This conversation is the first installment of a Daily initiative to speak with students and Evanston residents directly about issues affecting their day-to-day lives. If you would like to participate in a future focus group, reach out to the email below this story or to [email protected].
The Daily gathered three Evanston residents — Michael M., a 30-year-old classical musician; Anu M., a 40-year-old program manager at Northwestern Medicine; and Sue M., a 70-year-old bookkeeper — to discuss the city’s housing shortage, reparations program and public education system.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
The Daily: If you had to pick one word to describe living in Evanston, what would it be?
Michael: Idyllic. Evanston has a beautiful lakefront, and there (are) a lot of public transportation options.
Anu: Great. I moved here when I had a toddler, and having (kids) in a place where they can stretch their legs and play outside is really important. We were lucky to find a house we could afford with a backyard, and the neighborhood turned out to be full of kids their age.
The Daily: Have you struggled to afford basic necessities like gas and groceries in the past year?
Sue: Thanks to social services, no. I’m on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and that money has gone a long way. Evanston also sponsors a lot of services for low-income people, especially low-income seniors, like the Summer Food Program.
Michael: It depends on how you define struggle. More than half of my income has gone towards rent in the past year, and that’s because my wife was in a graduate program. She’s working now, but there was a period of time when she wasn’t, and I was making ends meet for us. That was pretty difficult.
The Daily: Has living in Evanston become unaffordable?
Sue: I’d say generally, yes — especially compared to how it used to be. Housing costs are through the roof, and property taxes just keep rising.
There have also been a lot of buyouts of vintage apartment buildings by major property groups. Developers come in and make changes — like replacing radiator heating with individually billed heating for each unit — which adds to the cost burden. The sky’s the limit for rent increases because Illinois doesn’t allow cities to enact rent control ordinances.
Evanston has kind of become upper-middle class instead of middle class over the years.
Michael: Exactly. When I first moved here, my rent was high but manageable. Then my building got sold, and the rent immediately jumped 15-20%. We were able to make it work, but I know a lot of people in my building who just couldn’t afford to stay.
The Daily: Should the city of Evanston rezone certain neighborhoods to construct more multi-unit housing?
Sue: I have mixed feelings because I think higher-density neighborhoods are a good idea, but rezoning usually attracts more rich people. Most of the housing they build in the high rises is even more unaffordable than the old vintage apartments around Evanston.
There’s also the issue of parking. Many people say that high rises are transit-oriented development, but people don’t necessarily get rid of their cars, and that puts more strain on neighborhood parking.
Anu: Yeah, I’ve definitely been deterred from going to some of Evanston’s small businesses because parking is such a hassle. That said, I’ll be honest — I’m not as informed about housing policy as I should be. I try to keep up with (Envision Evanston 2045), but even though I follow the discussions, I still don’t have a clear sense of what’s actually being proposed and what the direct impacts would be.
The Daily: Overall, does Northwestern have a positive impact on Evanston’s community?
Anu: Overall, I think it’s a positive influence — it really makes the culture here better, and the University helps attract great, diverse students who support local businesses. But I’m not that close to it, so I can understand why people living right around it might feel differently.
Michael: The amount of money and resources that come through Evanston because of the University is a big boost. It’s not just economic — it’s intellectual and cultural, too. For example, I teach private music lessons, and I recently had a retired neurobiology professor as a student. We were just talking about everyday things, and I realized, wow, this person has 40 years of experience in neurobiology. To have access to that kind of knowledge is incredible.
The Daily: Do you approve of the city’s Reparations Committee and its Restorative Housing Program which provides housing assistance and direct cash payments to some of the city’s Black residents?
Sue: Absolutely. Evanston has a really difficult history of discrimination and racism, and even my dad, growing up as a Jew, faced that. There were restrictive covenants against Jewish people in Evanston up until the mid-1960s. Our history is shameful, and it goes all the way back to the founder, John Evans, who was in charge of Colorado during the Sand Creek Massacre.
When it comes to the reparations program, the technicalities have gone through a lot of revisions. Initially, it was too narrow — you had to have ancestors who lived here during a specific time, and the funds could only be used for certain things. But I think they’ve evolved it into something that really serves people in the way it should.
Michael: Yeah, I agree. But when you think about how much value was lost over time, it feels like the amount of assistance people are receiving still doesn’t come close to addressing the disparities. What is it, a $25,000 cap? In some areas, that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
The Daily: Do you think public schools in Evanston provide equal educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds?
Sue: Absolutely not. District 65 is a mess. I don’t have children and never had any in the schools, but from what I’ve seen, no, I don’t think the schools provide equal opportunities.
Anu: I have a toddler who isn’t in pre-school yet but will be soon. We loved the daycare options in Evanston, but the fact that all four incumbent board members chose not to run for reelection proves D65 is dysfunctional.
Scott Hwang contributed reporting.
Email: [email protected]
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