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.

Starting in 2020, the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois significantly increased investment in community violence intervention (CVI) services in Chicago – including street outreach – as part of a holistic and community-driven approach to violence reduction. As street outreach teams respond to more incidents, there is a need for clarity on roles and protocols between the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and CVI providers.

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is organized to provide guidance, services, and strategies that make Chicago a healthier and safer city. However, the pandemic and demand for adding City-run mental health clinics have pushed the agency to increase the types of direct services provided to the public

Meaningful employment and career opportunities are foundational to the Johnson Administration’s ambition to invest in and create pathways to wealth for marginalized populations and underserved communities. While the private sector is responsible for most of the employment base, the City of Chicago government plays a multi-faceted role in the workforce space through the resources deployed by its Departments and Sister Agencies, policy activities, and the power of its influence.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson only had six weeks to set his new administration up to effectively govern 2.7 million Chicagoans. With the help of more than 19 partners and approximately 50 members of our staff and our partners’ staff, we provided $2.8 million in pro bono services to support Mayor-elect Johnson as he prepared to take the helm of the City at a time of great challenges and change.

The City of Chicago’s current real estate development approval process, while well-intentioned, can involve a dozen departments and results in a burdensome and costly undertaking. The complex system also favors those with more time and money to navigate the lengthy planning and entitlements process, including the legal work necessary to obtain approvals.

In September 2023, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance creating the Treatment Not Trauma Working Group of internal stakeholders. The ordinance required a report with recommendations for expanding non-police alternate crisis response programs and clinical services while increasing community awareness of both.

Violence in Chicago is a complex issue that is a symptom of underlying challenges of systemic racism, poverty, and social disinvestment. Shootings and homicides recorded in Chicago fell by 13% in 2023 as violence rates returned to pre-pandemic levels, but the number of people killed last year was still among the city’s highest over the past two decades. Communities also continue to suffer harm that extends beyond violence and disparately affects Chicago’s West and South Side neighborhoods.