Announcing our 2026 Policy Agenda! This is our roadmap for advocacy to protect and expand affordable housing, end homelessness, strengthen renter protections, & promote sustainable homeownership across IL. 👉 Read the full agenda: housingactionil.org/blog/2026/01/13/2026-policy-agenda

Join us for Ready to Win More grants? Start from A-Z on Jan 21-22. This interactive session led by an expert with 20+ years of experience will share writing techniques to craft stronger proposals for your housing counseling agency. Register Now: housingactionil.org/events

Our new report shows that demand for home improvement loans has surged between 2021 and 2024 in Cook County and Chicago but that denials outpace originations for most applicants. Access the full report here: woodstockinst.org/research/hom...

34% of our 2024-2025 VISTA cohort were hired at their host sites. We caught up with three of them to hear how their new positions are going. Read more here: housingactionil.org/blog/2025/12...

2025 was Housing Action’s third year working with the City of Cairo to grow their capacity for housing development. This year, we got direct feedback from Cairo residents and strengthened our partnerships in the region. Read our 2025 Cairo initiative update: housingactionil.org/blog/2025/12...

Thanks to Sasha Ann-Simons & WBEZ for hosting our Policy Director Bob Palmer to discuss the rise in GoFundMe campaigns for basic needs. www.wbez.org/in-the-loop-...

In 2025 we reached 200 member organizations, a milestone that represents our collective strength as we enter 2026. We achieved key policy wins and hosted our first in-person training since the pandemic. Read about what we did this year in our 2025 Year in Review: housingactionil.org/2025-year-in...

Each year we continue to secure critical investments & policy changes that help millions of Illinoisans, facilitate trainings for housing professionals, & foster countless collaborations. Thanks to everyone who has supported us! Donate to continue to support our work: housingactionil.org/donations/

Housing Action continues to fight to create an Illinois where everyone has a good, stable place to call home. With your support, we can make a bigger impact and ensure meaningful change: housingactionil.org/donations/

We’ve been leading the movement to end homelessness and expand affordable housing in Illinois for nearly 40 years. In 2025, we continued to fight for an Illinois where everyone has a good, stable place to call home. Read our year in review to learn more: housingactionil.org/2025-year-in...

“At the program’s peak, EHVs helped house almost 70,000 households nationwide.” Via: UC Berkeley Turner Center for Housing Innovation and Housing Solutions Lab at NYU Furman Center ternercenter.berkeley.edu/blog/the-pot... #housing+ #urbanism #urbanism+

From securing new housing resources to strengthening the capacity of local nonprofits, Housing Action Illinois is driving change that lasts. Help us continue this vital work into the new year — give today: housingactionil.org/donations/

Senior Services Plus works across several counties to provide essential resources to seniors and other community members. Learn about their work with their VISTA Sandra Lee-Reams in our newest member spotlight: housingactionil.org/blog/2025/12...

In 2021, Chicago became part of the Connecting Capital and Community Program with the goal of expanding homeownership. The program has assisted residents in purchasing existing homes and facilitated new construction. Learn more in this Chicago Sun Times article: chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...

More harmful delays and uncertainty: HUD just hit pause, indefinitely, on its process for funding permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness. This announcement came just 90 minutes before a court hearing for lawsuits challenging HUD's dramatic restructuring & slashing of program funds.

Calling all housing counselors: Mathematics for New Homeowners on Dec. 11 from 1-4 pm! Register now: housingactionil.org/events

“We are already in a housing and homeless crisis in Chicago. If this policy were to go into effect, it would take us from crisis to catastrophe,” Mark Ishaug of Housing Action member @thresholds.bsky.social tells @chicago.suntimes.com. Read more: chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...

⏰ Only ONE DAY LEFT! Don’t miss your chance to grab some amazing popcorn and support Housing Action Illinois through our Double Good fundraiser. Every order helps us create an Illinois where everyone has a place to call home Shop before it’s gone: popup.doublegood.com/s/xa32v7w0 🍿🏡

Housing Action Illinois is a coalition formed to protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable housing throughout Illinois. We would not be where we are today without our members. This #GivingTuesday, help shape the future of housing in Illinois: housingactionil.org/donations/

Get your tickets for Data As Power: 50 Years of HMDA on December 10th! HMDA data has been essential for combatting lending discrimination. Fair housing leaders will discuss the role of HMDA data in their work and current threats to racial equity and data transparency. hmda50.eventbrite.com

Get your tickets for Data As Power: 50 Years of HMDA: www.eventbrite.com/e/data-as-po... In the event's second panel, fair housing experts unpack the dynamic role HMDA data plays in highlighting community inequities, holding financial institutions accountable, and driving policy change.

Our Double Good fundraiser is live! From now through December 5, you can support Housing Action Illinois by buying delicious popcorn — half of every purchase directly supports our mission to ensure everyone in Illinois has a safe, affordable place to call home. popup.doublegood.com/s/xa32v7w0?f...

Homelessness in the U.S. is far more pervasive than the official figures suggest: roughly four million people are without housing right now. Many are part of the low-wage labor force, powering the very economy that has abandoned them. I spoke with PBS News about this devastating reality (Part 1):

Because of a harmful overhaul to nationwide funding for homeless services, "the City of Rockford’s homeless program must remake itself in 60 days. 'This is like no grant we’ve ever seen, and it’s not good,' warned [Angie] Walker," talking with @wifr.com. www.wifr.com/2025/11/21/f...

