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Upcoming Joining Forces meetings
Joining Forces Monthly Member Meeting 1st Monday of the Month, 1-3PM Register for Monthly Meeting Here If you would like us to run a Affordable Housing 101 session for your group, please let us know at joiningforces@connect2home.org. Action Alerts
Read What's Being Said About Connections for the Homeless in the Press
Evanston Now and The Evanston RoundTable have recently written about the Equitable Zoning project in these articles:
Sign Up for Equitable Zoning Workshops
To learn how Evanston’s zoning code reflects the needs and values of communities in Evanston, your input is needed. So, click here to sign up for our community input workshops. Weigh In on the Purpose of Zoning Codes Zoning primarily does 4 things in a municipality: 1) divides land into regions or “zones” (see Evanston’s zoning map here); 2) dictates what can and cannot be built in each zone; 3) dictates how big what is built can be in each zone; and 4) dictates the process for getting new development approved. In doing these things, the zoning code reflects many things about a community’s values—or, at least, the values of those making zoning decisions! We are gathering input from community members on what values they think Evanston’s zoning code should reflect.
hot topics and blog posts
Advocacy Spotlight: Keith Banks
For this month, we're featuring the executive director of the Reba Place Development Corporation (RPDC) and Joining Forces member, Keith Banks. Keith is originally from the south side of Chicago, moving around with his single divorced mom and his brother from rental apartments to townhouse co-ops and more. He relocated to Evanston with his wife 28 years ago and continues to reside in this town. Read more here. Why Equitable Zoning?
If a building has many affordable units but doesn’t meet certain parking requirements, which factor is more important – the parking or the affordable units? Who can define what a “family” is and who can decide how many unrelated people can live together? Why do certain neighborhoods have only single-family homes while others only have apartments and townhomes? Answers to the above questions and more are written in Evanston’s zoning code. Read more here. Views About Panhandling from People Who Work with the Homeless -- Written by Sue Loellbach I really don’t like being asked for money. I tend to hang up on phone solicitors and throw away mail asking for donations, and even though I work at Connections for the Homeless, I sometimes cross the street to avoid panhandlers. When I encounter them, while I feel compassion for their need, I also feel irritation, frustration, sometimes fear, and shame. It’s extremely unpleasant. Read more here. WHATS HAPPENING
at joining forces
Looking at the City Code Through an Equity--and Affordability Lens
Joining Forces has identified changes the City of Evanston should make to its City Code to erase all traces of red-lining and increase affordability. We think surrounding municipalities should do revisions as well. Learn more here. in illinois
Information from our state partners: across the nation
Information from our national partners: housing in the news
Evergreen Plans Renovation of Historic Cleveland Building - From Affordable Housing Finance Going Green a Win-Win for Affordable Housing - From Affordable Housing Finance Prioritization in Emergency Rental Assistance Programs; A Framework of Strategies, Policies, and Procedures to Better Serve Priority Populations - From the National Low Income Housing Coalition Build Modular Housing Factories Near Areas with High Housing Costs - From Shelterforce What the US Can Learn from Rental Housing Markets across the Globe - From The Brookings Institute Bills to Increase Affordable Housing Resources Introduced in the House and Senate - From the National Low Income Housing Coalition How Biden Hopes to Fix the Thorniest Problem in Housing - From Politico Amy Klobuchar Has a Plan to Build More Housing - From Vox media Why Are Zoning Laws Defining What Constitutes a Family? - From Bloomberg CityLab Affordable Housing Forever- From The New York Times Study Examines Complexity of Financing LIHTC Developments- From Affordable Housing Finance |
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