his family hadowned for 60 years. Duringhis first two years there, eightmurders were committed withinfour blocks of his home, andMr. Sherman began attendingACORN community meetings topush police to staff a substationcloser to his neighborhood. Theclosest precinct was 20 minutes

away, Mr. Sherman explains.Just when Mr. Shermans

ACORN chapter was finally win-ning a new police substation fortheir community, Katrina hit NewOrleans. When he returnedhome a month and a half afterthe storm, Mr. Shermans neigh-borhood was a mess. Hugewater lines need to be repaired,he explains. We need bet-ter transportation and a betterschool systemand were start-

ing from scratch.Mr. Sherman got involvedin the series of forums thatACORN organized to bringtogether community membersand planning experts fromaround the country, and he used

his experience as an engineerto give an informed opinion onissues like the improvement ofwater drainage and repair ofstreet signs. The biggest prob-lem is that we need people withthe skills to address these issues,but we have no place for them tolive, Mr. Sherman says.

In order to let FEMA installtemporary housing on damagedproperties in the Lower Ninth

Ward, the water had to be certi-fied as potable by the Sewerageand Water Board. After ACORNand other community membersmet with city officials, in October2006 water was certified as safefor use in all parts of the LowerNinth Ward, allowing residents toreturn home and begin makingrepairs.

Mr. Sherman is confident thatACORNs successful grassrootswork will unite New Orleans

residents who want a say in theplanning process. New Orleansis one of the last villages, hesays. Families have been here forso long that we find it easier tocome together.

ACORNLEADER IN ACTIONJoe Sherman New Orleans, LA

New Orleans is

one of the last

villages. Families

have been here

for so long that

we nd it easier to

come together.

ACORN Wins Housing Assistance Extension for ThousandsIn November, a federal district judge ruled in favor of ACORN and Katrina survivors who

had been denied FEMA housing assistance without a clear explanation or appeal pro-

cess. The judge forced FEMA to send out new letters of explanation to thousands of

Katrina survivors in Texas, which allowed over 1,000 families to win appeals and have

their housing aid restored. In January 2007, FEMA responded to pressure from ACORN

and others and extended temporary housing assistance by six months for over 100,000

survivor households.


20/40



Planning the Future of New OrleansA group of urban planners and architects led by the Department of City and Regional Planning at

Cornell University, University of Illinois, and Pratt Institute worked with ACORN, ACORN HousingCorporation, and more than 600 community residents to develop a comprehensive plan for rebuilding

the 7th and 8th planning districts of New Orleans. From these discussions and an architectural evalua-

tion of over 1000 homes, ACORN and its community and university partners released two documents

providing a roadmap to a rebuilt New Orleans.

July 2006

ACORN PLANNING PRINCIPLES

REBUILDINGAFTER

HURRICANE KATRINA

ACORN Planning Principles, published in July 2006,

presents a vision for rebuilding New Orleans and out-

lines specific policy proposals in a number of critical

planning categories: housing, jobs, education, transpor-

tation, safety and security, healthcare, and parks.

T H E P E O P L E S P L A N

f o r o v e r c o m i n g t h e h u r r i c a n e k a t r i n a b l u e s

a comprehensive strategy for building a more vibrant, sustainable, and equitable 9th Ward

ACORNHousingUniversity

Partnership ACORN

The Peoples Plan for Overcoming the Hurricane Katrina

Blues: A Cooperative Approach to Promoting a More Vibrant,

Sustainable and Equitable 9th Ward, published at the end

of the year, offers assessments of social and economic condi-

tions on the ground in New Orleans before and after the hur-

ricane. The report also details a five year recovery plan for the

Ninth Ward to restore the community, enhance quality of life,

and enable former residents and business owners to return

home.

Protecting SurvivorsVoting Rights

To ensure displaced residents continued to have

a voice in the future of New Orleans, ACORN

ran a massive voter education and get-out-the-

vote campaign in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

ACORN provided information on the Mayoral

and City Council elections in New Orleans to

more than 18,000 displaced residents.


