Chicago Progressive Caucus Statement on Bring Chicago Home Referendum Results

Please review the following statement from the Chicago Progressive Caucus on the Bring Chicago Home referendum results:

This election, voters had an opportunity to decide whether Chicago should increase the tax on the sale of our city’s most expensive properties to address homelesness — an effort commonly known as “Bring Chicago Home.” The effort to put this question to the voters began six years ago, before Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office, and reflected the time, energy, and experence of a broad coalition of Chicagoans, many of whom had experienced homelessness themselves.

There was strong opposition to Bring Chicago Home from the Real Estate Lobby throughout. Last term, they prevented the City Council from voting on the matter. And this year, after the Council passed legislation that empowered voters to weigh in directly via referendum, the Lobby unsuccessfully sued to City to prevent the votes from being counted. While the Progressive Caucus is disappointed that the referendum did not pass, we are grateful that Chicagoans had the opporunity to make their voices heard and that the votes were counted.

When voters send a message through their vote, we have a responsibility to listen, even if we disagree. Throughout the campaign to pass the referendum we spoke with voters who agreed that homelessness is a serious problem that must be addressed. They agreed with the proposed progressive tax structure, but they had real questions about whether or not they could trust the government to spend the money in the right way. Voters who opposed the refrendum told us their vote represented their current distrust, frustration, and disappointment with City government.

Collectively, City leaders can and must do better to earn and maintain our constituents’ trust. From how City Hall spends pandemic relief funds to the migrant response, Chicagoans deserve a transparent and responsive government that gets things done.

The Bring Chicago Home referendum didn’t pass, but homelessness remains a growing problem for Chicagoans who need the full attention of all our City leaders in the public and private sectors. As a caucus, we are committed to working with our colleagues across City government to help strengthen your confidence in City Hall. And we will continue our efforts to find progressive revenue to help us address our city’s biggest challenges.