Ward Night Recap: June 2, 2026
Thanks to everyone who attended our June 2 Ward Night. Here’s a brief summary of what we discussed:
CARE PROGRAM EXPANSION. Last month, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the citywide expansion of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program, bringing compassionate, non-police crisis response services to residents experiencing mental health crises throughout the city. The program now serves all of the city's community areas, covers children as young as 6 and adults over 65, and defines socio-emotinal distress as a reason to call. Many neighbors came to Ward Night to talk about the improvements that are still needed to ensure that people can access quality mental health care 24/7.
We discussed Living Room programs which provide a safe, inviting, home-like atmosphere where individuals can calmly process crisis events to break the cycle of psychiatric hospitalization.
We discussed the need to reopen more of the city’s public mental health centers.
We discussed strategies to budget for greater investment in non-police crisis intervention and care. We invite everyone to participate in the mayor’s buddget engagement roundtables which are ongoing.
CONSTRUCTION. Summer is construction season all throughout Chicago and the 48th Ward is no different. Summer is when the weather tend to be slightly more cooperative, allowing for shorter turnaround time on individual construction projects. Read our newsletter for weekly updates. To view a tentative 48th Ward construction timeline and map for the year, click here.
CHI VS. HATE. Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth was proud to co-sponsor Chi Vs. Hate, an ordinance which created a "hate incident" category for non-criminal acts that are motivated by bias against someone's race, color, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, or sexual orientation. Since the ordinance passed in December of 2023, Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth has continued to work with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) and local agencies to spread awareness of this expanded infrastructure for reporting, documenting, and monitoring acts of hate in our city.
Register for the next Ward Night on June 16, 2026 here.