21/40


FINANCIAL JUSTICE

Tax Preparers Agree to Eliminate Millions in Fees

After negotiations with ACORN, Jackson Hewitt and Liberty Tax eliminated their application fees on

Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) in 7,000 stores saving low and moderate income customers over

$164 million per year! In Hempstead, N.Y., an ACORN-backed local law took effect in January that

requires tax preparers to prominently display fees for high-cost RALs.

FightingPredatory and

Payday LendersNationwide

As part of ACORNs ongo-

ing campaign against the

abusive lending practices

of Wells Fargo, one of the

nations largest subprime lend-

ers, ACORN launched a new

website,www.wellsfargo-

problems.org, to exposeWells predatory practices and

help consumers identify and

escape predatory loans.

In April, a delegation of

ACORN members, using proxyshares provided by Responsible

Wealth/United for

a Fair Economy,

attended Wells

Fargos annual

shareholder meeting

and testified on the

financial devastation

created by Wells

loans. ACORN also

held rallies at the

offices of payday

lending companies

around the country

that charge

exorbitant interest

rates on short term loans in

low and moderate income

communities.

ACORN released the

studyThe Impending

Rate Shock: A Study of

Home Mortgages in 130

American Citiesin August,

which found Americas

lower income and minor-

ity communities receive a

disproportionate number

of subprime loans and

thus are most at risk ofdefaults and foreclosures.

The report documented

that many families with

subprime loans are unable

to pay their mortgages due

to rising interest rates,

threatening the security of

individual homeowners and

entire neighborhoods.

In Rhode Island, ACORNhelped pass one of thestrongest laws in thecountry regulating preda-tory home loans.


22/40


FINANCIAL JUSTICE

Helping FamiliesClaim the EITC

and Child TaxCredits

ACORN Free Tax Preparation

and Benefit Access Centers in

72 cities helped 30,000 low-

income families collect over

$38 million in refunds, including

$25 million in EITC and Child

Tax Credits.

With support from the William

J. Clinton Foundation, ACORN

also conducted EITC outreach

targeting Katrina survivors in

10 cities and prepared taxes

for nearly 1,000 survivors.

ACORNs Free Tax Preparation Program

3 cities

3,500 returns

$4M in EITC and ChildTax Credit benefts

2004 2005 2006

45 cities

16,000 returns


74 cities

30,000 returns


ACORN is one of our most successful national partners [and] has

had the most significant growth, a remarkable accomplishment

and a tribute to ACORNs ability to nationally design and implement

a complex program throughout a group of affiliate organizations.

--Ron Smith

Chief Volunteer & Comm. Partnerships

Internal Revenue Service/SPEC

ACORN members understand that

were a stronger nation when we

stand together to build a better

future for all of our families. Ive

been proud to work together with

you for economic justice and a

stronger voice for low and moderate-

income people.

-- President Bill Clinton

Message to ACORN 2006 Natl Convention


23/40


AFFORDABLE AND SAFE HOUSING

SecuringThousands of

AffordableHousingUnits in OurCommunities

ACORN members success-

fully fought for affordable

housing set-asides in specific

developments in New York

City, Garden City, N.Y., Los

Angeles, Calif., and other

cities.

In New York City, ACORN

and the Housing Here and

Now Coalition won a low-

income housing trust fund and

an affordable housing require-

ment in areas of high develop-

ment, which will create over20,000 units of affordable

housing. New York ACORN

also secured a $10 million city

budget allocation saving 8,400

Section 8 vouchers. Also in

New York, a state board gave

final approval for a multi-bil-

lion dollar development in

downtown Brooklyn, which will

include 2,500 affordable rental

and home ownership units as

part of an ACORN-negotiated

agreement.

Improving LivingConditions for

Low-incomeTenants

Around the country ACORN

organized tenants to win bet-

ter conditions in their buildings.

ACORN chapters won changes

in a number of cities:

Madison, Wisc., ACORN

members helped pass a city-

wide ordinance allowing ten-

ants to make repairs to their

apartment and then deduct

the cost from their rent.

In Oakland, Calif., and

Toronto, Canada, ACORN

members won legal cases

granting them thousands of

dollars to repair their apart-

ments.

