2023 Annual Report
Strong Roots, Thriving Communities
Dear Supporter:
Illinois will always be our home and the primary focus of our work. But we know that the fate of our local communities is inextricably linked to that of our neighbors, and change means partnering with allies near and far.
Because of this, in 2023, while continuing to grow our roots in Illinois, Housing Action also expanded some of our programming into new states and regions. While staying anchored in Illinois, we look forward to collaborating even more at regional and national levels as we move forward.
We aim to harness our collective potential as a coalition and build upon our momentum to create an Illinois where everyone has a good, stable home.
Thank you for your continued support and for being part of the Housing Action Illinois community.
Sincerely,
Sharon
Legenza
Executive Director
Darsonya
Switzer
Board Co-Chair
Carl
Wolf
Board Co-Chair
About Us
Our Work & Community
Housing Action Illinois mobilizes 180+ organizations across Illinois’ housing sector to build our field’s capacity to end homelessness, address the shortage of affordable rental housing, and expand sustainable homeownership opportunities for individuals and families with the lowest incomes.
At the heart of our community are the 164,000+ Illinoisans without a safe, stable place to call home, low-income renters facing a shortage of 300,000 available and affordable units, and first-time homeowners of color historically denied the opportunity to build generational wealth.
We bring together members, allies, individuals and families facing housing instability to advance solutions that help all Illinois communities—urban, suburban, and rural—to thrive.
We are the only statewide coalition in Illinois working across the full spectrum of housing needs, from homelessness to homeownership, and we will continue until every Illinoisan has a good, sustainable home.
Our Strategic Pillars
Advocate
We amplify individual organizational voices and exercise our collective voice to secure more resources and equitable housing policies in our communities. Together, our impact is greater.
Educate
We build awareness, activate change, and shift narratives to support our mission, values, and vision. By sharing information and real-life stories with policymakers, nonprofit service providers, and the media, we aim to create a deeper understanding of the importance of affordable housing and its impact on individuals and communities.
Strengthen
We build the capacity of nonprofit organizations in order to ensure that affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs can be effectively delivered to diverse communities. We help housing counseling agencies, nonprofit developers, and homeless service providers build their capacity and expand their resources.
Sustain
We understand that our mission, values, and vision require long-term, sustained work, and we seek to secure the resources and capacity to fulfill our mission.
Our Strategic Lenses
Connection
We build, foster, and provide the platforms for relationships, awareness of others, peer-learning, training, and collective action that advances our mission, vision, and values, and brings more members and stakeholders into our network and the affordable housing movement.
Location
We recognize and seek to be adaptive to the diverse regional contexts and priorities across Illinois.
Equity Focus
We are committed to work that focuses on advancing equitable development and affirmatively furthering racial justice.
Communication
We ensure that key messages and information gets out at the right times and to the right audiences in order to inform and educate, engage members and allies, and promote the impact and accomplishments of the affordable housing and homeless prevention sectors.
Advocate
Securing historic funds to prevent & end homelessness
We advocated successfully for significantly more funding to end homelessness in the fiscal year 2024 state budget, including the creation of a new HOME Illinois line item with $85 million in funding to end homelessness. This and other funding in the budget supports our state plan to reach functional zero homelessness, also called Home Illinois.
Securing more equitable housing policies
We also successfully worked to strengthen the state law on local planning for affordable housing and helped establish a Property Tax Payment Plan Task Force to protect homeowners from displacement.
historic investment in ending homelessness
The shelter funding increase will help reduce the shortage of more than 4,550 emergency shelter beds statewide and reduce the number of individuals and families denied shelter due to full shelters. The increase for the Homeless Prevention Program almost doubles the current funding available. Based on past average grant amounts and households served, this increase in funding will assist more than 5,000 households, more than half of them families with children.
Strengthened State Law on Local Planning for Affordable Housing
We advocated for improvements to the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act, a longstanding state law that requires local governments with the lowest amounts of affordable housing to develop plans to increase their supply of affordable housing. Improvements include requirements that the plans identify zoning restrictions and other local policies that do not affirmatively further fair housing and/or constrain the supply of affordable housing, and a first-time requirement for plans to include timelines for action steps and reporting on implementation.
