 | July 2026 Newsletter: Policy Focus | Housing Counselor Dispatch | Housing Action Corps Updates | Members Corner | Learning & Networking | What We're Sharing | Jobs |
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| | STATE ADVOCACY UPDATES The Illinois state legislative session recently ended, and we were pleased to secure progress on several priorities, including reforms to the property tax sale process, eliminating junk rental fees, and defending funding to prevent and end homelessness. Read our full legislative wrap up » FEDERAL ADVOCACY UPDATES We continue working with national partners, local members, and allies to protect federal housing resources, from homeless services to housing counseling programs. This includes pushing back against proposed cuts to housing counseling as well as against new restrictions that would make many counseling services ineligible for reimbursement. Learn more here and read perspectives from Housing Action and our partners around the state: We have also continued collaborating with homeless service providers and national partners to oppose harmful changes in Continuum of Care funding. Learn more in from our June press release, HUD Changes Could Push More than 5,000 Illinoisans Back Into Homelessness, and read the National Alliance to End Homelessness's response to a federal court decision striking down HUD's past efforts to abandon Housing First policies and practices, and a press release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on recently filed litigation regarding HUD's latest funding proposal..
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act is now law! We thank our members of Congress for working together in a bipartisan manner to pass this historic legislation, which will create more housing to meet the needs of renters and homeowners nationwide. Find out more from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders. |
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|  | |  | Last week, Housing Action's Bob Palmer helped organize the IL contingent for Capitol Hill Day visits in D.C. during the National Alliance to End Homelessness's Conference on Ending Homelessness. Pictured: Bob and allies with Rep. Mike Quigley's Chief of Staff, Robyn Russell. |
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| | Housing Counselor Dispatch Building Skills & Expanding Knowledge in Milwaukee This June, we hosted a pair of trainings in Milwaukee that brought together 49 participants from 13 states. Participants joined one of two tracks. Our HECM Certification training, brought in partnership with the NCRC helped participants grow their impact as counselors and prepare for the HECM certification exam. Our Beyond Certification training allowed participants to build on their foundational knowledge through role-playing and case studies. Thank you to everyone who helped make these trainings a success, especially our host and training sponsor, Associated Bank Foundation, and our reception sponsor, FHLBank Chicago! Housing Counseling Career Path This summer, we're hosting a new variation on our training to help would-be HUD-certified housing counselors gear up to pass the exam: Join us on July 21–23 for our Career Path Summer Camp » |
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| | Photos from Milwaukee housing counseling trainings. Right: Associated Bank's LaDonna Reed with Housing Action's Capacity Building Team; Center: Housing Action's Capacity Building Team; Left: NCRC staff and scholarship recipients |
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| Housing Action Corps Updates We are pleased to announce that Leah Martin has joined us as a National Service Program Associate. She has completed three terms of AmeriCorps service through Habitat for Humanity, All Chicago, and Housing Action Illinois as a VISTA Leader. Returning to the team in this new role, Leah will be supporting operations for our Housing Action Corps program. Leah can be contacted at [email protected]. We’re now recruiting for our 2026-2027 cohort! Know someone who wants to make a difference and grow as a leader? Encourage them to apply for our Housing Action Corps positions! We’re recruiting for 45 motivated individuals to serve with local organizations across Illinois—and nationwide through our Housing Counseling Corps. AmeriCorps VISTA members commit to a year of full-time service, building organizational capacity, advancing housing opportunities, and strengthening communities. Priority application deadline: July 15. View open positions » |
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| | | | Learning & Networking Events from us, our members, funders, and organizations to which we belong. Submit your listing » - Career Path Summer Camp, 7/21-7/23: Register
- Hosted by Central Illinois Continuum of Care: CICOC Conference, 7/23: Register
- Supporting Housing Counselors' Well-Being, 8/19: Register
- Hosted by Community Opportunity Alliance: COA National Summit, 8/24-8/26: Register
- Hosted by Housing Narrative Lab: Housing Affordability Research Findings and Solutions, 9/16: Register
- Our annual conference, 2026 Housing Matters, will be held on September 29-30: Register
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| | | | IL CRA Exams: In the third quarter of 2026, the following banks and credit unions will undergo exams: The Bank of Bourbonnais (Bourbonnais), Crossroads Bank (Effingham), The Harvard State Bank (Harvard), First Secure Bank and Trust Company (Palos Hills), and Empeople Credit Union (Moline). No mortgage companies are scheduled for this quarter. Submit a comment to IL regulators here. (resource) FHLBank Chicago's Community First ® Developer Program is open for applications until July 31. Eligible applicants include nonprofit, for-profit, and quasi-governmental organizations that train and support aspiring developers of affordable housing in FHLBank Chicago’s district of Illinois and Wisconsin. Learn more and apply here. (resource) The Cook County Down Payment Assistance Program will provide subsidies of up to $25,000 or 5% of the home's final first loan amount. Learn more here. (resource) NLIHC has released the findings from their 2025 National Renter Survey (report) What federal housing reforms could mean for Evanston, Evanston Now, 6/29/26 (media) Congress passes housing reform package. How would it impact the Chicago area?, WBEZ, 6/25/26 (media) Illinois is one step closer to banning 'junk fees' and hidden charges on renters, The Chicago Tribune, 6/11/26 (media) |
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| | | | We are stronger together. Join our movement to create an Illinois where everyone has a good, stable place to call home. |
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| | Housing Action Illinois
67 E. Madison Street, Suite 1603 | Chicago, Illinois 60603
312-939-6074 | [email protected] |
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