California ACORN mem-

bers and allies waged a

grassroots campaign to pass

a statewide bill giving tenants

30 additional days to vacate a

rental property after receiving

a no-fault eviction notice.

In San Antonio, Texas,

and Minneapolis, Minn.,

ACORN members won hun-

dreds of thousands of dollars

to help low-income ten-

ants make health and safety

repairs to their homes.

In South Apopka, Fla.,

ACORN worked with

Senator Mel Martinez to

secure $100,000 from the

United States Department

of Agriculture to relocate 50

families living in a dilapidated

housing complex.

Id been calling the Jackson City Council for months about anabandoned building in my neighborhood, and Id never heardback. After we held an ACORN rally on the site and got somemedia attention, the council got the building boarded up andpassed an ordinance that required all Jackson property ownersto board-up their abandoned properties.

--Diane Barnes, ACORN Leader

Jackson, Mississippi


24/40


IMPROVING UTILITIES SERVICE

Keeping theHeat On:

ACORN WinsUtilities Reforms

ACORN chapters nationwide

won reforms of utilities prac-

tices, helping low-income cus-

tomers pay their bills and avoid

service disruptions. In Texas,

ACORN won a statewide no

shut-off agreement during the

summer from the Public Service

Commission for senior citizens,

and a one-time additional pay-

ment plan for low-income

households in deregulated areas

within the state. In Florida,

ACORN members convinced

a state commission to reduce

proposed utilities surcharges by

$500 million. In Orlando, Fla.,after a yearlong campaign, the

Orlando Utilities Commission

agreed to implement a no

shut-off policy in temperatures

below 34 or above 94 degrees,

to offer reasonable payment

plans, and to double its con-

tributions to an energy assis-

tance program for low-income

families. Houston ACORN

successfully pressured Reliant

Energy to set up a $600,000

weatherization program to

help make homes more energy

efficient in the Acres Homes

section of the city. ACORN

chapters also ran successful

campaigns for utilities reforms

in Michigan, Maryland, and

Dallas, Texas.


25/40


Imelda Benson is not just somesenior citizen the utility compa-nies can push around. A 74-year-old retiree with six great-grand-children and 14 grandchildren,she is a self-proclaimed fighter,

a longtime civil rights activistwho attended Martin LutherKings March on Washington in1963 and marched for civil rightsin Jackson, Cicero, and Chicago.When Houstons Reliant Energycharged Ms. Benson $800 in

January 2006 when she was onvacation and not using her elec-tricity, she fought back.

Ms. Benson, an ACORNmember since 2004, wanted tofight Reliant Energy on behalf of

seniors who were paying outra-geous bills for Houstons coldwinters and hot, humid summers.It took me 10 months to pay offmy bill, and many other seniorsare in the same predicament,she explains.

First, ACORN pushed Reliantto stop its practice of cuttingoff seniors air conditioning dur-

ing summer months when heatwaves are often deadly for olderpeople. Ms. Benson attended twoACORN rallies held at ReliantEnergys downtown office, andhelped deliver 1,500 signatures to

Reliant administrators who hid intheir offices.

Ms. Benson finally got tomeet her foe face-to-face whenshe attended a rally at Reliantsannual stockholder meeting.Barred from the hotel where themeeting was held, she and otherACORN members sneaked upa back staircase to crash theparty. I handed our letter andsignatures to a man in a suit andit turned out he was Reliants

CEO! Ms. Benson explains. Itold him, Youre the one whoneeds to change things.

In July 2006 ACORN won astatewide no shut-off agreementand helped open a resource cen-ter to help Houston residentsunderstand the citys deregulatedutility system.

When I fought

Reliant Energy

over my own

bill I wasignored. When

I fought with

ACORN we won

improvements for

everyone.

ACORNLEADER IN ACTIONImelda Benson Houston, TX


26/40


BETTER SCHOOLS

All children deserve a

quality education that

gives them the chance to suc-

ceed. ACORN members have

been working to improve

the quality of public schools

nationwide by pushing for

more school funding and

developing innovative educa-tion programs in low-income

communities.

