46th Ward Newsletter

January 9, 2026

Dear Neighbors,

Happy New Year! This newsletter is a little special to my team and I as we reflect on all of the services, resources, and community we helped bring into our ward in 2025. In the midst of so many uncertain and honestly frightening times in our country (step away from the TV), I’m beyond thankful to represent a ward that constantly shows up for every one of us. I’m also extremely thankful to my team who share the vision of serving our community, and I’m thankful that we get to do it with some pretty amazing neighbors and volunteers. Together, we addressed constituent needs, invested in our neighborhoods, improved community safety, supported our unhoused neighbors, and celebrated the people and places that make the 46th Ward home. As we look back on what we’ve accomplished this year, the highlights and numbers below help tell the story of what we were able to achieve together. I’m really excited about 2026! The energy is different. It feels like we’re finally realizing that it takes all of us to keep us healthy, connected, and safe.

A Big Year for Community Events in the 46th Ward

2025 was a truly packed year for community events in the 46th ward. While our office supported and attended hundreds of events hosted by community organizations, schools, faith groups, and local partners, we also directly hosted over 40 events this year—the most we’ve organized since taking office just two years ago.

This year, our four largest and most impactful events were our:

• Back-to-School Bash (:

• Protecting Our Neighbors Forum - (Yes, is still your friend!)

• Harm Reduction Fair, and our

• Senior Sock Hop!

  
  

Each one offered resources, connection, and celebration for neighbors of all ages. We made history with our Back-to-School Bash at newly renovated , which welcomed over 1500 neighbors, our largest event to date! Coming in second was Protecting Our Neighbors Forum, hosted at , which drew more than 300 attendees focused on safety, avenues to support neighbors through rapid response networks, and mutual aid.

I especially want to thank and acknowledge all of the community partners who helped make each of these events possible. From local businesses and community organizations to departments to , we are deeply grateful for the support poured into our ward through partnerships, sponsorships, and simply showing up for our neighbors.

46th ward second annual Back To School Bash in partnership with Clarendon Park, and and a host of city departments, sponsors, donors and volunteers.

46th ward Senior Sock-Hop at the in partnership with & student volunteers from

Connecting Neighbors to Housing & Community Services

In 2025, our office continued to prioritize housing stability and direct support for our unhoused neighbors. We hosted 12 Houseless Neighbor Outreach Picnics—one every month—serving an average of 20–30 attendees per picnic.

These picnics were made possible through strong partnerships alongside , the (DFSS), , , , , , and ensuring neighbors had access to food, resources, and care. At our most recent outreach picnic, we distributed 60 coats collected from our third annual Winter Coat Drive to unhoused neighbors and families in the 46th ward. Over the past three years, we have collected and distributed nearly 1,000 coats, helping ensure neighbors stay warm through Chicago winters.

Through coordination with DFSS, the team housed approximately nine individuals through Direct Coordinated Entry (CE) matches in 2025 and an additional 18 individuals were housed through the January 2025 Accelerated Moving Event (AME). DFSS also completed 135 outreach visits in the 46th ward in 2025, many involving multiple site engagements in a single day. These efforts included several powerful housing success stories. For example, DFSS staff, Lorenzo and Leeshell, successfully housed a neighbor who had been homeless for seven years and lived in a tent near Irving Park and Marine Drive.Earlier this year, the team also supported another longtime neighbor near Irving and Marine who had experienced 14 years of homelessness. After years of declining services, he accepted assistance and is now happily housed—an outcome made possible through sustained engagement by multiple teams and partner agencies.

Harm reduction remained a critical focus in 2025. With support from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), 24/7 accessible Narcan newspaper boxes across the ward at the (ICA), 845 W. Wilson, DFSS, , and . In collaboration with the (CTA), (CCH) at the Wilson Red Line station that dispenses free Naloxone! Over the past four months alone, we’ve distributed more than 1,000 boxes of Narcan, and we have heard from neighbors about four separate incidents where Narcan from these boxes were used to save someone’s life.

