Sarah Leys, Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Rockford

Her commitment to listening to the needs and opinions of others was born out of her own personal experiences. After initially working at a bank, “I became a mom, and had three kids pretty close together, so I ended up home full time with them. My perspective just changed. I realized what it’s like to be a parent and trying to keep things good for your kids and what the community needs to be for that.” Sarah adds,  “I saw how hard it was for housing to happen for moms. Housing was a big reason I had to make certain decisions, because I just didn’t have a choice.”

This experience pushed Sarah to spend time working for Habitat for Humanity and then Home Start. These experiences showed her that her concerns about housing were shared by many people throughout the community. “Seeing what happened when the families found stability shaped my viewpoint. There was one Habitat owner that had three boys, and in the 15 years she was an owner they all graduated, went to college, one got a Master’s, two got doctorates,” she remembers. “The stability of her being able to be home at night because she only needed one job to pay for that house had really changed what her kids were able to do. That impact has always stuck with me.”

On her transition from nonprofit leadership to government work, Sarah says, “[As a non-profit leader] you’re managing the board and the audience, and if you’re in-between you have to pick your mission, and then you zero in on that. You really go after the funding to do your part.” It’s different from working for the city, she reflects, because “The government makes a lot of the decisions about bringing stakeholders together, or thinking about the foundational funding, some of the underwriting. There’s a lot that’s influenced about the housing discussion that I couldn’t do from a nonprofit lens. I’m working directly with our local decision makers. I have direct relationships with the city council, the mayor, city administrator, the other regional government [initiatives] I’m involved in. I still have all my nonprofit partners, and I try to [collaborate with] as many as I can.” Sarah’s experiences with nonprofits have allowed her to approach her government role with a deeper awareness of how the two entities can work together to solve housing issues.

This perspective will also be valuable to Housing Action’s board. “Given where funding and decisions are going, local governments are becoming more and more important. For years, there’s [been] enough federal money for this and that, but as this administration dries that up and resets whole offices,  the funding picture really changes federally. We have to make sure our local and state are built correctly to hold the foundation for the long term.” 

When asked why she joined Housing Action’s Board of Directors, she replies, “I joined the board because I love the organization, but also because I think having a government representative  will help shape any new [directions Housing Action may have to take].” 

We are excited to work with Sarah in the coming years and look forward to her insights.

RoxAnne first became involved with the county through a part-time position while working at a nonprofit in the area that focused on housing counseling. After the nonprofit closed, RoxAnne and other staff members at the county saw that there was still a need for housing counseling in the area and started offering counseling services directly through the county. 

Until a requirement that all housing counselors pass an exam to become HUD-certified, Jefferson County offered counseling services independently. If the agency hadn’t become certified, “We would not have been able to do the counseling for any of the people that were looking at buying homes in Jefferson County,” RoxAnne explains. “We would have been sending [clients] out to Madison or Milwaukee, which is 45 minutes from us.” In Jefferson County, “We’re more rural. So a lot of my stuff is still face to face. My people use cell phones. They don’t have computers, so trying to look at a loan estimate or closing document on a cell phone just doesn’t quite cut it.“

The HUD certification has also allowed Jefferson County to work with clients throughout more of the homebuying process. “Before our HUD certification, people would come in [once they had accepted an offer], and we would do their counseling…Now, because of HUD certification, they can come in anywhere along the way. So someone could want to buy a house a year from now versus just someone who has accepted an offer and is closing soon. Now we take them all where before, it was just anybody who had an accepted offer.”

RoxAnne is also careful to ensure that her clients will be able to continue to afford their homes after a purchase. “I think the hardest part is telling somebody, ‘You’re not quite ready, you need to save a little more, the budget needs to be tweaked a little bit.’ I don’t want you to be house rich and cash poor.I want you to be able to afford it, and I don’t want to see you in six months back saying I need help with my budget. I can’t make my house payment.” This approach leads to longer term success but relies on more involved counseling from RoxAnne and her colleagues.

Jefferson County’s housing counseling program has recently moved into their department of economic development, which allows for collaboration on tackling housing issues. “Right now it’s kind of tough,” says RoxAnne. “There’s not a lot out here that they can afford or is available. Part of what we’re doing now in economic development is looking at developers to put up homes. We know a lot of the newer homes that are going up are going to be a little out of range for the clientele that I work for, but we’re hoping that the starter homes that those people are selling are the ones that my clients would be able to afford.” These collaborations between housing counselors and other branches of the Department of Economic Development allow for a more comprehensive solution to housing problems in the area.