California ACORN and

allies won passage of a

state law to improve the

recruitment of teachers

and ensure they receive

quality training, mentoring

and support.

Chicago ACORN and

coalition partners won a

new appropriation of $3

million for Grow Your Own

Teacher projects to recruit

and train public school

teachers in low-income

communities around the

state.

Chanting Put Children

Before Politics, over 1,000

ACORN members and union

and community partners

in the Say Yes To Children

Network marched to Los

Angeles City Hall for

increased school funding. In Long Island, N.Y.,

ACORN helped reinstate the

budget for pre-K programs

in the Roosevelt Union Free

School District for 2006-

2007.

Delaware ACORN member

Gina Backus was elected to a

seat on the Christina School

Board in Wilmington in May.


27/40

Toni Foulkes memories ofACORN date back to herchildhood in the 1980s whenshe lived in the apartment build-ing her aunt owned in the WestEnglewood section of Chicago.Her aunt held ACORN meetingsin her apartment, and Ms. Foulkesremembers the groups of adults

getting all fired up.An ACORN member since

1997, Ms. Foulkes now ownsand lives in the same apartmentbuilding and has spent almosther entire life in Englewood.They call this one of the worstneighborhoods in the city, but wehave a strong community, shesays, describing lively block par-ties and the way watchful adultslook after all the neighborhoodchildren. Ms. Foulkes, who has a

degree in business, runs a bakerythat serves neighborhood fami-lies she has known all her life.

Her love for WestEnglewood made her a naturalsupporter of ACORNs GrowYour Own Initiative, which beganas an ACORN-organized pilotprogram to provide training forparaprofessionals, parents, and

community members to becomecertified teachers in Illinoislow-income public schools. Ms.Foulkes remembers her owngrade school teacher talking toher parents in their living roomand is glad that this new programhires teachers from local neigh-borhoods. If teachers are invest-

ed in the neighborhood, thentheyll stick around, she says.

She spoke at many eventsin support of Grow Your Own,including the Institute forEducation and Social PolicySymposium at New YorkUniversity. Ms. Foulkes celebrat-ed with other ACORN memberswhen the state legislature passeda bill in 2004 to establish a GrowYour Own Teachers pilot initia-tive and again in 2006 when the

legislature allocated $3 million tofund the program statewide. Shesays that her work with ACORNhas taught her more than valu-able public speaking skills. It hastaught her that community activ-ism can work. ACORN is a goodteacher, Ms. Foulkes says. Youcan learn so much tuition free.

Everything I

fought for with

ACORN was for

others. I gave

150% effort for

those who neededhelp.

ACORNLEADER IN ACTIONToni Foulkes Chicago, IL



28/40


HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

With 45 million families lacking health insurance in the United States, access to affordable

health care is a critical need in ACORN communities. In 2006, ACORN mobilized to hold

hospitals and local governments accountable to providing health care for those who cant afford

coverage.

ACORN Wins Healthcare Coverageand Debt Reductions for Thousands

In San Francisco, ACORN was part of a successful coalition

effort to pass the first citywide universal health care ordinance

in the country. The law requires medium and large businesses to

provide health care to their workers, and qualifies 82,000 unin-

sured residents for free, comprehensive health care services at city

hospitals and clinics. ACORN chapters in San Diego, Calif., and

Columbus, Ohio, also helped eliminate over $700,000 in medi-

cal debt and over $1.2 million in liens for patients unfairly denied

reduced cost charity care at local hospitals.

Chicago ACORN worked

with allies to stop

Advocate Health Care

from closing a hospital

serving low-incomecity residents in the

Westside neighborhood.

ACORN members helped

saved the hospital by

rallying at Illinois Health

Facilities Planning

Board meetings, orga-

nizing a postcard cam-

paign, and marching

on the anniversary of

Martin Luther Kings

assassination.


29/40

ACORN member GiselleQuezada is a communi-cations technician who oftenclimbs telephone poles to repairdamaged lines in San Francisco.In 2006 she also served as aspokesperson for thousands of

San Franciscans who lack healthinsurance.

