Impact for Equity's Mallory Verez and @danielkayhertz.bsky.social have an op-ed published in yesterday's @crainschicago.bsky.social about our new study on what Illinois can learn from other states that have implemented property tax sale reform! www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/what...

Impact for Equity is thrilled to announce the appointment of seasoned leader and former U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart as our new Executive Director.

In 2023, the Supreme Court held in Tyler v. Hennepin that governments violate the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause when they foreclose on a property due to tax debt and do not return the value of the property in excess of that debt.

We are living through a storm of uncertainty. Our values are being tested as never before. Through our commitments to pursuing housing and criminal legal system reform, we at Impact for Equity stand firm in our values, a bulwark of social justice against rising chaos and confusion.

The recent decision in Bell v. Pappas in the Northern District Court of Illinois affirms what homeowners, advocates, and even the state have long known: the state's practice of taking homeowners' equity far beyond what they owe in taxes violates the 5th and 8th Amendments to the Constitution.

We stand with our partners in #NoNewPrisonsIL, calling for justice for the incarcerated women in the closing Logan Prison. We call on @govpritzker.illinois.gov and the Illinois Department of Corrections to respond to the plan filed by coalition partners last month. thetriibe.com/2025/12/crim...

Our press conference yesterday with members of the #nonewprisonsil campaign, at which our own April Guevara Espinoza spoke, was covered by @wttw.bsky.social.

Have questions about how sentencing reform can help keep us safe? These FAQs pull directly from our report, Pathways to a Future Beyond Mass Incarceration, breaking down myths and explaining how these reforms strengthen safety and equity. To read more, visit impactforequity.org/report/pathw...

Our latest report about the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act analyzes the Affordable Housing Plans submitted to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (and IHDA’s evaluation of those plans) as part of the current planning cycle. impactforequity.org/report/many-...

Sentencing laws in Illinois haven’t caught up with what we know keeps communities safe. These six reforms show how we can reduce harm, strengthen rehabilitation, and build a system that actually works. #massincarceration #criminaljusticereform #decarcerationweek #decarcerate #decarceration

We are living through a storm of uncertainty. Through our commitments to pursuing housing and criminal legal system reform, we at Impact for equity stand firm in our values, a bulwark of racial, economic, and social justice against rising chaos and confusion.

At Impact for Equity, we are continually evaluating our approach to criminal legal reform. One issue that has risen to the top is mass incarceration. Overcrowded, underfunded prisons continue to be an impediment to finding true justice and to rehabilitation.

Impact for Equity Director of Housing @danielkayhertz.bsky.social and Chicago Community Trust Vice President of Community Impact Marisa Novara co-authored an op-ed in last week's Chicago Tribune comparing a recent law change in New York City to one in Chicago. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/o...

Wrote about the other big outcome of the NYC election and how Chicago moved in the other direction www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/o...

We are thrilled that the #Illinois Assembly passed the #CleanSlate Act today! This vital piece of legislation provides for automatic record sealing for most nonviolent convictions, giving real second chances to those who have served their time. www.wcia.com/news/illinoi...

Yesterday, Sonya Massey's killer Sean Grayson was convicted of second degree murder. www.wbez.org/criminal-jus...

A lot of interesting stuff here from @housingstudies.bsky.social, but here's an [eyes emoji] one: Chicago has gained 176,000 households between 2012 and 2023, growing from almost exactly 1 million to 1.18 million housingstudies.org/blog/rental-...

Impact for Equity stands firmly against ongoing federal intervention in Chicagoland and throughout Illinois.

Impact for Equity supports the #Chicago #HealthyHomes Ordinance, check out this opportunity to share your experience with the Chicago City Council.

We are thrilled to celebrate 40 years of our esteemed partner the Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance (CAFHA), an organization that advances the cause of #fairhousing for residents of #Chicagoland and throughout the state of #Illinois.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision is raising concerns about racial profiling in federal law enforcement as immigration raids ramp up. But locally, advocates said discriminatory policing is nothing new. And some worry the high court’s ruling could potentially impact local policing. to.wttw.com/46MDxOw

Last night, our own Director of Criminal Legal System Loren Jones was featured on a WTTW - Chicago PBS #ChicagoTonight panel discussing racial profiling and the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Noem v. Perdomo. www.youtube.com/live/UzeV5fo...

We are thrilled to partner with @indivisiblechicago.bsky.social, who, along with many other partner organizations, are hosting a rally at Butler Field in Grant Park on Saturday, October 18, 2025. The rally starts at 12:00 P.M. with a march to follow. www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...

Want to learn more about the Chicago Healthy Homes Ordinance? Join the Metropolitan Tenants Organization for a virtual informational session on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 6:00pm CT on Zoom. To register, visit bit.ly/chho-sep23 #healthyhomes #chicago #freewebinar

The Grassroots Alliance for #PoliceAccountability, of which we are a member, is hiring a full-time Campaign Coordinator! www.chicagogapacoalition.com/general-9

Today, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at strongarming states into violating their own laws that ended cash bail.