We also conducted our annual (CHA) walkthroughs at all scattered-site locations in the ward over the summer. During these visits, we met with neighbors to review needed unit improvements, discussed vacant units with the CHA leadership, and identified next steps for property upgrades. My office recently completed a follow-up walkthrough to ensure these commitments are carried out.  

At the federal level, our office remained responsive to emerging challenges. In response to SNAP changes, we worked closely with local food banks—especially —to share timely information with neighbors and coordinate additional food access resources. During periods of heightened ICE activity, we organized Protecting Our Neighbors, a large community event that brought together nearly 300 neighbors to learn how to support and protect at-risk community members. We also coordinated with local Elected School Boards to strengthen school patrol coverage, shifted volunteers as needed, and launched a rapid-response Signal chat to share real-time, verified information with all 46th ward schools. In addition, we supported the local Migra Watch/Rapid Response network by sharing verified ICE reports via social media and responding to community concerns.

Finally, we celebrated an exciting milestone with the reopening of historic Field House after a two-year renovation. The updated facility now includes a new gym, exercise room, community gathering space, commercial kitchen, dance studio, model railroad room, meeting spaces, and a teen center. Special thanks to the for their tireless advocacy and to Park Supervisor Mike Brown for helping bring this long-awaited beautiful project to completion.

Investing In Public Infrastructure

In 2025, we continued to invest in infrastructure across the 46th ward, improving our sidewalks, streets, alleys, and streetlights. The centerpiece of these investments were our sidewalks.

We took feedback through participatory budgeting menu funds on repairing sidewalks - investing more than one million dollars to improve accessibility across the ward! We received suggestions from neighbors by phone, email, and an and received over 100 submissions, including 75 through our transparent . These improvements included rebuilding sidewalks on Clarendon next to Disney Elementary, as well as extensive sidewalk reconstruction on Montrose, Malden, Sunnyside, Dover, Cuyler, Sheridan, Stratford, Broadway, Wilson, Winthrop, Kenmore, Hutchinson, Pine Grove, Irving Park, and other streets across the 46th ward. These new, smooth sidewalks will serve all neighbors for decades to come and help ensure our sidewalks are safe and accessible for elders, neighbors with mobility challenges, and parents with strollers.

These improvements to our sidewalks were complemented by improvements to our streets. The (CDOT) completed two Arterial Resurfacing (“AR”) projects in the 46th ward. The first was on Halsted south of Waveland, where CDOT repaved the street and poured concrete curb extensions at key intersections to improve pedestrian safety by decreasing crossing distances. The second AR project includes Ashland between School and Clark. Ashland south of Irving Park has now been repaved, with improvements including curb extensions and a new raised crosswalk at Byron and Ashland. We also invested ward menu funds in resurfacing Cornelia between Lake Shore Drive and Broadway, and Agatite between Hazel and Clarendon. Similar improvements are planned next year for Pine Grove, Hutchinson, Buena, and Clarendon (north of Wilson), among others. Detached bump-outs were installed at Byron & Janssen and Byron & Greenview, concrete (attached) curb extensions were built at Wilson & Malden, and new stop signs were installed at Dover & Wilson—each with the purpose of making it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the street.

We didn’t forget about alleys either! This past summer, construction crews rebuilt two alleys in concrete and repaved one additional alley in the 46th ward. While concrete alley construction can be disruptive and take several weeks, the result—alleys that last for decades and drain properly—is often well worth the wait. You can ask neighbors who share the alley bounded by Wilson, Clarendon, Eastwood, and Uplift Community High School, as well as the alley bounded by Leland, Lawrence, Kenmore, and Winthrop, about their improved alleys. Where concrete construction would prove overly disruptive but alleys were still in poor condition, we retained the option to repave them instead, as we did with the alley bounded by Eastwood, Leland, Sheridan, and Arai Park.