In February 2006, aftermonths of organizing by a labor,faith and community coalitionfor a model health plan, SanFrancisco Mayor Gavin Newsomformed a special council to planhealth services for uninsured cityresidents. Since Ms. Quezadawas recognized as an activemember of ACORN, she wasappointed to the council to rep-

resent the concerns of uninsuredworkers. A union leader withCommunications Workers ofAmerica for nearly 20 years, shestarted to organize residents atcity health clinics to build a baseof support for worker-friendlyprovisions of the councils health-care proposal.

This is not just one battle

that each person fights alone,Ms. Quezada says of her spokes-person role. We all cometogether to make change.

Due in part to her fieldorganizing, the proposal includeda mandate requiring employ-

ers to pay for their share of SanFranciscos health care costs. Ms.Quezada told the council manystories of workers devastated byhealth care costs including 20-year-old Raul Torres who lost hisconstruction job after breakinghis leg and, without any income,struggled to pay off a $7,000hospital debt. She told themabout her own daughter whoseemployer kept her at 39 hoursper week to avoid paying her

health benefits.After she worked with other

coalition members to gather sup-port letters and lobby in a swingsupervisors districts, in July theBoard of Supervisors approvedan ordinance providing healthcare to all city residents with theemployer mandate intact.

This is not just

one battle that

each person ghts

alone. We all

come together tomake change.

ACORNLEADER IN ACTIONGiselle Quezada San Francisco, CA



30/40


IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

ACORNParticipates in

Mass Movementfor Immigration

Reform

ACORN members joined the

largest mass movement the U.S.

has seen in decades as they

participated in marches around

the nation to demand compre-

hensive immigration reform,which includes an earned path

to citizenship. ACORN mem-

bers worked with local com-

munity partners in April and

May to organize dozens of ral-

lies. These events united immi-

grants and their allies opposed

to federal legislation that would

have made it a felony to be

undocumented in the U.S. or to

aid undocumented immigrants.

The response of thepeople to our call forsupport was great. I feelwere going to have agreat impact. Despiteall the fears of beingarrested, people came out

and showed their support.These rallies confirm thatthe people want a chancefor real immigrationreform.

--Brendy GutierrezACORN member, Palm Beach County


31/40


In Los Angeles, ACORN

members stood with Mayor

Antonio Villaraigosa at one of

several rallies held in the city

throughout the day, which

drew 700,000 supporters.

San Diego ACORN played

a leading role in organizing

an immigrant rights rally of

30,000 in the citys Balboa

Park.

Chicagos march included

400,000 participants, 1,200

of whom were ACORN

members. The President of

ACORNs sister organization

SEIU Local 880 Helen Miller

spoke at the rally. Orlando ACORN member

Tamecka Pierce spoke to

a crowd of 30,000 at the

local rally, which was orga-

nized by ACORN and the

Farmworkers Association.

ACORN also helped orga-

nize marches of thousands

of immigrants and allies in

Albuquerque, N.M.,Las

Vegas, Nev.,Little Rock,

Ark, Palm Beach County,

Fla., Raleigh, N.C.,San

Diego and San Jose, Calif.,

andWilmington, Del.

In April and May, ACORN joined millions of

immigrants and allies marching in over 100

cities to support comprehensive

immigration reform.


32/40


ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Cleaning UpLead Paint

Hazards inACORNNeighborhoods

ACORN held protests at

Sherwin Williams stores

throughout the United States,

for the clean up

of lead paint that

has poisoned

hundreds of thou-

sands of children.

ACORN released the report

Sherwin Williams: Covering Our

Communities with Toxics, whichdocuments how Sherwin-

Williams sold lead paint for

Each year over 300,000children under the age of

ve suffer from leadpoisoning.

decades knowing it was dan-

gerous. The cities ofEl Paso,

Texas, and Providence, R.I.,also divested thousands of

shares of stock from Sherwin

Williams after hearing ACORN

members testify about the

impact of lead poisoning intheir communities.

In reviewing the history

of Sherwin-Williams and

its production and sale of

lead-based paint, there

is ample evidence that

the company knew for

decades the dangers of

lead based paint, and

chose to conceal this

knowledge.

