Clients: Cook County Office of the President
Partner: Mesirow
Project: A landscape assessment to help Cook County map housing and homelessness programs across the County, City, and State as the first step toward a countywide housing strategy.
Outcome: A comprehensive inventory and analysis of housing and homelessness programs across all three levels of government, with recommendations for where the County can have the most impact. Grounded in budget analysis, a review of 21 peer counties, and interviews with more than 30 stakeholders, it gives the County a clear-eyed view of its strengths, and a starting point for aligning with the City and State.
$6.3B
in regional housing and homelessness spending mapped
30+
stakeholders engaged across government and the nonprofit sector
83%
of County housing funds come from the federal government
Opportunity
Given the rising urgency on the demand for affordable and stable housing options, the County wanted to develop its own strategy that defines its role in the region and aligns with efforts from the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. At the same time, disruptions in federal funding, including proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the end of American Rescue Plan Act dollars in 2026, made it urgent for the County to understand where its resources go and where it can make the biggest difference.
Having worked directly with the City of Chicago on its five-year blueprint to address homelessness, and on broader efforts to expand housing access, CCA was asked to help the County lay the groundwork for its own strategy.
Action
Over three months, CCA and pro bono partner Mesirow built a landscape assessment with the Office of the President.
“To build a housing strategy that works, we first needed to understand the full landscape and our place in it. We’re grateful to CCA and Mesirow for giving us that clarity and a set of practical recommendations to guide our next steps internally and with the City and State.”
Inventory: The team compiled and categorized housing and homelessness programs across the County, City, and State, from homelessness prevention to homeownership, analyzing budgets, funding sources, and populations served.
Engage: The team met weekly with the Office of the President and interviewed more than 30 people across County agencies, City and State government, nonprofits, developers, and researchers, and reviewed housing plans from 21 peer counties.
Recommend: The team synthesized the findings into takeaways and recommendations on funding, roles, and the County’s unique levers, packaged in a presentation the County can use to engage City and State partners.
Impact
By focusing on where it is uniquely positioned to act, rather than duplicating City and State efforts, the County can play an even greater role in making housing more affordable and reducing homelessness across the region.
The assessment lays the groundwork for the next phases of the County’s housing strategy, including engagement with City and State partners. Recommendations, such as appointing a clear housing point of contact and streamlining how the County administers funds, position Cook County to be a stronger regional partner.
The County came away with a clear picture of its place in the region: its own dollars make up a small share of regional housing funding, so its greatest impact will come from leveraging unique assets like the Cook County Land Bank Authority, the health and jail systems, and property tax administration, and from expanding its role in prevention, policy, and advocacy.
Photo courtesy of Cook County Office of the President
