Much progress has been made leading up to the development of this plan to date.

First Social Equity Working Group. In August of 2020, a Working Group was tasked to provide the City Council a City of Oberlin Social Equity Plan recommendation. The Working Group members were selected by the City Manager. The Working Group started meeting in August 2020, and completed their task in November 2021.

In order to raise a higher awareness of the subjects and strategies related to social equity, the Working Group established thirteen (13) Subject Groups representing Economic Opportunity, Housing, Education in Community, Justice, Transportation, Police Relationships, Education in Schools, Mental Health, Government, Health Care, Food Equity and Empowerment, Environmental Sustainability, and Recreation. Community members participating in the Subject Groups are listed below.

The main focus of the Subject Groups was to research the subjects and provide written responses to four questions: 1) What is the vision of the evaluated area, 2) What deficits have been discovered, 3) What action steps are recommended, 4) What reflections, data, and background have been utilized to affirm the vision, deficits, and actions steps. The Subject Groups met separately to research the individual subjects, and prepared a report. The reports were submitted to the Social Equity Working Group for review. These reports are included as separate information under the "Resources" tab. 

In December of 2021 the City Manager presented to City Council a Social Equity Provisional Plan Outline, which listed Subject Group members and detailed action steps from the Subgroup Report reports.  This provisional report outline is also included under the "Resources" tab. 

Second Social Equity Working Group. After the Subject Groups completed their reports, a second Social Equity Working Group was authorized by council to compile a Provisional Social Equity Plan, and begin working on high priority action steps during 2022-2023, under the direction of the City Manager.  Working Group members began to address affordable housing, workforce development (developing a partnership with LCCC), and other topics. The Working Group assisted the City in the appointment of the social equity coordinator in the summer of 2023, to implement action steps and facilitate development of a final Social Equity Plan. 

Social Equity Assessment. The second Social Equity Working Group worked with the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) in Cleveland to assess the state of social equity in Oberlin.  The CCS conducted an independent process utilizing data analysis, focus groups, a survey, and interviews to understand and make recommendations to the City.  The Social Equity Assessment provided important community input which had not been possible before, due to the Covid-19 epidemic. The findings of this work are posted on the "Resources" tab.

The Oberlin Social Equity Plan. In the summer of 2023, the City hired a Social Equity Coordinator to pursue implementation of the Provisional Plan, and facilitate development of a final Social Equity Plan. In February of 2024, the City seated a Social Equity Plan Steering Committee and engaged a consultant team, KM Date Community Planning and OHM Advisors, to work with the steering committee to complete the plan. The plan is expected to be completed by the fall of 2024. Further information on the Steering Committee and consultants is given below.

The City's Comprehensive Plan, completed and approved by Council in February of 2024, incorporated findings of both the Provisional Plan and the Social Equity Assessment into action steps in each area of the plan.