by Chuck Rosenberg ——- I started volunteering in the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, known as VITA, about seven and a half years ago. That might seem an odd retirement choice for an art historian, but I liked working with numbers and had always done my own taxes, so, when Marty Wolfson suggested that…
By Lula Hall ——- Supporting Tenants Through a Difficult TimeI am a volunteer at Eviction Court in South Bend on Mondays. The other volunteers I work with generously give their time to support individuals facing eviction. I am extremely grateful for their dedication, compassion, and commitment to helping others. Our volunteers serve as navigators and…
by Oletha Jones ——- It has been most unfortunate, but for the last 15 years, it has been necessary to monitor and correct unfounded negative narratives regarding the SBCSC Federal Consent Decree. We usually find they come without data or any credible information to substantiate their validity and amount to nothing more than self-serving propaganda….
by Regina Williams-Preston ——- I am a 25-year veteran teacher in the South Bend Community School Corporation; for many of those years I was a member of the special education support team and my job was to support administrators and teachers in compliance monitoring related to special education law. Believe me, from 1999 to 2024,…
Testimony at the South Bend City Council meeting on June 8, 2026, when the Reparatory Justice Commission presented its report to the Council. Hello, my name is Marty Wolfson. I am the Vice-President of the South Bend Reparations Working Group, referred to earlier by our President, Nimbi Cushing. I strongly support her statement, and of…
Indiana is Now Tied for the Midwest’s Lowest Rate of Affordable and Available Homes for Vulnerable RentersINDIANAPOLIS, IN – Indiana’s rate of affordable and available rental homes for the most vulnerable renter households is now tied for lowest in the Midwest and is below the national average, according to a new report published by Prosperity Indiana and the National Low Income Housing…
NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026 at 6 PM.NEAR NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER1007 PORTAGE AVENUE, SOUTH BEND MEETING FOCUS: South Bend’s Rental Safety Verification Program (RSVP), which monitors the health and safety of rental properties by requiring proof that rental properties are kept in safe and sanitary conditions. The program will begin with a presentation…
by Marty Wolfson —– President Trump promised that there would be “No Tax on Social Security,” “No Tax on Overtime,” and “No Tax on Tips.” However, the reality turns out to be less than what was promised. There is actually nothing in the tax bill passed last summer that eliminates a tax on Social…
From the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition: Legislation has been introduced in the House (HB1431) and Senate (SB285) that would create a new misdemeanor for seeping outside. This legislation also prohibits municipalities from adopting their own policies that would de-prioritize enforcement. This legislation does nothing to address the root causes of homelessness and does nothing to…
by Marty Wolfson On November 12, 2025, the County Council voted to approve bill 60-25. That bill eliminated most of the County’s tax abatement ordinance and replaced it with next to nothing. A large coalition of community organizations and individuals came together in 2009 to pass the tax abatement ordinance. That coalition included, among others:…
Book Study with Mike Mather on"Having Nothing, Possessing Everything" March 1, 7 PM, via zoomFor a flyer about the event, please click Download Book_Study_Mar_21-1.
JOIN US ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, AT 6PM AT THE MAIN BRANCH OF THE ST. JOSEPH COUNTY LIBRARY, COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER, CLASSROOM D. The Housing as a Human Right Action Group is joining the South Bend Tenants Association in supporting changes to Indiana law that provide addition protection for tenants facing unsafe and non-habitable housing…