Evanston and Skokie, two of Chicago‘s largest and most racially diverse northern suburbs, are at a crossroads. The communities that have long been known for their economic diversity are now grappling with a housing affordability crisis that threatens to reshape their character. Rising housing costs, driven by increasing prices, exorbitant construction expenses, and higher developer profit margins, are pushing out low- and moderate-income residents.
In 2026, focus groups conducted for the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan revealed a stark reality: housing affordability and availability across all life stages—from young families to working adults and seniors—has emerged as the most urgent and complex community challenge. As elected leaders, we are compelled to address this issue, not just for practical reasons, but for ethical ones as well.
The Historical Context of Housing Inequity
To understand the current crisis, it’s essential to look back at the historical policies and practices that have shaped these communities. Over the past 150 years, government policies and private real estate practices have contributed to the creation of affluent communities by limiting who could buy homes. These practices disproportionately affected Black families and other demographic groups, creating an unequal trajectory between those who could build generational wealth and those whose opportunities were barred.
Despite these exclusionary practices, Evanston and Skokie managed to maintain a more heterogeneous housing mix compared to other North Shore communities. Post-World War II, these suburbs boomed with industry, public transportation, and multifamily rentals, accommodating a diverse workforce. Today, Skokie’s population is composed mostly of people of color, with nearly 40% born outside the United States. Evanston’s Black population, however, has declined significantly due to high-priced developments, property tax increases, and landlord neglect.
Addressing the Affordability Gap
The greatest obstacle to maintaining diverse, inclusive communities is the growing gap between incomes and housing costs. As elected officials, we must recognize that housing is not a human right in this country; it is a commodity bought, sold, and rented for profit. This reality necessitates government stewardship to protect the vulnerable and counter the vagaries of the economy.
One of the contributing factors to the housing shortage for low-income people is the enmeshment of tax with housing policies. The federal tax code rewards homeownership over rental, with a mortgage interest tax deduction that costs more than what we allocate for rental subsidies. Ironically, the IRS is a major source of funding for affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which has become a huge profit-making industry.
As communities face growing pressure from development, private equity, lending requirements, and rising land values, preserving and expanding publicly accessible spaces becomes even more important. A strong community should balance the need for housing and tax revenue with the equally important need for parks, open land, and welcoming public places that belong to everyone.
Tools and Policies for Affordable Housing
Evanston and Skokie already have many of the right ingredients in place to preserve and expand their share of affordable housing. They have supportive populations, strong market demand at all price points, and existing modest rentals and homes. The Sustainability Plan in Skokie and CARP in Evanston recognize the importance of walkability and access to public transit for an economically diverse and healthy community.
To address the crisis, we need policies and tools that preserve and increase the share of housing that remains affordable. Conservation districts, known in Chicago as Community Preservation Districts, can help discourage speculative investors from buying moderately priced homes and replacing them with expensive ones. We also need to create more affordable rental and owner-occupied housing for low-income households, multigenerational families, older adults, and people with disabilities, ensuring that housing is integrated throughout our communities.
Being ‘built out’ does not mean we are out of opportunities. We can identify those opportunities together, working with residents to find thoughtful ways to welcome and make room for people at every stage of life and across income levels. This means rewriting our respective affordable housing ordinances to require that affordability remain in perpetuity, as is done in neighboring communities like Northbrook and Highland Park.
Municipalities can support local initiatives like Community Land Trusts, nonprofits that own and control land for the common good, removing housing from the speculative market in perpetuity. We can also implement programs such as Property Tax Circuit Breakers to help longtime residents remain in the communities they helped build, even as housing costs and property taxes rise.
It means allowing additions and ADUs on properties so families can live close, support one another, and remain connected across generations. It means making sure landlords are maintaining decent, safe, and sanitary housing for their tenants without huge rent increases. It means allowing for intergenerational or senior housing, co-housing, single-room occupancy housing for artists or hospital workers, or other housing types for those who need it.
It means pursuing innovative approaches to creating lower-cost housing by re-evaluating parking requirements, removing unnecessary layers of building-code requirements, and incentivizing well-built, quality homes without costly, nonessential features. It means encouraging developers to build housing that fosters a connected community, with residents encouraged to use parks, cafes, and facilities open to all.
It means having a dedicated Housing Commission that monitors all this with City/Village staff, viewing housing from the lens of human need and promoting community, not merely as conformity or as fee-generating sources of municipal revenue.
Last year, the Village of Skokie adopted a Land Acknowledgement Statement that recognizes the importance of stewardship of our lands. With intention, we can foster a community that puts care for all as its core value. This is how we protect our diversity.
