Evanston Awarded $250,000 Grant To Improve Affordable Housing

From the City of Evanston: Partners for Places, a project of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, today announced $250,000 in grant funding to support a City-led project to remove barriers to climate-resilient affordable housing in Evanston.

The City of Evanston will partner with the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Elevate Energy on the two-year project supported by the grant, which includes $125,000 in funding from Partners for Places with matching support from The Chicago Community Trust and the Evanston Community Foundation. Reba Place Development Corporation will also support the City's project in an advisory role.

Working with its community partners, the City aims to develop a program to remove barriers, such as financing and restrictive building and zoning codes, to help transition existing affordable housing to climate-resilient, energy-efficient standards. The program will focus on housing available to those with a median household income at or below 120 percent of area median income (AMI), particularly households below 80 percent of AMI.

“Evanston continues to be a leader among local governments nationwide in addressing some of the most pressing issues facing cities today,” said Mayor Stephen Hagerty. “Not only will the City's program remove barriers to affordable, climate-resilient housing in Evanston, it will help other local governments improve and expand affordable housing options in their communities. Thank you to Partners for Places, The Chicago Community Trust, Evanston Community Foundation and our community partners for supporting this important initiative.”

The City will create an advisory committee made up of local residents, developers, contractors and architects with relevant expertise to guide project implementation. As part of the Partners for Places grant program, up to three communities will also be invited to observe the City's project, provide feedback, and learn how to launch similar programs.

The City's project is the first step in a comprehensive effort to transition all Evanston affordable housing units to a climate resilience and net-zero emissions standard. Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), adopted by the City Council in 2018, calls for attaining 100 percent renewable electricity for all Evanston households by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, among other goals.

Evanston joins four other communities in receiving 2019 Partners for Places grant awards. Other recipients include Cleveland, Milwaukee, Newark and San Diego.

Image Courtesy of the City of Evanston