(2011 - 2012) Winnetka Is Neighborly wins the 2012 Rayna & Marvin Miller Housing Justice Award from Open Communities. In addition to the Property Maintenance Code victory for renters, WIN also helped gain passage of a coach house ordinance, allowing 30 homeowners to turn their coach houses into rentals if they so choose. Left to right: Nancy Pred, Surrosh Shakir, Mark Miller (presenting the award), Ann Airey, Katie Seigenthaler, and Jen McQuet.
Before March 2011, four Winnetka women were strangers to one another. Thanks to Gail and Open Communities, they found that they were not alone in their support for an inclusive Winnetka. They united as Winnetka Is Neighborly and under the banner "Facts, Not Fear," WIN spent the rest of the year educating residents through literature, e-mails, community mobilization and public testimony about why affordable housing is needed and about the diversity of current residents and workers who would benefit from a proposed Village plan. These four homeowners ultimately helped to bring about unanimous support from the Village Council to adopt a Property Maintenance Code, a central recommendation of the Plan Commission. The Village lost over 300 rental units in 30 years, a 40% drop in the rental stock. This new code gives the Village a tool in its quiver to preserve its remaining rentals.