For decades, the Evanston community has supported safe, decent, and affordable housing for individuals and families. The City Housing Commission was created in the 1970s when city leaders realized that providing homes affordable for our workforce was essential for attracting and retaining employees.

As housing costs continued to rise during the 1990s and this decade, the Housing Commission and non-profit and faith-based community groups expanded their mission to construct new homes and redevelop existing units, to offer workers in Evanston businesses the opportunity to live close to their place of employment, rather than commuting long distances. The City also set a priority for affordable senior housing, so that older Evanston residents could remain in the community they called “home” for decades.