Authored with Breann Gala, MPC Research Assistant
In light of the housing crisis and recession, municipalities have looked beyond conventional tactics to more efficiently and effectively tackle the many challenges facing their communities. One such innovative strategy, interjurisdictional collaboration, is being supported by funders and communities across the Chicago region as a creative way to address issues such as the foreclosure crisis, multifamily housing preservation, and community stabilization. In May 2011, The Chicago Community Trust (the Trust) approved a third year of funding for the Chicago Southland Housing and Community Development Collaborative and the West Cook County Housing Collaborative to maintain a coordinator dedicated to each sub-region’s housing needs. Additionally, the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative – Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Palatine and Rolling Meadows – was awarded its first funding under this same grant from the Trust to hire a housing coordinator.
The grant will give the Northwest Housing Collaborative the opportunity to move forward with addressing the area’s pressing issues. The Collaborative has just issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the housing coordinator position, and submissions must be received by July 29, 2011. In conjunction with this coordinator, the Collaborative will focus initially on multifamily housing preservation and condominium foreclosures and will engage financial institutions in designing sub-regional foreclosure strategies. The Collaborative was also selected for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) Local Technical Assistance program, through which it will receive the Homes for a Changing Region future housing supply and demand analysis. This initiative will also be supported by the new coordinator. In coordination with this CMAP assistance, the Northwest Collaborative will identify short and long term housing needs and opportunities and create strategies that complement and advance the municipalities’ current planning efforts.
The Trust’s grant is a tremendous resource for these northwest suburban communities. Between now and September 1st, the Northwest Collaborative will finalize its Intergovernmental Agreement and hire its housing coordinator. While the area faces critical housing challenges, the interjurisdictional model is a great platform to launch new strategies and activities. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and Metropolitan Planning Council will continue to offer technical assistance to the Northwest Collaborative as they dive into their joint efforts..
View the Northwest Suburban Housing Collaborative’s RFP for the coordinator position.