This page is dedicated to providing resources and educational information regarding the vacancy crisis in Chicago and Cook County. We would also like to provide resources to business owners who would like to start a business to aid in their purchase of vacant spaces.
Below is also our NRC Blog, where we provide updates on our advocacy efforts and new developments.
Newsworthy Articles
NRC Blog
Other Resources
- SBAC Empower is a 501(c)(3) established as a community-oriented nonprofit organization with a focus on small businesses in under-funded neighborhoods throughout the Chicagoland area.
Illinois DCEO First Stop - Resources
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has an aggregate of resources to help entrepreneurs set up their business in the State of Illinois.
Chicago BACP Small Business Center
- The Small Business Center (SBC) is the business licensing division of the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the City’s “one-stop-shop” for business licensing, public way use permitting, and connecting entrepreneurs to business resources.
Crain's Chicago Small Business Resource Guide
- Crain's Chicago Business has created an aggregate of information for small business owners, providing a list of organizations and chambers that aid small business owners (Including the SBAC!).
Cook County Land Bank Authority
- The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) works to reduce and return vacant land and abandoned buildings back into reliable and sustainable community assets.
City of Chicago City-Owned Land Sales Programs
- The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) makes City-owned real estate available for purchase and redevelopment through various programs.
- Open data portal for Cook County, Illinois.
- Data portal for Chicago, Illinois. Includes various services that break down data to better understand the health and well-being of your local community.
- The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has an extensive amount of data projects available to view. This includes land use data and community snapshots.
Bureau of Labor Statistics - Illinois
- Data gathered from the Midwest Information Office of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Learn more about how the NRC plans to revitalize, empower and connect our local commercial corridors.
Revitalizing Neighborhood Business Districts
- Commercial vacancies impact struggling business districts. Click here to learn about how you can help address commercial vacancies in your neighborhood.
- Our coalition is comprised of passionate stakeholders dedicated to improving the quality of life in their commercial corridor. Learn about our partners here.
- The NRC engages in grassroots advocacy consisting of town halls, community engagement, and survey research. Learn more about these efforts here.