Established Property Tax Payment Plan Task Force
State legislation that we advocated for created this Task Force to develop recommendations to help homeowners avoid the annual tax sale. The tax sale puts homeowners, especially seniors and those with disabilities, at risk of losing their homes solely for delinquent property taxes that are purchased by investors motivated by profit, without regard for the long-term impact on families and communities. Black and Brown communities are especially negatively impacted, as the current system makes it harder for households to transfer wealth, contributing to the racial wealth and homeownership gaps.
Strengthen
Helping 12,300+ households understand housing options
We specialize in supporting housing counseling agencies in their work to help families and individuals find and keep good homes, repair credit, and budget for the future. We provide agencies with resources and one-on-one guidance to best serve their communities.
In 2023, as a HUD-approved Intermediary, we sub-granted funds to a network of 36 housing counseling agencies. This network helped more than 12,300 households navigate their home options. Of these, 86% were at or below 80% their community’s Area Median Income (AMI) level.
Placing 40 AmeriCorps VISTA members across the nation
Each year, we connect AmeriCorps members—our Housing Action Corps—with community organizations to build capacity and address local challenges with local solutions. Our Housing Action Corps helps organizations in our coalition launch new projects and expand their programs while providing professional development for the next generation of housing justice leaders.
Housing Action Corps members that ended their terms in August 2023 strengthened their organizations and positively impacted their communities through thousands of volunteers managed and dollars raised:
Our Housing Action Counseling Network of affiliates helped thousands of households:
Going nationwide
In 2023, we welcomed our first housing counseling affiliate beyond the Midwest, which is based in Tennessee. We also expanded our Housing Action Corps to six states beyond Illinois to address the nationwide shortage of housing counselors. This initiative leverages our AmeriCorps program with our housing counseling expertise to build the capacity of housing counseling programs and establish a pipeline of HUD-certified housing counselors.
helping agencies meet HUD standards
We assisted three agencies in navigating the process for HUD approval and worked with our Intermediary affiliates to ensure they met program standards and passed annual HUD reviews. Most of the agencies we assist through the HUD review process obtain three-year approvals (as opposed to one-year).
Securing resources
We pass through HUD funds to help organizations run their programs and expand their services. In 2023, we administered more than $1 million in Intermediary funds as well as just under $200,000 in Housing Stability Counseling Program (HSCP) funds. The HSCP funding enabled our network to assist 309 households.
Housing Action Corps Reaches New Heights
The AmeriCorps federal agency awarded Housing Action a three-year grant of just over $3 million to continue our programming, a record amount for our program. In 2023, we recruited the largest cohort of full-year members in our network’s 10+ year history, growing to 40 members by August 2023.
Educate
Educating 840 housing counselors to better serve our communities
A core part of our Capacity Building program is bringing a robust lineup of trainings for nonprofit housing professionals, with a specific focus on educating housing counselors. Our goal is to equip housing counselors with the skills and knowledge they need to better serve their communities. In 2021, Housing Action received our first HUD Training Award to expand our training program and educate housing counselors across the nation. Since then, we have continued to facilitate more trainings and expand our reach, and we have now trained participants from nearly every state in the nation.
Sparking ideas & connections among 350+ housing professionals
Another important way in which we educate key players in the field of housing and homelessness is our annual Housing Matters Conference. In 2023, our conference grew to a record 350 participants, who gathered for two days filled with 16 breakout workshops, an opening keynote address with Marisol Bello of the Housing Narrative Lab, and a closing keynote address with author and educator Dr. Andre Perry of the Brookings Institute.
Source of Income Protections
To educate and spread awareness about Illinois’ new source of income fair housing protections, we collaborated with a cohort of 5 Centers for Independent Living, who support people with disabilities, and their grassroots leaders.