We’ve also seen considerable improvements for cyclists in the 46th Ward. Just a few weeks ago, construction crews (finally!) completed protected bike lanes on Clark between Montrose and Winnemac. These bike lanes improve neighborhood connectivity by building on the existing protected lanes on Clark between Montrose and Irving Park and connecting to greenways on Leland and Winnemac. Work also began this year on the Grace Street Greenway, a series of improvements that will make it easier and safer to bike and walk between Ashland and the lakefront along Grace.

Last—but certainly not least—we’ve seen some major transit improvements in the 46th ward. This summer, we welcomed a new, fully accessible Red Line station at Lawrence, making it even easier for neighbors and visitors from across the city to travel to concerts at the or eat dinner at without parking in our neighborhood (Kenmore, Winthrop, Racine neighbors—we hear you!). This wasn’t the only transit improvement this year: we also added a new bus stop for the southbound 36 bus at Broadway and Wilson, providing seniors with a much-needed stop just steps from Wilson Yards.

We’re looking forward to just as many improvements in 2026 as in 2025, and we’re excited to continue working with neighbors to keep our community moving forward.

Building & Protecting Homes For All Neighbors

2025 was a banner year for progressive, proactive planning in the 46th ward. We began - and nearly ended - 2025 focused on the . Collaborating with our neighbors in the 47th and 48th wards, we led a community process to proactively rezone Broadway for the types of buildings and businesses that we want to see along the spine of the 46th ward. The rezoning impacted 450 parcels across the 46th, 47th, and 48th wards, and will enable the development of up to 18,000 new homes over the next several decades along Broadway between Montrose and Devon. This rezoning will generally allow buildings between four and seven stories up to a five-minute walk away from Red Line stations on Broadway.

Crucially - all new development enabled by the rezoning will need to provide affordable units - 20% of all homes in each new building. The rezoning also expands flexibility for small businesses and cuts red tape, ensuring that we can see the sort of mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-accessible housing along Broadway that neighbors need. This rezoning will allow the 46th ward to more easily welcome new neighbors of all income levels and preserve affordability for existing neighbors.

in 2025, we finalized approval of “Free to BE” development for an all-affordable 53-unit building at the corner of Clark and Sunnyside. More recently, we gave support to a proposal at 3611 N. Halsted, an all-electric 11-story, 188-unit development that will include 38 affordable units, geothermal heating and cooling and will seek to retain 100% of stormwater on-site. This development - which would replace a vacant one-story industrial plot of land - pushes sustainability efforts forward for green buildings that provide new homes while keeping our environment clean. We will keep residents in the loop as this advances through the city’s approval processes!

2025 also witnessed the fruit of trees planted over the last few years!  This includes new multifamily buildings either under construction or recently completed at Clark and Leland (4701 N. Clark - 32 units), Dover and Wilson (4553 North Dover - 28 units), Wayne and Irving Park (3951 Wayne - 31 units), 914 W Dakin (12 Units), and 3925 N. Janssen (5 units). Each of these buildings will increase the number of homes available to new neighbors and provide some much needed growth to our tax base.

These fruits aren’t limited to new construction, but include much-needed rehabilitation as well! Just last month, work nearly wrapped up at the (HUPA) project, which funded gut rehabilitation of 103 affordable apartments. This much-needed investment provides dignified and high-quality housing to working families and ensures that we both preserve and improve our affordable housing stock. Our office also preserved 137 affordable homes at risk at The Leland, an all-affordable six-story apartment building at 1207 W. Leland whose affordability was put at risk by Heartland Housing’s bankruptcy.

I supported an awesome legislation legalizing and cut the tape on ADU construction in the 46th ward. This allows all homeowners to add coach houses, granny flats, and attic/basement units to their homes to house friends, families, or any other new 46th ward neighbor. I also supported eliminating parking requirements near transit to make sure that the city doesn’t mandate constructing bedrooms for cars rather than families, while making sure that builders maintain the flexibility to build (often warranted!) parking as needed.

