A coalition of more than 175 leaders gathered last month at the Lake County Regional Office of Education in Lake Forest to unveil a comprehensive Call to Action designed to address the county’s shortage of more than 16,000 homes.

The Housing Lake: Call to Action provides a diverse collective of leaders throughout Lake County, which includes municipalities, developers, employers, nonprofits and more, with a roadmap to expand housing options for working families, seniors and young professionals.

Lake County faces a housing crisis. With median home values reaching $326,600 and average rents at $1,710, teachers, health care professionals, first responders and young families are increasingly unable to afford to live where they work. The shortage now exceeds 16,000 homes.

The Call to Action represents seven months of unprecedented collaboration among elected officials from 50+ municipalities, planning staff, developers, major employers, nonprofit housing providers and community advocates. Through a kick-off celebration, five intensive workshops and last week’s summit, participants moved from identifying barriers to establishing a shared vision and goals that address the widening gap between Lake County’s housing supply and demand.

The Housing Summit featured opening remarks from Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. of North Chicago, Mayor Sam Cunningham of Waukegan and Mayor Nancy Rotering of Highland Park, followed by the official unveiling of the Call to Action and coalition member commitments.

Attendees heard how the Call to Action connects to broader regional planning efforts through CMAP’s Century Plan, participated in an expert panel discussion exploring housing challenges and solutions across sectors and celebrated the coalition’s collaborative achievements. The panel, moderated by Kevin Considine of Lake County Partners, featured Brenda O’Connell (Illinois Housing Development Authority), Chalen Daigle (McHenry County Council of Governments), David Bach (Hines), Joel Fontane (City of Highland Park) and Rob Anthony (Community Partners for Affordable Housing).

“The Call to Action proves that when 50+ municipalities, employers and nonprofit partners come together around a common goal, real progress is possible,” said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. “Affordable and attainable housing isn’t optional; it’s essential to the health of our communities and our economy. Today, we have a shared vision and a clear roadmap going forward to help ensure that the teachers, healthcare workers and first responders who serve our communities and the young families building their lives here can afford to call Lake County home.”

The Housing Lake: Call to Action centers on four foundational pillars that emerged from stakeholder engagement: Policy & Regulatory Reform to update zoning codes and streamline approvals; Funding & Financing Tools to create dedicated funding streams and employer partnerships; Partnerships & Development Capacity to build regional coordination; and Communications & Education to address misconceptions while elevating the human stories behind housing needs.

The Housing Summit also served as the kickoff to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s event series for The Century Plan, the next long-range vision for northeastern Illinois, to build consensus and secure commitments to the key issues we must address today and in the decades to come.

The Call to Action is available at housinglakeco.com.

Coalition membership remains open to organizations and key stakeholders committed to expanding housing availability, stability and choice in Lake County.