Key Data in the media
We partnered with the National Low Income Housing Coalition to release two annual reports: The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, which found that there were only 34 available and affordable homes per 100 low-income renter households in Illinois, and Out of Reach, which found that renters working full-time must earn $24.59 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment in Illinois.
These reports garnered more than half a dozen media placements, including coverage from WBEZ’s Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons, WGN Radio, WREX TV, and WCBU’s On Deck.
New Partnerships
We took a new step forward with our trainings by partnering with Moraine Valley Community College to present our Housing Counseling Career Path training series. For the first time, we held the course during the evening to increase access for working participants. This training introduces students to a potential career as a nonprofit housing counselor and prepares them to take the national certification exam at the end of the course.
Sustain
Securing resources to fulfill our mission
We understand that our mission, values, and vision require long-term, sustained work, and we seek to secure the resources and capacity to fulfill our mission. We also understand that we need strong partners if we are to achieve our mission, which is why we work to secure pass-through funds for housing agencies and administer the AmeriCorps program for our member organizations.
Securing & distributing funds
We sub-granted 52.5% of our revenue to partner organizations, primarily in our role as a HUD Intermediary, through the Housing Stability Counseling Program, for stipends for our Housing Action Corps members, as well as from other grants we secured.
Growing our individual donor base
Although individual giving is a small portion of our revenue, we especially value the flexibility of unrestricted funds and have worked to diversify our revenue by increasing individual giving to Housing Action. In 2023, our annual Toast to Housing Justice raised a record of nearly $12,000 to support our work.
Keeping Pace with the Times: Updating Salaries & Benefits
We are committed to providing compensation and benefits that enable our staff to support themselves and their families. In 2023, we hired a consultant to survey peer organizations and advise us on providing competitive benefits. We raised our lowest salary and established transparent processes, guidelines, and expectations for staff reviews, performance, and promotion. This is part of why we believe it’s important for funders to increase their support to keep pace with the cost of living, an issue we encourage our member organizations to bring up and encourage our partners to consider as they budget for support.
Sustain
Board & Staff
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Darsonya Switzer · Co-Chair
Dove Inc., Decatur
Carl Wolf · Co-Chair
Respond Now, Chicago Heights
Niccole Clements · Secretary
PNC, Springfield
Kurt Kuyawa · Treasurer
Citizens Bank NA, Chicago
Members
Shalonda Bedenfield-Causey
FHLBank Chicago, Chicago
Paula Bush
North West Housing Partnership, Schaumburg
Bob Campbell
ZION Development Corporation, Rockford
John S. Herring, Sr.
Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living, Springfield
Cornell Lurry
Midland States Bank, Joliet
Horacio Mendez
Woodstock Institute, Chicago
Jackie L. Newman
Springfield Housing Authority, Springfield
Shelly Richardson
The Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois, Springfield
Margaret Wooten
Reach CDC, Chicago
Laura Olvera Yarza
Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Libertyville
Staff
Sharon Legenza, Executive Director
Capacity Building
David Young, Director of Capacity Building
Wanda Collins, Capacity Building Specialist
Bibian Cristino, Capacity Building Specialist
Jennifer Pallas, Capacity Building Specialist
James Miller, Capacity Building Associate
Emily Stahl, Housing Counseling Training AmeriCorps VISTA
Policy Advocacy
Bob Palmer, Policy Director
Foluke Akanni, Housing Policy Organizer
Mare Ralph, Housing Policy Organizer
National Service
Willie Heineke, National Service Program Manager
Petra D. Rodríguez Everson, National Service Program Associate
Marissa Diekhoff, National Service Program Associate
Daniela Sanchez, AmeriCorps VISTA Leader
Communications & Development
Kristin Ginger, Manager of Commmunications & Development
Maria Flores, Development Coordinator
Katie Ellis, Communications & Outreach AmeriCorps VISTA
Members
In 2023, Housing Action Illinois had more than 180 members, including nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and corporations, all committed to protecting and expanding the availability of quality, affordable housing.
2023 Members
In 2023, Housing Action Illinois had more than 180 members, including nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and corporations, all committed to protecting and expanding the availability of quality, affordable housing.