In addition to the financial challenges faced by her clients, RoxAnne has also sometimes found it challenging to convince people that housing counseling services are worth it. “Some of these programs require code inspection and all these other things, and some people think ‘I don’t want to do that. I’m going to just get the straight loan. I don’t want to apply for the grant because then I have to jump through all these other hoops.” However, RoxAnne and the other employees rely on relationships with lenders and realtors throughout the county to spread the word about their services. “Our real estate agents are asking ‘have you been to the bank yet?’ a lot more. And when they go to the bank, the bank is going to say ‘You qualify for the grants. Go see RoxAnne over at Jefferson County.’” She also mentions that word often spreads between friends.

There are many initiatives to look forward to in Jefferson County. “I’m excited that we’re going to have new employees [working in housing counseling]. We’ve also got homes that Habitat [for Humanity] is putting up. We’ve got four new industries that are coming into Jefferson County.” The growth of these industries coincides with the growth of Jefferson County at Home as a housing counseling provider, allowing for them to help the people of Jefferson County take full advantage of the opportunities provided.

A client browses the CFB furniture warehouse

That spirit of service is echoed by Michael Tracy, a former Housing Action Corps AmeriCorps VISTA member who was hired as the Development and Marketing Coordinator after his service year at CFB. Tracy’s journey—from early service work in the PeaceCorps to serving as a VISTA member to his current role—has been driven by a deep commitment to community. “It’s inspiring to me… to know that whether you’re in and around the city, if you’re a part of Chicagoland, your work matters here,” he says. His work has been instrumental in expanding volunteer outreach, bringing more hands and hearts to a mission that continues to grow.

Tracy emphasized how his VISTA year prepared him to step into a full time role. “It prepared me because I’m doing similar work. I’m working with a lot of the same people in the same space,” he explained. It also helped him learn how to pivot quickly while taking on a wide range of tasks in different areas depending on current needs.”

When asked about his decision to stay on at CFB, Tracy shares an excitement  about the future of CFB. “It’s a young organization. They just celebrated their seventh year in July, and they’ve made massive strides in those seven years. They’ve served thousands of homes and grown tremendously, but I still think there’s untapped potential.”

One of CFB’s new events, the Great Chicago Bed Race, is taking place this Sunday, September 28th, when 10 teams will race twin XL mattresses on wheels down Walnut Street. “It should be a lot of fun,” Tracy says. ”We’re going to do a bunch of heats and we’ll have a winner.” Proceeds from team registrations go towards furnishing homes. The event will be hosted at Midwest Coast Brewing and is free for spectators.

When explaining the unique importance of their organization, both Ullum and Tracy emphasize what’s often overlooked: furniture poverty. “People don’t think about the need for furniture,” Ullum explains. “We think about clothing, housing, and food—but if you have nowhere to sleep or sit or eat, that impacts your daily life, too.” Tracy adds, “Having a home is one thing, but having a furnished home—a place you feel comfortable—is just as important.” For the families served by the Chicago Furniture Bank, furnishing a space isn’t just about comfort; it’s about anchoring themselves in a new chapter of hope. 

Photo provided by CPAH, featuring a mom and daughter who are smiling because they realized their dream of owning a home by purchasing a CPAH Community Land Trust affordable home in Wilmette, IL.

Bobby’s supervisor, Brad Dennison, President of Affordable Housing Corporation (the construction arm of CPAH), brings a similar sense of purpose to the work. From his beginnings in for-profit housing, Brad gravitated toward service-based approaches that prioritize tenant well-being and stability. CPAH has expanded into new construction projects, including plans to develop 40 affordable housing units annually. AmeriCorps VISTAs such as Bobby have played a key role in this growth, contributing to data infrastructure, project management systems, and capacity building efforts that support CPAH’s evolving needs. Brad sees their work as foundational to community health: “Home is your safe place—when people have that, they can focus on the rest of their lives.”

Both Brad and Bobby emphasize a simple but vital truth: many in the community cannot afford safe, decent housing. CPAH helps over 1,000 households a year, and yet the need is growing. Brad notes, “We are very grateful to our Housing Action Corps VISTA. Having Bobby support our efforts is making a big difference, and will enable us to help even more people!”

Nick Dodson, Housing Navigator of Heartland Continuum of Care

Nick’s ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships between direct service providers, landlords, and government agencies have expanded housing opportunities for hundreds of individuals and families in Central Illinois.

Driven by an unwavering belief in community, Nick sees homelessness as one of the greatest humanitarian crises in America. A self-described idealist, he remains hopeful to see creative housing solutions emerge in 2025 and he aims to shift public perceptions on homelessness “I want to help people see that everyone is just a few steps, a few emergencies away from homelessness,” he says. “Our safety nets are more fragile than most realize, and we must create an inclusive environment where all people have access to safe, stable housing.”