$7 Million Affordable Housing Grant For Evanston Is Largest In Nation On Per Capita Basis

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston has become a national leader when it comes to federal funding for affordable housing initiatives with its award of a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing program

That amounts to the highest per capita rate among the 18 recipients of the $100 million program announced Tuesday.

With a population of approximately 78,000, Evanston received the maximum amount awarded under the program, translating to nearly $90 per resident.

The other recipients of the largest available grants — Dane County, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Louisville-Jefferson County metro government; San Francisco and Oakland, California; and the state of Montana — have significantly higher populations.

HUD received over 200 applications from jurisdictions across the United States, with requests exceeding available funding by more than tenfold.

The recognition reinforces the stated commitment of Evanston government officials to tackling systemic housing challenges in the dense and nearly built-out town with limited land availability.

Funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, the grant program supports governments making efforts to take on obstacles to affordable housing, like restrictive zoning, outdated land use policies and inadequate infrastructure.

“This is the momentum we need as the City seeks to put the puzzle pieces of affordable housing together,” Mayor Daniel Biss said in a statement following the announcement of the award.

“Alongside other initiatives like Envision Evanston 2045, this work will ensure that residents can continue to afford to live in our vibrant community," said Biss, who is seeking reelection to a second term in April's municipal elections.

Envision Evanston 2045 is the city’s plan to develop and adopt a new comprehensive plan and zoning code, in part, to address housing and development issues, which have historically limited affordability and accessibility.

The initiative has faced criticism over its timeline, leading the City Council to vote this week to separate the zoning and planning processes into two distinct parts.

Under the revised schedule, the comprehensive plan is set to be adopted in March — before the local elections — with the zoning code pushed back for adoption in September.

This adjustment came after a contentious meeting on Monday, where city officials emphasized the need for a thorough review to ensure public confidence in the project.

Meanwhile, the city’s primary consultant for Envision Evanston, HDR Inc., has faced sharp criticism for failing to meet expectations, the Evanston RoundTable reported.

Officials cited issues with incomplete materials and insufficient data, leading city staff to assume greater responsibility for advancing the project.

The city’s current zoning framework, established in the 1920s, has historically limited housing production and contributed to affordability pressures, according to a summary of its application.

City officials plan to streamline development processes, prioritize density and incentivize the creation of both affordable and market-rate housing under the revised code.

The grant will also support specific initiatives aimed at addressing two primary barriers to affordable housing production and preservation — the high cost and limited availability of land and the need to preserve existing affordable housing stock.

Some proposals include thee expansion of the city’s home rehabilitation program, investments in shared equity models to make sure housing remains affordable in the long term and building affordable house projects on city-owned property.

Evanston officials noted in their grant application that the zoning changes expected under the Envision Evanston program are similar to those put in place in Minneapolis, where zoning changes that began more than 15 years ago have resulted in more housing production, stabilized rents and less homelessness.

The $7 million HUD grant will fund activities through September 2030.