Latisha Bolden, exhausted from her eight hour shift at a nearby hospital in early March, came home to devastating news. Her son handed her a notice from their landlord stating […]
Equity & Economic Opportunity
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Chicago’s Quantum Ambitions Come With a Water Question
Editor’s Note: Illinois Answers published a story last year examining the massive public investment aimed at developing the quantum industry in South Chicago. This week, we end a three-part explainer series with […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Chicago’s quantum hub has some of the highest state funding per job. Here’s the breakdown
Editor’s Note: This is the second of three explainers examining key issues in the 128-acre Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, or IQMP. Today, we look at the project’s potential for […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
How Much Public and Private Money Is Powering Chicago’s Quantum Push?
Editor’s Note: We published a story last year examining the massive public investment aimed at developing the quantum industry in South Chicago. This week, we begin a three-part explainer series […]
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
New Federal Rules Could Put Formerly Unhoused People Back Out on The Streets Across Illinois
The Trump administration is dramatically cutting the money available to help pay for housing for people in need, including those with mental illness or disabilities.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
‘Granny Flats’ Poised For Expansion — But Only in Neighborhoods Where Alderpeople Allow Them
The new law will allow more coach house construction and conversions but will likely create confusion and increase costs, advocates say.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Lawsuits Pile Up as Illinois Lags on Reforming Tax Sale Laws
Illinois is the only state that has yet to reform its tax sale laws after the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a process that can cost homeowners their residences.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
Cook County Tried to Rid People of Medical Debt, but, for Many, Help Comes Too Late
Since 2022, Cook County has spent more than $4 million to forgive nearly $500 million worth of medical debt for some 278,000 residents, becoming a pioneer among local governments and garnering waves of positive publicity for their efforts.
But an analysis of Cook County’s debt relief accounts show that many people like Ciaccio saddled with debt should have qualified for free care, a sign that local hospitals are failing to screen for some of the region’s poorest patients even as some use aggressive tactics to collect debt.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
‘Most Drivers Aren’t Making Money:’ App-Based Gig Work Promised Freedom and Flexibility. Workers Feel Exploited and Unsafe.
As the app-based informal economy grows, its many low-wage workers are demanding the same protections and benefits that many other full and part time workers have – to limited success in Chicago.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
‘Granny flats’ are illegal to build in most of Chicago —and political gridlock is keeping it that way.
A three-year pilot program that legalized accessory dwelling units or “granny flats” in some areas of the city opened up more housing options in neighborhoods where cheap apartments have become increasingly rare. But the burst of construction seen so far is a pittance compared to the more than 100,000 affordable units experts say it would take to satisfy demand.