Thank you to speakers, sponsors, supporters, and attendees for helping make #HousingMatters2025a success! Click the link below to view and download photos from our conference. flic.kr/s/aHBqjCB7Bd

Mark your calendars! From December 1–5, we’re hosting a Double Good popcorn fundraiser to support Housing Action Illinois! Every purchase helps us advance affordable housing and stronger communities across the state. Stay tuned for details! housingactionil.org/donations/

Roughly 250 people out of the 814 now considered homeless in 4 Central IL counties will be affected by a federal funding cut for permanent housing. "These cuts will in fact lead to future homelessness in our community,” CoC partner Kate Green tells @25newsnow.com. www.25newsnow.com/2025/11/19/p...

“This is such a big pivot, such a big change in priority in policy decisions, that it’s going to be very difficult for our communities to absorb,” Kate Green tells CIProud on HUD funding changes. “And what we’re going to see is a growth in homelessness.” www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-n...

Thank you to @illinoisanswers.bsky.social for bringing a local lens to the HUD proposal to drastically change funding rules for critical homelessness service programming & slash the money available to subsidize long-term housing solutions: illinoisanswers.org/2025/11/18/n...

A dramatic restructuring of funding for homelessness “really completely changes almost two decades of how HUD has worked to support communities to help people end homelessness,” our partner Josh Sabo of Heartland Continuum of Care tells ABC NewsChannel20. newschannel20.com/news/local/i...

Calling all housing counselors: Join us for Bankruptcy: What Housing Counselors Need to Know on Dec. 10 from 1-3 pm! Register now: housingactionil.org/events

It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning. The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.

🧵It’s official-@HUDgov is slashing overall permanent housing funds by roughly 2/3 in its main #homelessness solutions program–the Continuum of Care(CoC). If Congress doesn’t undo this harmful change, over 170K formerly unhoused people will lose housing assistance next year.

Nearly 300 IL organizations are calling on HUD to avoid a harmful gap in homelessness funding. Last night, HUD announced a rushed grant competition & major program changes. Our ask: Renew existing grants. Don’t push people back into homelessness. Read more: housingactionil.org/blog/2025/11...

Affordable housing is critical for healthy communities. Housing Action works every day to create an Illinois where everyone has a place to call home. With your support, we can make an even bigger difference: housingactionil.org/donations

Any day now, we expect HUD to implement harmful changes to their grant-making that will hamstring the 19 networks in IL that provide the foundation for local efforts to end homelessness. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

Calling all housing counselors: Join us for Mortgage Math for Housing Counselors on Nov. 13 from 1-4 pm! Register now: housingactionil.org/events

NFHA’s 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report reveals that discrimination remains both pervasive & persistent, with 32,000+ complaints filed in 2024. But even as discrimination rises, federal support is being withdrawn. The path forward requires collective strength! Read the report here: bit.ly/43MtsA7

Housing Action is a member of the Illinois Coalition for Fair Insurance Rates, and we're disappointed that this legislation just failed to pass. It would have empowered the IL Department of Insurance to reject excessive homeowners insurance rate hikes. Learn more: abc7chicago.com/post/bill-re...

Housing Action continues to fight to create an Illinois where everyone has a good, stable place to call home. With your support, we can make a bigger impact and ensure meaningful change: housingactionil.org/donations/

Last Wednesday, Housing Action Illinois' Executive Director Sharon Legenza joined Capital One for a conversation about housing affordability. Capital One then announced an open call for proposals for a new initiative. Read more at chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...

Calling all housing counselors: Join us for Appraisal Bias & Unethical Property Evaluations this Thursday from 1-4 pm. Register now: housingactionil.org/events

🔗 Connect to major food banks serving communities across the state: www.feedingillinois.org

Food access is a public health issue. Delayed SNAP benefits mean disrupted access to nutrition for the nearly 2 million Illinoisans who rely on them to feed their families and stay healthy.

I'm excited to share that Ruben has been released and reunited with his daughter Ofelia and their family. But the fight is not over. (Continued below)

We mailed a resource guide to more than 4,000 Cook County homeowners who are currently at risk of losing their homes through Illinois’ property tax sale system — considered by experts to be the “most abusive” in the nation. This wouldn't have been possible without your support. Thank you.

Calling all housing counselors: Join us for Supercharging Your Credit Program on 11/5 from 1-3 pm! Reevaluate your counseling program, become familiar with new industry tools, & develop the skills to operate an effective credit counseling program. Register now: housingactionil.org/events

We are very grateful to have had Ann Oliva from @naehomelessness.bsky.social as our conference keynote this year! Her call to speak up and act in the face of major federal challenges is exactly what we needed. Thanks to WGLT for joining us to interview her: www.wglt.org/local-news/2...

Housing Action Illinois would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Bronze Sponsors for our #HousingMatters2025 Conference: Busey, Cinnaire, FHLB, Midland, PNC & Regions. Thank you for supporting our work to expand affordable housing and end homelessness!

Housing Action Illinois would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Silver Sponsors for our #HousingMatters2025 Conference: @associatedbank.bsky.social and Old National Bank. Thank you for supporting our work to expand affordable housing and end homelessness!