Metropolitan Tenants Organization reports fewer hotline calls year‑to‑date; committee considers continuing walk‑in pilot with adjustments

Evanston — The committee received reports Tuesday from city staff and the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO) on landlord‑tenant service activity and a recent walk‑in hours pilot held at the Evanston Public Library.

What happened: Anna Elizaraga, housing and economic development analyst with the city’s Community Development division, presented comparative call data from MTO. She said hotline call volume from January through May 2024 totaled 280 calls; in the same period in 2025 MTO logged 182 calls—a 35% decrease. Elizaraga said call volume usually rises approaching typical summer lease‑turnover season.

Why it matters: MTO’s services—hotline, 311 intake and outreach—are the city’s front-line resource for tenants and landlords seeking information on leases, maintenance, evictions, lockouts and utilities. Committee members said access to timely assistance is especially important during lease transitions and for tenants facing safety or eviction risks.

Key findings from MTO’s 2024–2025 report presented to the committee: - Top complaint categories in 2024 were lease questions (31%), maintenance (27%) and eviction/early termination (about 11% each). In 2025 (same months) leases and maintenance remained common but lockouts and utility complaints rose—MTO linked those increases to targeted in‑person outreach at certain buildings. - Tenant‑initiated calls accounted for about 95% of contacts in 2025; landlord‑initiated calls about 5%. - No mediation cases were recorded in the period; MTO led four virtual landlord and tenant trainings (English and Spanish) and reported 72 attendees at the first landlord session.

MTO staff attorney Phil Devon described the nature of common calls: "Oftentimes, it's questions like, is this legal? Can it be included in my lease?" He said utilities complaints typically involve systems that are not functioning as expected, such as insufficient heat.

Walk‑in hours pilot: The committee reviewed a short pilot in which MTO provided in‑person assistance at the Evanston Public Library on the first and third Monday of each month. That pilot attracted 22 unique attendees (seven were Evanston residents), and several attendees came from neighboring communities, including Chicago and Skokie.

Committee direction and next steps: Members discussed options to improve reach and effectiveness, including changing hours to accommodate working residents, rotating locations to reach different neighborhoods, creating appointment slots or a call‑in option during the walk‑in window, and improving automated outreach (email signatures, registration confirmation messages). Marion Johnson, city staff, said the additional walk‑in hours can continue under the current contract ceiling without an immediate amendment and can be administered without returning to the committee for approval. The committee asked staff and MTO to report back with: - outreach and participation metrics by ward and, where allowed, by building or landlord to identify hotspots and recurring problems; - an outcomes metric or short survey to measure case resolution and follow‑up; and - options for appointment or call‑in models and expanded marketing to community partners.

Committee members asked MTO to explore aggregation by landlord and by ward to identify whether multiple complaints are concentrated among particular owners or properties; MTO indicated it will check data capture and return with possibilities for that reporting. The committee agreed to continue the pilot for an additional three months and requested monthly check‑ins and a mid‑pilot review of whether adjusted hours, locations, or appointment scheduling improves uptake.

Ending: No formal contract amendment was required to continue the pilot under the existing spending ceiling; staff will proceed administratively while monitoring participation and reporting back to the committee.