-- Sherwin Williams: Covering

Our Communities with Toxics


33/40


In 2005, ACORN co-founded

the Wal-Mart Alliance for

Reform Now to hold Wal-Mart

accountable to community

standards and fair labor policies.

WARN sets up local coalitions

in areas where the company is

planning to build new stores,

and mobilizes local stakeholders

to fight Wal-Mart as it attempts

to secure approval and per-

TAKING ON WAL-MART

Fighting Foreign Direct Investment in India

The ACORN India Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Watch Campaign seeks to prevent foreign conglom-

erates like Wal-Mart from entering the India market unless they make guarantees to protect communi-

ties, ensure the stability of small businesses, and provide fair wages and working conditions. ACORN

has built a broad coalition of labor unions,

trade associations, and nongovernmentalorganizations across India to prevent foreign

direct investment. This coalition is meeting

with members of Parliament from several

political parties and beginning grassroots

organizing campaigns in Mumbai and Delhi.

WARNs predictivemapping programcharts potential loca-tions of new Wal-Martstores.

mits to build facilities. In 2006,

WARN stopped the building

of a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in

Orlando, Fla., as well as stores

in Sarasota, Plant City, and

Temple Terrace, Fla . Also in

Florida, the Orange County

Commission enacted a one-

year moratorium, backed by

ACORN and WARN, barring

big box retailers from build-

ing new stores in the county.

ACORN and WARN also suc-

cessfully fought the opening of

a Wal-Mart distribution center

in Merced, Calif., and devel-

oped a predictive mapping pro-

gram which identifies locations

of future Wal-Marts to help

communities plan to fight the

company.


34/40


ORGANIZING WITH LABOR UNIONS NATIONWIDE

Building aMovement of

Organized ChildCare Providers

ACORN, the ACORN

Community Labor Organizing

Center, and union partners are

leading the effort to organize

low wage home childcare pro-

viders across the country to win

better wages and benefits.

In 2006, our sister organization

SEIU Local 880 signed the first

home childcare provider union

contract in the country, bring-

ing more than $250 million in

SEIU Local 880 Wins Rate Increase

for Homecare WorkersSEIU Local 880 members won the second largest rate increase for

private homecare companies in the history of the Department on

Aging homecare program. Workers won improvements like wage

increases, rewards for longevity, and increased travel pay.

ACORN Community Labor Organizing Center (ACLOC)

Founded in January 2005, ACLOC partners with labor unions

in cities around the country and in Canada to organize low

wage workers for better wages and benefits. Nationally, ACLOC

and ACORNs joint work with Justice for Janitors has allowed

new collective bargaining rights for janitors, maintenance work-

ers and security officers working in shopping malls across the

country. In Houston, ACLOC organized janitors in downtown busi-

nesses with support from Houston ACORN members, and won

the first union contract in the citys history. Also in Houston,

ACLOC teamed up with HOPE (the Houston Organization of

Public Employees), a joint AFSCME and SEIU labor organization,

to win union recognition for 13,000 city employees and theright to bargain a contract for the first time in Texas history.

ACLOC, along with ACORN and its labor partners helped win union recognition for thousands of

childcare providers in New Jersey, New York, and Washington. ACLOC also provided assistance

to unions organizing childcare workers in Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota,

Ohio, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

pay rate increases and benefits

to 40,000 childcare providers

in Illinois. New York ACORNand the United Federation of

Teachers (UFT) won state leg-

islation with the governors

approval expected in 2007

giving over 25,000 childcare

providers the right to bargain

collectively for better wages. In

New Jersey, ACORN worked

alongside CWA and AFSCME toorganize over 7,000 childcare

providers, and helped secure

an Executive Order from the

governor granting the providers

collective bargaining rights.


