Affordable housing advocates win big with Evanston’s Comprehensive Plan

“I believe this policy victory can be a model for advocacy going forward.

Engaging lawmakers, forming coalitions and community outreach are essential ingredients for systems change.”

The Advocacy team’s methodical, consistent organizing resulted in a stronger document with mandates that Connections supports, including: 

• Increasing the housing supply across income levels 

• Expanding affordable and diverse housing choices 

• Eliminating red tape for small-scale multi-unit housing in all residential districts that comply with existing zoning laws  

• Supporting larger-scale housing developments in mixed-use and downtown districts 

• Establishing future zoning and land-use reforms that make housing easier to build and more attainable (due to an increase in supply and choice) 

This victory is a proof of concept for what Connections can achieve for the communities we serve when we engage in strategic legislative advocacy. 

Evanston’s City Council approved the landmark Comprehensive Plan earlier this winter. An ambitious roadmap of the values, goals and policies that drive Envision Evanston 2045, the plan is the city’s north star for becoming a more inclusive, welcoming and affordable place to live. Connections’ Advocacy Department played a vital role in securing the plan’s passage and building in language that emphasizes the need for affordable housing at every income level. 

The original version introduced in November 2024 lacked specifics for key housing-first commitments, like the construction of larger-scale, diverse housing—necessary for controlling costs and reducing housing insecurity.  

To address the forces driving the housing crisis, our advocates implemented a systems change strategy for the Comprehensive Plan that identified three key partners: 

1. City Council and city staff

   By regularly meeting with Councilmembers, committee leaders and city staff, the team established themselves as trusted allies and experts on affordable housing. The relationship enabled them to provide recommendations and draft language that strengthened commitments to a housing-first approach. (To see the specific changes, please read the Comp Plan draft released February 2025, page 94, “Policies and Actions,” No. 2; and ⁠The Comp Plan released December 2025, page 130, “Policies and Actions,” No. 2.)  

2. Community education

   Through workshops and other outreach, Advocacy worked to break down complex planning and zoning concepts, empowering residents to engage in direct action, like providing public comments and written testimony and by contacting their elected officials.   

3. Coalition-building

   Shereemer Chevannes, our Associate Director of Advocacy for Cook County, co-created and steers "Coalition for Evanston Housing," which is comprised of local groups committed to advancing affordable housing, as well as concerned residents and Northwestern students. Through coordinated action, the coalition aligned messaging, priorities and strategies to champion  a housing-first Comprehensive Plan.