360 Youth Services, Naperville
Access Living, Chicago
All Chicago Making Homelessness History
Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County, Hillside
Apna Ghar, Chicago
Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, Chicago
Architreasures, Chicago
Association for Individual Development, Elgin
Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry
BCMW Community Services, Centralia
Bridge Communities, Glen Ellyn
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago
Busey Bank, Champaign
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet, Downers Grove
C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corporation, Effingham
Center for Changing Lives, Chicago
Center for Disability and Elder Law, Chicago
Central Illinois Land Bank Authority, Danville
Centro Romero, Chicago
Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, Urbana
Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union
Chicago 400 Alliance
Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance
Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness
Chicago Community Loan Fund
Chicago Furniture Bank
Chicago Housing Trust
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.
Chicago Rehab Network
Chinese American Service League, Chicago
Chicago Urban League Development Corporation
Cinnaire, Madison
City of Kankakee Economic & Community Development Agency
City of Rockford
City of Urbana
Communities United, Chicago
Community & Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), Chicago
Community Investment Corporation, Chicago
Community Investment Corporation of Decatur
Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Highland Park
Community Service Council of Northern Will County, Bolingbrook
Connections for the Homeless, Evanston
Consumer Credit Counseling Center of Northern Illinois, Woodstock
Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, Ford Heights
CSH, Chicago
Cumberland Green Cooperative, St. Charles
Cunningham Township, Urbana
Disability Resource Center, Joliet
Dispute Resolution Institute, Carbondale
Dove, Inc., Decatur
DuPage Continuum of Care, Wheaton
DuPage Habitat for Humanity, Wheaton
DuPagePads, Wheaton
Economic Growth Corporation (GROWTH), Rock Island
Edwardsville Community Housing Alliance
Embarras River Basin Agency, Greenup
Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago
Fair Housing Legal Clinic – UIC, Chicago
Far South Community Development Corporation, Chicago
Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
First Mid Bank & Trust, Madison
Full Circle Communities, Inc., Chicago
Garfield Park Community Council, Chicago
Genesis Garden, Macomb
Good News in the Neighborhood, Palatine
Good Samaritan Inn, Decatur
Gorman & Company, Oregon, WI
Grass Roots Organizing Works, Rock Island
Greater Peoria Empowerment
Grundy County Housing Authority, Morris
Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley, Elgin
HANA Center, Chicago
Harris Family Foundation, Chicago
Heartland Housed/Heartland Continuum of Care, Springfield
Heart of Illinois United Way, Peoria
Helping Hands of Springfield
Hesed House, Aurora
H.O.M.E. DuPage, Wheaton
HOPE Fair Housing Center, Wheaton
HOPE of East Central Illinois, Charleston
Housing Authority of Champaign County
Housing Authority of Cook County
Housing Choice Partners, Chicago
Housing Forward, Maywood
H.O.M.E., Chicago
Housing Opportunities for Women, Chicago
Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies, Springfield
IFF, Chicago
Illinois Housing Council, Chicago
Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living, Springfield
Illinois Valley Center for Independent Living, Spring Valley
Illinois Valley Economic Development Corporation, Gillespie
IMPACT Center for Independent Living, Alton
Inland Home Mortgage, Villa Park
The Journey Forward, Chicago
Journeys | The Road Home, Palatine
justine PETERSEN, St. Louis
Kankakee County Housing Authority
Lake County Housing Authority
Latino Policy Forum, Chicago
Law Center for Better Housing, Chicago
Lazarus House, St. Charles
League of Women Voters of Illinois, Chicago
LIFE Center for Independent Living, Bloomington
LINC Inc., Swansea
Little Fannie’s Heavenly Housing, Dolton
LUCHA, Chicago
Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, Round Lake Park
Meraki House of Illinois, Chicago
Mercy Housing Lakefront, Chicago
Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago
Metropolitan Family Services | Legal Aid Society, Chicago