35/40


In 2006, ACORN Housing

Corporations housing coun-

seling program helped 13,738

families become first-time hom-

eowners, and refinanced 1,474

homeowners out of high cost

subprime loans and into more

affordable mortgages. ACORN

Housings development pro-

gram secured over $140 mil-

lion in construction financing

to develop 735 new units of

affordable housing in Houston,Phoenix, Chicago, and New

York. As part of the ACORN/

ACORN Housing Corporation

partnership with HSBC, 764

low-income and minority

households with Household

loans received help with their

mortgage payments. Since

2003, HSBC has spent over $72

million through the Foreclosure

Avoidance Program to reduce

ACORN HOUSING CORPORATION

mortgage interest rates for

more than 6,700 borrowers at

risk of losing their homes. In

the wake of Hurricane Katrina,

ACORN Housing provided

housing counseling to over

4,000 displaced homeowners

and built the first new houses

in New Orleans Lower Ninth

Ward. ACORN Housing was

also awarded 150 proper-

ties in the Lower Ninth Ward

by the City of New Orleans

Adjudicated Property Program,which ACORN Housing will

develop into affordable housing.

Homeowners Once Again in New Orleans 9th Ward

Gwendolyn Guice owned a home in the Lower Ninth Ward next to her neigh-bor Josephine Butler. Guice and Butler, both of whom are ACORN members,saw their homes heavily damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Katrina. In

February, ACORN Housing completed construction of two state-of-the-art wind-resis-

tant homes for the two women to enable them returnto New Orleans. The homes, which were the first to be

built in the Lower Ninth Ward after the hurricane, can

withstand 160 mph winds and have mold and termite

resistant siding. They were designed by Louisiana State

University architecture students and were underwritten

by Countrywide Bank.


36/40


TAKING ACTION FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

Every day, ACORN mem-

bers in over 1,000 local

neighborhood chapters meet to

discuss community issues, and

then mobilize to make changes

through negotiation, legislation,

direct action, and civic partici-

pation. ACORN members won

hundreds of local victories in

2006, from stop signs and speed

humps to budget allocations

for vital services. The following

are a few notable examples ofACORN neighborhood chap-

ters in action:

Las Vegas, Nev., ACORN

won $600,000 from the city

to install sidewalks along

eight city blocks and several

crossing guards for an ele-

mentary school.

In El Paso, Texas, ACORN

members convinced the

statewide Commission on

Environmental Quality to

force the industrial mineral

company Oglebay Norton

to clean up a city cemetery

contaminated with lead and

arsenic.

In Long Island, N.Y.,

ACORN members won

$250,000 for a legal aid

program, and $300,000 for

improvements to Long Island

Bus services.


37/40


Little Rock, Ark., ACORN

and allies defeated a quarter-

cent sales tax increase, which

would have paid for a project

to double the size of the

county jail.

St. Paul, Minn., ACORN

members secured an

ACORN Farmers Market

where Hmong immigrant

families sell fresh produce and

bakery items at a mall in the

Frogtown neighborhood.

Illinois ACORN helped passa statewide record sealing law

to help nonviolent ex-offend-

ers find jobs.

Minnesota ACORN mem-

bers and the state Attorney

General won a settlement

with Coldwell Banker, which

requires the company to pay

up to $375,000 for deceptive-

ly selling homes with major

structural flaws to immigrant

families.

ACORN members won

increased police account-

ability in neighborhoods in

Contra Costa County,

Calif., Portland, Ore.,

Jacksonville, Fla., and San

Antonio, Texas.

In Lima, Peru, ACORN

members stopped a major

phone company from con-

structing a cell phone antenna

in the low-income Pando

neighborhood.


38/40


RESEARCH AND REPORTS

In 2006, ACORN produced several national studies and reports,

in many cases co-authored with the American Institute for Social

Justice and other research partners, which examined specific issues

affecting low and moderate income communities.

