The “Second City” has always been a place of change and renewal. Chicago, a city that was devastated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, has proved its resiliency time and time again by continuing to reinvent itself.  Chicago is home to 77 community areas including Bronzeville and La Villita (Little Village), Chinatown and Uptown, […]

Last week Congress passed a $1.5 trillion spending bill that was signed into law by President Biden this week. This comes on the heels of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law last November. While these bills contain funding for very worthwhile programming and resources, these funds often don’t make it to the organizations […]

By Nick Collins Climate-related disasters displaced over 1.7 million Americans in 2020 alone. This figure doesn’t include the increasing displacement caused by secondary effects of climate change—the decrease in affordability, the rising cost of energy, and the loss of land via erosion. Without significant investments to increase the supply of affordable housing, federal efforts to […]

They say the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. But when Mother Nature swept in with an unprecedented snowstorm in the Lone Star state the stars were the only thing you could see as massive power and water outages blanketed the state.

Dear Secretary Pete: Congratulations to you and your leadership team from the many partners involved with the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC). We represent a diverse range of community leaders, transportation advocates, government agencies, community development and public health investors, and climate justice advocates working across the country to create more equitable, healthy, […]

Housing for all We envision a housing system that embraces housing as critical community infrastructure and as a human right essential to health and well-being. We call for a community-centered, environmentally sustainable and healthy housing system where everyone has a safe, accessible and affordable home. -Our Power: Pathways to Community Prosperity Everyone deserves safe, stable, […]

It is impossible to ignore the concurring injustices of our time– undeniably thrust into the nation’s consciousness through the events of 2020 and now. We stand at the intersection of grave racial, economic, health, and environmental injustices. Like any crossroad, there are different pathways forward. We know that there is no single pathway that will […]

“It is hard to argue that housing is not a fundamental human need. Decent, affordable housing should be a basic right for everybody in this country. The reason is simple: without stable shelter, everything else falls apart.” ― Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City In 1964, Burt Bacharach and Hal David penned the […]

With the ravages of COVID-19 illuminating disparities in racial equity, health, and environmental conditions, we must reiterate a fundamental principle from the last three years of SPARCC work:Community-driven development rooted in multi-sector collaboration must be at the core of supporting equitable, healthy, and resilient communities. COVID-19 is affecting low income and families of color disproportionately, […]