Prepared under contract solely for the Woods Charitable Fund
Author: Revere, Elspeth; Research conducted by Yvonne Jeffries
Summary
The report discussion was a case study of when the Housing Agenda was established in 1979 as a loose coalition of individuals and organizations working together on issues of housing for low-income residents of Chicago. It closed its office doors in 1985 after a decision was made not to replace its second Coordinator. During the intervening years, The Agenda grew from a one-staff member, unfunded working group to a six-staff, funded organization. Its membership more than doubled in size and it worked on a variety of legislative and programmatic issues, achieving some notable successes. The Agenda’s closing was sudden and a surprise to many funders and housing activists. For this reason, there has been little opportunity to reflect on The Agenda’s history and accomplishments, to understand the dynamics involved in closing such an organization, or to assess the impact that its work has had on Chicago. This report, commissioned by Woods Charitable Fund and prepared solely for use by its staff and directors, is an attempt to answer some of these questions. It draws upon interviews with active participants in The Housing Agenda. Its conclusions are those of the Woodstock Institute.
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