Advocacy Spotlight: Mark Karlin

Mark Karlin is an advocate, partnering not just with Joining Forces, but also with Open Communities and other nonprofit organizations. Aside from advocating to improve housing affordability, Mark has also advocated for gun control, anti-violence, Medicaid, and disability rights. Social justice, persuasive messaging, and mobilizing other people are Mark’s main interests and are key motivations for his involvement with Joining Forces’ committees and advocacy in general.  ​

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Mark is originally from Lincolnwood but is now living in south Evanston with his wife. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English at Yale and his master’s degree at the University of Illinois. Mark’s professional background starts with being an executive vice president at an inner-city hospital and continued with being a voluntary chairman for The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, founding a consulting firm that worked with organizations to reduce violence, publishing a website that posted interviews and commentaries with different progressive political figures, and writing as a journalist for social justice publications. After Mark’s lifetime of employment for various causes, he has continued this work by volunteering during his retirement, most notably with advancing affordable housing measures. 

Mark loves doing multiple types of advocacy work. He is fascinated by the different work that needs to be done for different causes and by how legislation can address issues and benefit the public good. To gauge the importance of an issue, decision-makers are usually interested in the amount of support an issue has, so Mark claims that effective, fine-tuned communication, grassroots support, and positive publicity for elected-officials are key to getting official support and advancing a cause. Mark combines his interest in lobbying and campaign planning with persuasive writing and messaging to influence people’s perspectives about issues. Since affordable housing issues are ever evolving and require support from community members and stakeholders, who may have opposing views, Mark believes that adapting to persuade various audiences will always be an important advocacy skill.  

What drew Mark to Connections and Joining Forces was the “We Are All Inn” communications campaign for the Margarita Inn. He said that the yard signs, shirts, and overall marketing made support for the Margarita Inn very visible and comprehensive. This influenced Mark to volunteer at the drop-in center for Hilda’s Place, which exposed him to the reality of people’s experience with being unhoused. Volunteering helped Mark understand homelessness as a social justice issue, because housing is a basic human right. Mark’s experience also made him aware of Joining Forces and opportunities to advocate for this social justice issue, and he was impressed with the knowledge, planning, and collaborative work of Joining Forces. 

Mark sees affordable housing advocacy as an opportunity to change how housing is dealt with to benefit those with housing insecurity. He lobbied with us in Springfield in 2024, written about affordable housing in letters to the editor for the Evanston Roundtable, worked with Open Communities to support the Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance improvements, wrote a one-pager about Just Cause, attended hearings, and regularly gives public comment. He has emailed council members and even discusses affordable housing issues with decision-makers when he sees them at public events. Mark is an active member on many Joining Forces advocacy committees and believes that achieving success requires tenacity and perseverance. He is a great example for people who would like to get involved and become effective advocates