Public Education & Organizing
Our members make us powerful.
We build awareness and activate change by sharing information and real-life stories with policymakers, nonprofit service providers, and the media. We keep our members and allies informed about the latest developments in housing policy, organize issue-specific working groups, meet with legislators, take the pulse of communities during our outreach caravan, and host an annual Housing Matters Conference where advocates and practitioners share their knowledge and expertise.
Our Priority Issues
Housing Action Illinois works to educate and organize around a broad range of issues aligned with our core mission of creating an Illinois where everyone has a good, affordable place to call home. Our primary issues include:
Louder Together: Multi-Sector Partnerships
To truly change our affordable housing ecosystem for the better, we need to bring together not just housing advocates but also people, organizations, and interest groups from beyond the housing field. This is why Housing Action Illinois has joined the national Opportunity Starts at Home campaign, a project of our allies at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and why we are working with advocates in pediatric health care, refugee resettlement, and the disability rights sector to raise up affordable housing as an issue that matters to all of us.
Annual Conference
During our annual conference, we build the expertise, experience, and capacity to make our communities better.
Caravan
We visit with members, host regional gatherings, and take the pulse of housing issues in rural, suburban, and urban Illinois.
Publications
Housing Action Illinois publishes research and analysis on issues related to affordable housing, as well as educational materials.
Latest News
Just Two Weeks Left
In just two weeks, Illinois will start its second year without a state budget. We're still urging lawmakers to put aside their differences and pass a balanced budget with adequate revenue before then. Meanwhile, it's also vital that Governor Rauner sign Senate Bill...
General Assembly Update: Irresponsibility on State Budget, But Bipartisan Support for Legislation
No State Budget By May 31 Deadline, But Still Time to Pass Responsible Budget by Beginning of Next Fiscal Year Who are the people most hurt by Governor Rauner and the General Assembly not working together to pass a responsible budget for next year by May 31? The ones...
Report: Affordable Rents are Out of Reach for Minimum Wage Workers in Illinois; $225 Million in State Funding that Would Help Awaits Governor’s Signature
Renters must earn $19.98 to afford a two-bedroom apartment in IL, while nearly $225 million in emergency state funding for affordable housing is being held up to due to state budget impasse For Immediate Release: May 25, 2016For more information contact: Kristin...