Housing Action Illinois is a statewide coalition formed to protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable housing throughout Illinois.
Policy Advocacy
Education & Organizing
We build awareness and activate change by sharing information and real-life stories with policymakers, nonprofit service providers, and the media.
Capacity Building
We help housing counseling agencies and housing developers build their capacity and expand their resources. Together, our impact is greater.
VISTA Network
2020 Policy Advocacy Agenda
Each year, we work on a broad range of issues aligned with our core mission of creating an Illinois where everyone has a good, affordable place to call home. This agenda outlines priorities for the 2020 Illinois General Assembly session, as well as local and federal level work—measures that we believe will help families and communities across Illinois thrive.
A Place to Call Home
A Place to Call Home, a new story collection published jointly by Housing Action Illinois and the Supportive Housing Providers Association, shares the experiences of Illinoisans who have been homeless in their own words. Their lives and perspectives help shed light on a complex range of overlapping issues, from living with a mental illness or disability to surviving domestic violence and sexual assault.
“I’m dreaming again,” writes Stanley, who joined a workshop in Hillside last year. After reflecting on his tragic family losses and subsequent descent into depression and suicidal ideation, he shares, “That feels so good, to be able to dream.”
Learn more and meet our storytellers »
Countdown to Certification for Housing Counselors
Housing counselors at 27 Illinois agencies have passed the HUD certification exam so far. Is your agency on the list? If you still need to take the test, we can help you prepare. Housing Action’s Wanda Collins will be hosting another session of our online study group in February. Wanda will help teach you vital test information, quiz you on what you’ve learned, and answer your most pressing questions about the exam.
Just Housing Initiative
The Just Housing Amendment is now in effect in Cook County, protecting more than one million residents and their families by giving people with arrest and conviction records a fair chance at finding housing. The measure, a major step toward economic and racial justice for families, ensures that housing providers do not consider arrests, juvenile records, and sealed or expunged records when evaluating an application; protects tenants from being denied based on convictions greater than three years old; and requires providers to conduct an individualized assessment for those with convictions less than three years old.