Community mental health services are widely known in Chicago, but access becomes far less clear outside city limits—particularly for people without private, employer-sponsored insurance.  While a network of nonprofit providers offers low-cost or free care, availability varies sharply by geography, funding, and transportation. In Chicago, care is readily available: organizations like Thresholds, Trilogy, Center on The post Looking for Mental Health Care Without Private Insurance? Here’s Where to Go appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.

In July, CPS claimed the mass layoff of special education staff was an equity-driven reset, and not a means to address the $734M education budget shortfall. CPS officials told The Chicago Reporter the city aimed to redistribute Special Education Classroom Assistants (SECAs) to higher-need schools on the South and West sides. Six months later, a The post Are CPS staff layoffs promoting equity in schools? appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.

With Commander Gregory Bovino back in the region, Chicago activists draw on hard-won lessons to shield immigrants from renewed enforcement. Alonso Zaragoza knew it would be a shot in the dark when he proposed a whistle packing event in early October. He had seen news reports of whistles being used in Los Angeles to warn The post Border Patrol is back in Chicago. So are the strategies that stop them. appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.

With one day remaining for Cook County residents to file a property tax appeal, we’ve created a guide to appeal for those who haven’t submitted their appeal yet – and for those who want to check it twice.  This year, property taxes spiked across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, hitting homeowners in Black communities the The post TCR’s guide to appealing your property 2026 tax bill  appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.

This content is made possible through TCR’s Student Voices series, made possible through our partnership with Truman College and the Uptown Exchange. On any given Thursday afternoon in the cafeteria, one might smell tacos or gyros, accompanied by the silence of hungry students taking a meal break between classes. Yet those who grabbed a bite The post Student Voices: STEAM day showcases student learning appeared first on The Chicago Reporter.