Metropolitan Planning Council, Chicago
Mid Central Community Action, Bloomington
Midland States Bank, Chesterfield
Moline Community Development Corporation
Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, Evanston
N/NW Suburban Task Force on Supportive Housing, Wheeling
The Neighborhood Project, Aurora
Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago
Neighbors for Affordable Housing, Chicago
North Suburban Legal Aid, Highland Park
North West Housing Partnership, Schaumburg
NI ReACH, Rockford
Northside CDC, Chicago
Northwest Center, Chicago
Northwest Compass, Inc., Mount Prospect
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
Oliver Emerson Development, Rockford
Open Communities, Evanston
PADS Lake County, North Chicago
PADS of Elgin
PASO, Melrose Park
People’s Resource Center, Wheaton
Peoria Housing Authority
Peoria Opportunities Foundation
Phoenix Community Development Services, Peoria
Preservation of Affordable Housing, Chicago
Progress Center for Independent Living, Forest Park
Project NOW, Rock Island
Reach CDC, Chicago
Regions Bank, Chicago
The Rebirth of Greater Roseland, Chicago
Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago
Renaissance Social Services, Inc., Chicago
Respond Now, Chicago Heights
Restoration America, Inc., Crystal Lake
The Resurrection Project, Chicago
ReVive Center for Housing and Healing, Chicago
Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity, Loves Park
Rockford Housing Authority
Sarah’s Circle, Chicago
Second Federal / Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Chicago
Share Our Spare, Chicago
South Suburban Housing Center, Homewood
South Suburban PADS, Chicago Heights
Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless, Marion
Southwestern Illinois Development Authority, Collinsville
Spanish Coalition for Housing, Chicago
Spanish Community Center, Joliet
Springfield Housing Authority
Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois, Springfield
Supportive Housing Providers Association (SHPA), Springfield
TASC, Inc., Chicago
Territory, Chicago
Thresholds, Chicago
Thrive Housing NFP, Normal
Together We Cope, Tinley Park
Total Resource Community Development Organization, Chicago
Tri-County Opportunities Council, Rock Falls
Trinity Services, Joliet
Turnstone Development, Chicago
United African Organization, Chicago
Unity Parenting and Counseling, Chicago
Universal Housing Solutions CDC, Chicago
Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
Voice of the People in Uptown, Chicago
Volunteers of America – Illinois, Chicago
Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council, Inc., Steeleville
Will County Center for Community Concerns, Joliet
Will County Habitat for Humanity, Joliet
WJW Architects, Chicago
Woodstock Institute, Chicago
Working Family Solidarity, Chicago
Xiilin Association, Hoffman Estates
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
ZION Development Corporation, Rockford
Sustain
Financials
Total liabilities & Assets: $2,229,533
Current Liabilities: $957,559
Total Net Assets: $1,271,974
Revenue: $3,651,196
Government Grants: $2,737,361
Foundation Grants: $323,076
Corporate Contributions: $185,800
Membership Dues: $59,413
Other: $345,546
EXPENSEs: $3,893,305
Programs: $3,578,583
⇒ Subgrants/Stipends: $2,042,522
Comprised 52.5% of program expenses
Fundraising: $112,071
Management and General: $202,651
Funders
The generous support of our funders makes our work possible. Housing Action Illinois extends our sincerest thanks to all of the sponsors and funders listed below, and to those who wish to remain anonymous, for supporting our work this year.
AmeriCorps
Anonymous Family Foundation
Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen
Associated Bank
The Chicago Community Trust
Chicago Funders Together to End Homelessness, an incubation project of Michael Reese Health Trust
Cinnaire
FHLBank Chicago
Fifth Third Chicagoland Foundation
Freddie Mac
Harris Family Foundation
Huntington Bank Foundation
Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Illinois Department of Human Services
JPMorgan Chase
Midland States Bank
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Housing Resource Center
NeighborWorks America
Old National Bank
PNC Foundation
Polk Bros. Foundation
Regions Bank
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Second Federal / Self-Help Federal Credit Union
U.S. Bank Foundation
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
Wintrust
Woods Fund Chicago
Zillow