Programs, groups, campaigns

Housing

Our housing program organizes the Chicago Tenants Council, of four tenant associations, at Grove Parc, the Burnham, Park Shore East, and Island Terrace.

The program works with tenants in multi-family subsidized housing to preserve and improve their homes, and to build the movement for the human right to housing.

The program organizes the coalition for a Community Benefits Agreement around the Obama Center: ObamaCBA.org. Also, the program organizes with the Chicago Housing Initiative, for city-wide housing measures like reform the the Chicago Housing Authority: ChicagoHousingInitiative.org

News
We’re hiring a housing organizer. Apply or share!
We’re hiring a housing organizer. Apply or share!

The organizer will develop and implement leadership development, base-building, and campaign plans.

Voters said YES to affordable housing & a South Shore CBA!
Voters said YES to affordable housing & a South Shore CBA!

After months of work, 90% of referendum voters in Tuesday’s election called on the City to put affordable housing at 63rd St and Blackstone Ave, and to pass an ordinance for South Shore like Woodlawn got in 2020.

“The apartment is no longer available”: from the UofC reparations rally
“The apartment is no longer available”: from the UofC reparations rally

Our member Ms. Tatum shared about the housing discrimination she faced when she worked at the University.

WE can vote on the clinics & housing we want! Zoom 10/25
WE can vote on the clinics & housing we want! Zoom 10/25

Join our town hall at 6pm on October’s fourth Tuesday. We’ll talk about the referendum on mental-health clinics now on November 8 ballots, and an affordable-housing referendum we want on February 2023 ballots.

20 City lots secured to build affordable housing!
20 City lots secured to build affordable housing!

STATEMENT FROM OUR CBA COALITION: “Luxury housing developers wanted the vacant land on 63rd Street. That there will be at least 157 affordable apartments on 63rd is thanks to everyday people coming together.”

Rally for CBA housing at the mayor’s house! Sat. 6/11
Rally for CBA housing at the mayor’s house! Sat. 6/11

Dear Lightfoot: South Shore needs a CBA ordinance, and Woodlawn needs you to come through on the housing land you guaranteed in your 2020 Woodlawn ordinance!

Exactly what mixed-income housing do we demand?
Exactly what mixed-income housing do we demand?

The ordinance says that, on 52 of the City-owned vacant lots - for 30% of new apartments developed on those lots - developers have to charge rents affordable to WORKING FAMILIES.

Is 8 lots for affordable housing enough? Our response to Lightfoot!
Is 8 lots for affordable housing enough? Our response to Lightfoot!

The 30 or so vacant City lots on 63rd St east of Cottage Grove Ave are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure that working families don’t get pushed out of the neighborhood.

Get your ticket for Real Tenants Cook on June 4
Get your ticket for Real Tenants Cook on June 4

The annual summer kick-off by our Chicago Tenants Council. Back after two years’ COVID and better than ever!

Video: Jay Travis and Ryan LH on allies and UofC organizing
Video: Jay Travis and Ryan LH on allies and UofC organizing

“It's going to require us to really fight for that vision long-term... How we resist together over time [is by] centering people most impacted and treating each other with respect.”

Mental health

Our mental-health program organizes people directly impacted by this issue, as well as clinicians and activists. We want City-run mental-health clinics, public infrastructure to care for people, and a human right to health care.

Our member group is called the Mental Health Movement, and we co-lead the Collaborative for Community Wellness, made of nonprofit clinics and neighborhood groups. With the Collaborative, we campaign to: keep Chicago’s public clinics accessible; get more public clinics; and get the City to respond to mental-health crisis calls with clinicians instead of police (#TreatmentNotTrauma).

News
Let the memory of Carol Sawall Smith be a blessing
Let the memory of Carol Sawall Smith be a blessing

She was a STOP mental-health leader, STOP board member, artist, musician, and much more. She passed away last Friday.

Cops, clinics & mental-health crisis response: get the facts!
Cops, clinics & mental-health crisis response: get the facts!

Individuals with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed In a police encounter

Criminalizing people in crisis: Chicago’s new law
Criminalizing people in crisis: Chicago’s new law

Our coalition is troubled by creation of a new crime: so-called battery against emergency services personnel. Under it, no actual physical contact is required to be charged with a misdemeanor and fined or jailed.

93% of voters want Treatment Not Trauma
93% of voters want Treatment Not Trauma

The referendum of voters in the 6th, 20th, 33rd Wards called for the City to re-open all of its closed mental-health centers — and to do so in support of police-free mental-health emergency response.

