.Mjk4Mg.Mjk4Mg

September 29, 1967 NATIONAL COORDINATORS WEEKLY REPORT LOCAL COALITIONS Approximately fifty cities where local coalitions exist or are being formed have now been identified. Representatives of the leadership in these cities will be invited to an all-day planning meeting in Chicago on Tuesday, October 17. Meanwhile, staff is responding to requests fo_r assistance in setting up coalitions from these and other cities and is preparing guidelines with suggestions for local action for use by local coalitions. Attorney Charles Taft of Cincinnati has agreed to serve as co-chairman of the local coalitions task force (with Mayor Joseph Barr and Arnold Aronson). PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT Businessmen and business organizations are being contacted to explain Coalition goals and to develop a list of examples where business has taken the leadership in expanding opportunities for the hard-core unemployed. These ca se studies will be collected and considered as the basis for guide lines for local action. An agenda has been developed for a series of pilot meetings in different cities at which ideas for local action will be discussed. These meetings will be held in October and November. PUBLICATIONS Roster of participants in August 24 Emergency Convocation has been prep are d and i.s being mailed to all who attended. Convocation proceedings will be mailed later this month . LEGISLATION Funding for model cities and rent supplements was approved by the Senate -- $637 mil lion for model cities and $40 million for rent supplements . This is $300 million more than was approved by the House for model cities and $40 mil lion more than was approved by the House which tried to kill the program entirely. The House has not yet reported out a substantive measure on the Poverty Program. The Senate Committee has reported one out which includes the Clark- Javits Emergency Employment Title . This measure is now being debated in the Senate and chances for passage are better than they we r e las t week . �