Missing Millions: Expanding Access to the Earned

Income Tax Credit for Working Families January

2006

The Florida Minimum Wage After One Year May

2006

Regulation of Payday Lending in Canada June 2006

Sherwin Williams: Covering Our Communities with

Toxics June 2006

Rebuild After Hurricane Katrina: ACORN Planning

Principles July 2006

The Impending Rate Shock: A Study of Home

Mortgages in 130 American Cities August 2006

New Orleans: Recover, Rebuild, Organize August2006

Rebuild New Orleans, Rebuild America:

Commemorating Hurricane Katrina August 2006

The Monetary Impact of ACORN Campaigns: A Ten Year

Retrospective, 1995-2004 November 2006

A Peoples Plan for Overcoming the Hurricane Katrina

Blues: A Cooperative Approach to Promoting a MoreVibrant, Sustainable and Equitable 9th Ward January

2007

Because of their sizeand market share,

Sherwin-Williams hasthe largest obligationof any paintmanufacturer to takethe lead in beingenvironmentallyconscientious. Webelieve that we willshow that Sherwin-Williams has not acted

in good faith toprotect the health ofthe American publicand to protect ourenvironment in anumber of areas.

-- Sherwin Williams:Covering Our Communities

with Toxics

Using a range ofissue-specicmethodologies, aconservative estimateputs the total monetaryvalue of ACORNvictories for the lastdecade at $15 billion,or an average of $1.5billion per year since

1995.

-- The Monetary Impact ofACORN Campaigns: A Ten

Year Retrospective


39/40

(New cities are in bold)

Birmingham, AL

Little Rock, AR

Pine Bluff, AR

Buenos Aires,Argentina

Glendale, AZ

Mesa, AZ

Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Vancouver, BC

Bakersfield, CA

Chula Vista, CA

Concord, CA

Contra Costa Co., CA

Daly City, CA

Fresno, CA

Garden Grove, CA

Long Beach, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Oakland, CA

Richmond, CA

Sacramento, CA

San Bernardino, CA

San Diego, CA

San Francisco, CA

San Jose, CA

San Mateo County, CA

Santa Ana, CA

Colorado Springs, CO

Denver, CO

Bridgeport, CT

Hartford, CT

Washington, DC

Wilmington, DE

Belle Glade, FL

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Hallandale Beach, FL

Hialeah, FL

Jacksonville, FL

Miami, FL

North Dade, FL

North Miami Beach, FL

Orlando, FL

Palm Beach Co., FL

Pompano Beach, FL

Riviera Beach, FL

St. Petersburg, FL

Tallahassee, FL

Tampa, FL

Atlanta, GA

Honolulu, HI

Des Moines, IA

Quad Cities, IA

Chicago, IL

Springfield, IL

Indianapolis, IN

Northwest, IN

Kansas City, KS

Topeka, KS

Wichita, KS

Louisville, KY

Baton Rouge, LA

Lake Charles, LA

New Orleans, LA

Boston, MA

Springfield, MA

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Co., MD

Prince Georges Co, MD

Tijuana, Mexico

Detroit, MIFlint, MI

Grand Rapids, MI

Lansing, MI

Saginaw, MI

St. Paul, MN

Minneapolis, MN

Kansas City, MO

St. Louis, MO

Jackson, MS

Charlotte, NC

Raleigh, NC

Omaha, NE

Carteret, NJ

Elizabeth, NJ

Jersey City, NJ

Newark, NJ

Passaic, NJ

Paterson, NJ

Perth Amboy, NJ

Trenton, NJ

Union City, NJ

West New York, NJ

Albuquerque, NM

Las Cruces, NM

Las Vegas, NV

Buffalo, NY

Hempstead, NYNew York City, NY

Akron, OH

Cincinnati, OH

Cleveland, OH

Columbus, OH

Dayton, OH

Toledo, OH

Oklahoma City, OK

Ottawa, ON

Toronto, ON

Portland, OR

Allentown, PA

Erie, PA

Harrisburg, PA

Philadelphia, PA

Pittsburgh, PA

Lima, Peru

Providence, RI

Columbia, SC

Memphis, TN

Nashville, TN

Arlington, TX

Austin, TX

Brownsville, TX

Dallas, TX

El Paso, TX

Ft. Worth, TXHouston, TX

Irving, TX

Pasadena, TX

San Antonio, TX

Waco, TX

Norfolk, VA

Seattle, WA

Madison, WI

ACORN ORGANIZED CITIES


40/40

ACORN 2006 Annual Report

Documents