6th Ward aldermanic forum on mental health: Feb. 4
6th Ward aldermanic forum on mental health: Feb. 4

We’ll get to ask candidates what they’ll do in light of 6th Ward voting overwhelmingly that the City should re-open mental-health centers and run police-free mental-health emergency response.

WE can vote on the clinics & housing we want! Zoom 10/25
WE can vote on the clinics & housing we want! Zoom 10/25

Join our town hall at 6pm on October’s fourth Tuesday. We’ll talk about the referendum on mental-health clinics now on November 8 ballots, and an affordable-housing referendum we want on February 2023 ballots.

Zoom on re-opening clinics & the City budget: 9/27 6pm
Zoom on re-opening clinics & the City budget: 9/27 6pm

We just put a mental-health referendum on key areas’ ballots! We now have more opportunity than ever to re-open clinics through annual budgeting this fall. Let’s discuss at our town hall.

6th ward: Zoom on Treatment Not Trauma
6th ward: Zoom on Treatment Not Trauma

City Hall is holding a hearing on an ordinance to help fund a robust PUBLIC mental health care system. Join us on Wed. 2/23, especially if you live around Chatham, Englewood, Grand Crossing, or Auburn-Gresham!

Celebrate and de-brief our clinic victory: 11/30 5pm on Zoom
Celebrate and de-brief our clinic victory: 11/30 5pm on Zoom

For the first time since Mayor Emanuel closed most of Chicago's clinics a decade ago, we and our coalitions won an increase in spending on City mental-health clinics.

Mental-health victory: after a decade’s fight, more funding for public clinics!
Mental-health victory: after a decade’s fight, more funding for public clinics!

We and allies won a 72% increase in staffing. Our organizer said, “We will remain in this fight until there is a free public mental health center in every ward of Chicago!” Read our statement.

Youth

Our youth program organizes youth at Woodlawn's public high school, Hyde Park Academy, along with their peers.

The program meets weekly during the school year, as the school's Social-Justice Club. And it meets for five weeks during the summer for training.

Students have in recent years chosen to organize with the campaign for a Community Benefits Agreement around the Obama Center, which will be built across from Hyde Park Academy. And they have chosen to organize a campaign to replace school-based police with restorative justice.

In addition to organizing, the program does restorative justice, for instance, circles.

News
A YOUTH VICTORY: Statement from our #CopsOutCPS coalition for real safety
A YOUTH VICTORY: Statement from our #CopsOutCPS coalition for real safety
Celebrating our youth organizer, Ling Young
Celebrating our youth organizer, Ling Young

She’s been awarded by the Field and MacArthur foundations. Moreover, we’re sad but proud to share that she’s leaving STOP to become chief of staff to City Council’s education committee.

How one youth transformed in STOP - a story to share!
How one youth transformed in STOP - a story to share!

Our new restorative-justice coordinator says: “Thanks to STOP, I’m being the change I want to see in my school.” Help us start our new budget-year strong.

Woodlawn schools loosing $1.3 million? Zoom Tuesday!
Woodlawn schools loosing $1.3 million? Zoom Tuesday!

Register for our town hall 5/24 5-6:15pm with our youth organizers. Mayor Lightfoot wants to slash budgets at schools hit hardest by the pandemic - the South and West sides’.

School election + #CopsOutCPS: town hall 2/22
School election + #CopsOutCPS: town hall 2/22

Get updates from our youth organizers - on the fight for a police-free Hyde Park Academy, and on the upcoming Local School Council election!

We’re hiring a restorative-justice coordinator. Apply or share!
We’re hiring a restorative-justice coordinator. Apply or share!

The Coordinator will train and build the capacity of students, parents, teachers, staff, and community to engage in RJ practices. The coordinator will also support youth organizing.

Contribute to removing ALL of the School Resource Officers!
Contribute to removing ALL of the School Resource Officers!

Last week, we removed one police officer from Hyde Park Academy. Now your resources are essential to seeing this through.

We’ve won removal of a School Resource Officer at Hyde Park!
We’ve won removal of a School Resource Officer at Hyde Park!

Last year, our school—and nearly all majority-Black schools—voted unanimously to keep police in schools. They said it was impossible for a school like ours to remove police… Well, Black students made the impossible possible.

Re-imagining school safety: town hall Tuesday, April 27, 5pm
Re-imagining school safety: town hall Tuesday, April 27, 5pm

This June, Hyde Park Academy’s Local School Council will vote on whether they want to keep police in the school, or put in place an alternative safety plan.

1/26 5-6pm: Town hall on re-opening schools
1/26 5-6pm: Town hall on re-opening schools

Through conversation with leaders in our neighborhood and its Hyde Park Academy, let's support and learn from the fight for safety -- this time safety from COVID and Chicago/CPS officials!