Women, and even more so women of color, were disproportionately negatively impacted in the workforce by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to have an equitable recovery, policymakers, workforce development practitioners, and employers need to address the systemic inequities in our labor market.

Tourism is a major driver of Chicago’s economy. To build on the recommendations by the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the formation of the Museum Campus Working Group to further revitalize the City’s recovering tourism by enhancing the Campus’ appeal as a global, year-round destination for tourists, and more culturally relevant and accessible for all residents.

The resources made available via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more equitable Chicago region by addressing challenges— including poverty, community disinvestment, and inequitable access to opportunity—that were exacerbated by the pandemic, and that must be rectified to build a better region.

In January 2021, the Illinois legislature passed the Pretrial Fairness Act (“PFA”). This historic legislation restores the presumption of innocence and makes Illinois safer by ending money bond and the unconstitutional practice of jailing people pretrial simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom.

Nearly three-quarters of the people in Cook County Jail are held accused, but not convicted, of non-violent crimes. Many defendants could be safely released before trial, but cannot afford their bond. The human cost is high: while detainees await trial, their lives are interrupted, often affecting their housing, employment, education, family, and relationships.

Much like the benefits of intergovernmental alignment and coordination, philanthropic foundations aiming to reduce gun violence can be more effective when they harness the collective impact by aligning strategy, funding, initiatives, and outcomes.

Firearm violence is a multifaceted challenge that requires a public health approach to stop the cycles of violence in disproportionately impacted communities. The Reimagine Public Safety Act, which was passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021, resulted in the creation of the State of Illinois’ Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP).

The Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), is a first-of-its-kind, multi-agency coordination center to advance a whole of government, community-driven approach to violence prevention and reduction for the City of Chicago. The CSCC brings together City departments and agencies—ranging from the Chicago Police Department to those not traditionally considered part of the safety ecosystem, such as Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Park District, and Chicago Public Schools—alongside community organizations and leaders to advance community safety initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. The CSCC takes a place-based approach, focusing on 15 communities prioritized in the City’s comprehensive violence reduction plan, “Our City, Our Safety,” starting with West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Little Village, and Englewood.

The State of Illinois has declared gun violence a public health crisis. The City of Chicago, Cook County, and State of Illinois pledged a combined $350 million to reimagine their approach to public safety and quell the violence. However, reimagining public safety at the local and state level requires unprecedented collaboration between dozens of entities. Civic Consulting Alliance responded to their request to coordinate across these civic entities and maximize the collective impact of public funding.

In January of 2022, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union reached an agreement to re-open classrooms for in-person learning based on the implementation of additional measures and investments in COVID-19 mitigation efforts across the school district. This included COVID-19 testing of at least 10% of the student population at each school, KN95 masks for every student and staff member, and metrics that guide a school’s decision to convert classrooms or the entire school to remote learning, among others. However, CPS’ ability to manage, launch, and monitor the implementation of these efforts was limited by capacity constraints at the executive and strategic planning levels following the recent CEO leadership transition. CPS and the Mayor’s Office requested that Civic Consulting Alliance provide implementation planning and management support during this critical period for public health and the CEO’s first 90 days.

Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) five-year vision for 2019 – 2024 committed to building upon the district’s academic progress, ensuring continued financial improvements, and strengthening integrity through regular parent and community engagement in all parts of the city.

The first five years of a child’s life are the most important for healthy development, well-being, and lifelong success. Over the last few years, we have worked with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to expand the number of pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) seats, and CPS invested significant funding to build Pre-K classrooms with the goal to achieve Universal Pre-K.