Cook County

Evanston

The Evanston chapter brings together residents, advocates, students, coalitions, and organizations to advance housing affordability and equitable growth.

Strategic Planning & Zoning Reform

Community education and advocacy on Envision Evanston 2045 and Housing4All
Advocate for zoning policies that allow more homes of different types and sizes to meet local housing needs.

Displacement Prevention

Advance policies that prevent instability and help residents remain housed.

Affordable Housing Development

Support new affordable and permanent supportive housing through education, coalition-building, and public engagement.

Elk Grove Village

The Elk Grove Village chapter currently focuses on growing awareness and engagement around housing affordability.

Building relationships with residents and stakeholders new to housing advocacy
Connecting local housing concerns to regional trends in affordability, zoning, and development
Preparing community members to engage in future land-use and development discussions

Arlington Heights

The Arlington Heights Chapter of Joining Forces for Affordable Housing works with the Northwest Alliance for Housing Affordability. Our goal is to demonstrate that affordable housing is an essential cornerstone for building stronger, safer and more vibrant communities.

The Arlington Heights chapter focuses on embedding affordable housing into local planning and policy priorities.

Advancing affordable housing as the #2 priority for 2026–2027 Village Business Plan.
Building partnerships that link housing to workforce stability and community health
Supporting the advocacy for development of affordable and permanent supportive housing, including Grace Terrace.

Emerging Chapters

JFAH is actively supporting new chapters forming in Schaumburg and Skokie, where residents are beginning to organize around local housing needs and policy opportunities.

We are actively looking to expand into new municipalities in Northwest Cook. If you are interested in advocating for your community, email [email protected] to learn more about opportunities to grow with us.

Evanston

About Envision Evanston 2045

Envision Evanston 2045 is the City of Evanston’s process for overhauling its approach to the comprehensive plan and zoning code. It will serve as a roadmap to guide how our city grows and changes over the next 20 years. It establishes big-picture priorities for housing, transportation, parks, economic development, sustainability, and more.

This plan matters because it sets the policies of what kind of homes can be built, and how inclusive and affordable our community will be for all residents.

Where We Are Now

Right now, the City Council is deliberating about Envision Evanston’s comprehensive plan. We are currently advocating for inclusion of explicit language to increase housing affordability for all income levels in all parts of the city.

Why We’re Here

This is bigger than Envision Evanston 2045 — it’s a movement for equitable zoning reform and racial justice. Too many people are struggling to find and keep affordable housing in Evanston.

We believe everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live. Together, we can change policies and make it easier to build and keep affordable housing in Evanston.

Our Recommendations on Evanston's Zoning Code

Zoning is repeatedly used as a key tool to influence— and often block— affordable housing developments. Check out our report to see how zoning impacts housing and how we can make our city more equitable.

Equitable Zoning
Project report

Our Recommendations on Evanston's Strategic Housing Plan — Housing4All

We need your help — Fill out the City's feedback form on Housing4All by October 12 to show the city we support housing strategies that will

1. Preserve affordable housing units
2. Create new housing units to address gaps in the supply
3. Protect residents from displacement.

Use our guidebook as you fill out the form to understand the city's proposed policies and programs listed and to see what responses housing advocates recommend.

Check out our high-level analysis of Housing4All's strengths and weaknesses here:

Analysis of
Housing4Alll