2. What is Planning for Progress?
Cook County needed to submit two Federally required plans in 2015
A Consolidated Plan
Requirement for receiving federal entitlement funds
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME)
Plan for how to use these funds
A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
Targeted strategy to expand and strengthen local and regional economies.
Economic Development Administration (EDA) requirement to apply for assistance.

3. What is Planning for Progress?
Two separate plans combined into one because of the similarities.
Timeframes
Both cover the period
Content
Economic development
Community Development
Affordable housing
Partnered with CMAP, who assisted with plan development

4. What is Planning for Progress?
Facilitates continued receipt of CDBG, ESG, and HOME funds from HUD for benefit of low- and moderate-income in suburban Cook County
Enables application for new resources including Federal EDA funds for use in the city of Chicago and suburban Cook County
Plan moves beyond simply fulfilling Federal requirements by serving as a strategic framework for:
- Resource development efforts
- Targeted and coordinated investments
- Enhanced leverage
- Alignment of County and regional goals and priorities

5. Planning for Progress Summary
Builds on previous Cook County and CMAP planning documents (GoTo 2040) and analyses
Reinforces the importance of the nine strategies outlined in Partnering for Prosperity
Emphasizes sub-regional and regional coordination/collaboration
Posits economic development as the primary lens for determining goals, priorities, and strategies based upon the following categories in priority order:
- Infrastructure and Public Facilities
- Business and Workforce Development
- Housing Development and Services
- Non-Housing Services
- Planning and Administration

6. The planning process
From public kickoff to adoption, the project took 16 months.

7. Planning for Progress Outreach
Launch Meeting: October 2013
Online Interactive Survey: October January 2014, visitors, 600+ completed surveys
Interactive Sub-Regional Workshops: January - February 2014, 140+ participants
Topical Focus Groups: April – September 2014, 30+ groups, 250+ participants
Draft Plan Open Houses: November 2014, 30+ participants
30-Day Public Comment Period: November December 2014, 60 comments received

9. Participants identified four areas of action,
all through an economic development lens:
Infrastructure
Business development
Workforce development
Affordable housing

10. Planning for Progress Summary
Key findings reflect outreach feedback and are consistent with other relevant plans/research
Cook County suffers from a jobs- housing mismatch
Long-standing racial, ethnic, and economic divides persist and are mirrored by many housing market indicators
Workforce providers need:
Additional resources for short- term training
Social services that address related barriers

11. Key Concept: Targeted Strategies
Strategies targeted to County’s geographic patterns, with different priorities in Areas of Need and Areas of Opportunity as defined in the plan.
Incorporated the Brookings Institution’s work on the suburbanization of poverty

12. Key Concept: Targeted Strategies
Current project pipeline focuses heavily on implementing Partnering for Prosperity’s Framework as noted in:
Chicago Metro Metals Consortium
The Chicago Regional Truck Permitting Plan
Metro Chicago Export Initiative
Plan takes same cluster-based approach to economic development as Partnering for Prosperity. The County’s key industry clusters include:
Fabricated Metals
Food Processing and Packaging
Transportation and Logistics
Health
Plan focuses attention on projects which enhance these industrial sectors
The county is already taking an active leadership role on the top three initiatives. Our entitlement resources will be used to support these themes and cluster areas. By developing more specific
Implementation plans for key economic clusters.

13. Key Concept: What Are We Funding?
Estimated $286 million in funds to be expended by 2019.
The plan provides policies that will govern how those funds are used and where they are spent.
Funding infrastructure that helps address the jobs-housing disconnect.
Example: creating sidewalks in a neighborhood to connect it with a nearby employment area or transit stop, or supporting job creation
Assessing social service portfolio for alignment with plan priorities and updating our funding process.
Example: focusing resources on programs that help prepare individuals for employment or support their employment efforts.
Making key investments to create an environment for economic growth.
Example: supporting the County’s new Industrial Growth Zone initiative.

14. Planning for Progress Seeking Additional Resources
Plan includes a project pipeline as required by the Federal government
Items on the list are eligible for Federal funding from the Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Strategies will enable the County to access additional funding from State agencies and private and philanthropic sources.

15. Planning for Progress Additional Support Needed
Breadth of identified needs re-emphasized that the County will require outside assistance to accomplish some recommendations
Potential areas where outside assistance is needed
Study the small business assistance system to identify gaps where County investments and programs can play a critical role
Develop a comprehensive referral system (e.g. 211/311) in Cook County
Collaborate with and provide technical assistance to limited capacity municipalities to address barriers to development and related investment (e.g. permitting or infrastructure planning)

16. Planning for Progress Since Adoption
Held plan implementation meetings with major employers, workforce development providers, philanthropy and financial institutions – with HUD and EDA involvement
Modified CDBG application process to incorporate plan priorities
Completed assessment of the current CDBG portfolio against the plan’s strategies, with a focus on social services
Area Foundations give extra points in applications for funding
Won a 2016 NACCED Award of Excellence
To be featured in HUD’s Guide to Promising Practices in Consolidated Planning

17. Questions