Impact for Equity staff counsels Martin Cozzola and Suni Kartha analyze the missed opportunities of the 2003 Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act (AHPAA). impactforequity.org/low-income-h...

@blockclubchi.bsky.social's @rachelhinton.bsky.social delves deep into Impact for Equity's new "Building the Future" report on the Chicago Housing Authority. blockclubchicago.org/2025/08/11/a...

2. Today, the CHA has 19,000 fewer homes than it did before the Plan, and a new report we've published at @impactforequity.bsky.social finds that at the current pace of building, the CHA won't be able to redevelop all the vacant land created by public housing demolitions for *another* 30-40 years.

Impact for Equity reports that the current pace of reconstruction for public housing could take another 40 years! This new report provides 9 recommendations for leaders to speed construction and acquisition of affordable housing. Learn more: impactforequity.org/report/build...

Impact for Equity Director of Housing @danielkayhertz.bsky.social recently spoke to @blockclubchi.bsky.social's @arielparrella.bsky.social and @michaeljliptrot.bsky.social about the costs of building affordable housing: blockclubchicago.org/2025/07/28/w...

Impact for Equity's Amy Thompson talks to @wbez.org about Free2Move and our advocacy for bringing pretextual traffic stops to an end. www.wbez.org/data/2025/07...

Yesterday, Impact for Equity’s Joi Imobhio and Amy Thompson testified at the City Council of Chicago’s meeting of the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. Their testimony explained how pretextual traffic stops, far from improving crime outcomes, in fact undermine public safety.

This past weekend, Criminal Legal System Staff Counsel Andrea Dantus joined a group of community leaders at the District Council Quarterly Meeting with members of the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA)! Andrea met with these leaders to focus on community empowerment.

Impact for Equity was proud to host PERSISTENCE THROUGH CHANGE, our 2025 annual event, at the Bridgeport Art Center last night! To view initial photos from the event, please visit flic.kr/s/aHBqjCgZmA

The legal and social justice community lost one of its greatest champions last week with the passing of Alexander Polikoff (1927-2025). impactforequity.org/pressroom/in...

There is only ONE WEEK left until Impact for Equity's annual event, PERSISTENCE THROUGH CHANGE, at the Bridgeport Art Center. Registrations are still open! Reserve your place today at impactforequity.org/persistence-...

Illinois tax sales routinely strip residents of homeownership and home equity over just hundreds or a few thousand dollars of owed property taxes. Impact for Equity is working in partnership with other organizations to change this system at the state level.

It's less than 2 weeks away from our annual event, Persistence Through Change! Tickets directly support our work fighting harmful traffic stops practices and the affordable housing crisis, and advocating to heal the harms of mass incarceration in IL. We'd love to see you there! tinyurl.com/5xtc47fd

As part of the Clean Slate Coalition, Impact for Equity needs you to file your Witness Slip for HR290 as a PROPONENT! HR290 calls on Illinois to acknowledge the harm of permanent punishments and support record-clearing reform. 👉 Witness Slip Link my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/... #CleanSlateIL

Take Action Today and sign a witness slip to support the Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act, which creates significant tenant protections regarding local government use of so-called “crime-free rental housing and nuisance ordinances” (CFNOs)! bit.ly/YESSB2264.

⚠️ More action you can take RIGHT NOW! 💪 From Clean Slate IL we need to adopt policies in IL that remove barriers to employment and reintegration for individuals with criminal records! Please sign a witness slip before Monday HERE! tinyurl.com/583ttvn9 and repost and share

Once again 👏👏👏🥳🥳🥳

But TODAY in Good News, the Green Social Housing ordinance has passed out of committee! As supporters of this necessary tool, we are thrilled at the news from City Council today!

There is a LOT going on in the housing this week! First, we'd love for you to take action alongside the Supportive Housing Providers Association and submit a witness slip to show your support for HB 2545 before 3:30 PM! tinyurl.com/5n6vu6c5

President Trump Releases “Skinny” Budget Request Foreshadowing Historic Cuts to HUD in Full FY26 Request – Take Action! ow.ly/yzp550VMfLV

An incredibly powerful story about Jimmy Soto who will be joining Impact for Equity on Thursday at 12 PM for our conversation and webinar, "Release to Restore: A Roadmap to a Future in Illinois Beyond Mass Incarceration." Please read and join us - it will be recorded! tinyurl.com/2pc3hhs3

Less than a week away! Register for our webinar next Thursday and explore the pathways to justice WE KNOW exist: impactforequity.org/report/pathw...

⚠️⚠️⚠️NEW IFE REPORT JUST DROPPED ⚠️⚠️⚠️ impactforequity.org/report/pathw... We CAN improve prison conditions while becoming a national leader in implementing data-informed solutions to end mass incarceration and build public safety. More info in 🧵:

The Free2Move Coalition will be hosting "Pulled Over For What?!" exploring how racially biased traffic stops are impacting Chicagoans. Amy Thompson and Anthony Bryant will break down the latest 2024 data and discuss how we can drive change at 5 PM tomorrow! www.instagram.com/p/DI1-sGNvrpo/