Each year, nearly 16,000 individuals return to Chicago-area communities from incarceration — facing enormous barriers and a system ill-equipped to support them. Civic Consulting Alliance partnered with the City's re-established Office of Reentry to build the strategic foundation it needed to drive real change. From clarifying the Office's mission and mapping existing services, to facilitating cross-agency collaboration and developing budget proposals, CCA helped the office give returning residents a stronger path forward.

Civic Consulting Alliance is playing a key role in the Cut the Tape initiative to help the City accelerate its approval processes for real estate development projects. We leveraged our expertise to help the Mayor’s Office research best practices from peer cities, gather and synthesize input from stakeholders, and work with 14 City departments to refine the list of high-impact solutions. This collaboration resulted in the Cut the Tape report of 100+ solutions to significantly speed up the development approval process and position Chicago to better support investments by small businesses, entrepreneurs, developers, and corporations. Civic Consulting Alliance is continuing to support the City in the implementation of this ambitious set of recommendations.

The Chicago Public Library (CPL) serves all Chicagoans with free and open places to gather, learn, connect, read, and be transformed. With 81 locations across all 77 community areas, CPL branches provide free resources and act as anchor institutions that can respond to community needs.

Chicago Public Library (CPL) celebrated its 150^th anniversary in 2023 and continues to evolve as a resource for Chicagoans. In recent years, CPL underwent several changes, including a new leadership team, a post-pandemic shift in how people use the library, and key planning efforts, including an equity and capital plan. CPL’s current strategic plan concludes in 2024.