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Evanston social-services committee approves 2026 funding recommendations to send to City Council
Summary
The Social Service Committee approved a recommended package of 2026 social-service grants and reallocations after discussion and targeted increases for several providers; the package now goes to Evanston City Council for final approval.
The Evanston Social Service Committee voted unanimously to approve a set of 2026 funding recommendations to forward to City Council after a round of adjustments and debate over allocations to local providers.
City staff opened the meeting by reviewing the committee's scoring methodology, which uses an averaged SSC score and preserves requested amounts for shelter and basic-needs programs. Staff said the model produced a small overage—roughly $61,320—to allow the committee to reallocate funds as needed. Committee members discussed restoring several high-performing agencies to their 2025 award levels and directing additional dollars to programs that serve a high share of Evanston residents.
During public comment, Alyssa Garcia, director of residential services at Lydia Home Evanston, described the program's residential care for 40 youth ages 7–18 and said mentorship and placement capacity are major barriers: "We currently house 40 kids and only 7 of them are currently matched with a mentor," she said, and asked the committee to consider funding…
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