Though we accomplish a lot in 2025, we’re hoping that 2026 will be even bigger - we have some exciting proposals and ideas coming down the pipeline, and we can’t wait to share them with you soon!

Through Partnership, Presence, and Dialogue - We Keep Us Safe

Community safety remains a top priority for me, and in 2025 my approach continued to center collaboration, transparency, and proactive engagement. Throughout the year, my office attended over 40 Beat and CAPS meetings across the ward, ensuring regular communication between residents, police leadership, and city partners. These efforts coincided with meaningful improvements in public safety outcomes across the 46th Ward. Compared to the previous year, overall violent crime victimizations declined, including a 50% decrease in homicide victimizations, a 100% reduction in fatal shooting victimizations, and a 77% decrease in non-fatal shooting victimizations. We also saw significant drops in robberies, aggravated batteries, and vehicular hijackings, reflecting the impact of sustained coordination, prevention efforts, and community-driven engagement.

We continued to host Community Conversations and Roundtables, creating space for neighbors to share feedback, ask questions, and engage directly with public safety stakeholders such as police district leadership, city departments, the , the , and community partners. My office’s ongoing collaboration with also advances community-based violence prevention efforts through the cultivation of authentic relationships built through free events like our Back to School giveaway, Halloween Trick-Or-Treating, Turkey Drive, and Holiday Toy Giveaway. These spaces and events supplemented with vital advocacy services provided by community partners help facilitate lasting solutions in the community.

I supported innovative, data-driven approaches to public safety through my work with the 19th District Council, including the launch of the Parking Alternative Response Team (PART) Pilot. By analyzing 9-1-1 calls for service, the 19th District Council identified that parking violations account for approximately 10% of dispatched 911 calls, or about 100,000 calls citywide each year. Based on this assessment, I supported the pilot program in the 8th and 19th Police Districts, which designates Parking Enforcement Aides from the Department of Finance as the primary responders for parking-related 911 calls. This approach allows police officers to focus on higher-priority calls while improving response efficiency and continuing to build trust within our communities.

Through consistent presence, open dialogue, and cross-agency collaboration, I remain committed to ensuring that community safety efforts in the 46th ward are responsive, thoughtful, and grounded in the voices of our neighbors.

The 46th Ward Office and Sarah's Circle are hosting a community meeting on Thursday, January 22 at 5:30pm at Sarah's on Lakeside (4838 N. Sheridan Road) to share information and gather feedback about a proposed development at 4458 N. Clarendon (Clarendon & Sunnyside) and the future of the entire vacant lot bound by Sunnyside, Clarendon, and Agitate.

is a social service organization that has been serving single, unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness since 1979. They have grown over the years to serve over 700 women annually through four programs: the Daytime Support Center, Interim Housing Program, Rapid Rehousing Program, and Permanent Supportive Housing Program. Sarah’s Circle currently owns and manages 3 properties in Uptown - each containing apartments and program space.

The proposed development - called "Sarah's on Sunnyside" - would be a 54-unit, 7-story new construction permanent supportive housing development. All units, studios of approximately 460 square feet, will be targeted to women at risk of homelessness who earn no more than 30% of AMI (area median income) - currently $25,000 per year. Building amenities will include a community room with kitchenette, a therapeutic garden, sensory room, and 24/7 onsite staffing including security and property management staff. Sarah’s Circle will provide supportive services to all tenants and will manage the property.

This building would only take up the northern third of the lot and would be the first of 3 potential buildings to be built on the site.  The development does not require a zoning change due to the existing zoning entitlements on the site and only requires Lakefront Protection Ordinance (LPO) approval at Plan Commission. Our office does not always host community meetings for LPO approvals as they do not require Aldermanic approval. We are excited to share this beautiful project with our community and hope you can join us to learn more about it!