Brandon Johnson was sworn in as mayor of Chicago on May 15, 2023. Now in the final year of his term, Johnson spoke with Austin Weekly News, his “favorite local publication,” about his recent successes in the neighborhood where he lives and his goals for Austin over the next 12 months regarding economic development, housing and crime.
One way Johnson’s administration has funneled money into Austin throughout his term is with a $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond, funded by low-income housing tax credits and Tax Increment Financing, federal and state grants and private funding.
The Austin HOPE Center — a $22 million project at 5046 W. Chicago Ave. set to open this summer as the first behavioral health and pediatric specialty facility on the West Side — was nearly one-quarter funded by the bond, and the first project in Chicago that used the bond money.
And last May, the city completed nearly $9 million of improvements on Chicago Avenue between Austin Boulevard and Central Avenue — the first part of construction completed on Soul City Corridor. In the last year, locals have enjoyed wider sidewalks, more lighting, new trees and landscaping, raised bike lanes, crosswalks and resurfaced roads.
“This type of development that you’re seeing along Chicago Avenue is unprecedented,” Johnson said. “I want folks to know that that’s not happening by accident. Those are intentional investments. We can build a world-class city that includes all of our neighborhoods.”
The housing and economic development bond has also helped finance more affordable homes in Austin.
Last October, 20 affordable units opened at 5246 W. Chicago Ave. Austin-based Westside Health Authority bought the building in 2016 and spent $2.5 million on renovations. That was partially paid for by Chicago’s Small Business Improvement Fund.
Next month, 51 affordable and 27 market-rate apartment units at 5200 W. Chicago Ave. will open. And this year, renovations on the adjacent Laramie State Bank will start, developing the space into a blues music museum, business incubator and cafe. The project is largely funded by the INVEST South/West initiative developed by former mayor Lori Lightfoot. TIF funds will be used, too.
Also this year, Habitat for Humanity Chicago will complete its first affordable homes in Austin.
As more new homes are constructed on the West Side, Johnson is also working to help locals who have lived in their houses for decades — including those who are still dealing with water damage from record-breaking flooding during the summer of 2023.
The city’s disaster recovery action plan to use recent federal grant money to address flood damage says that, though wards 28, 29, 30, and 37 make up about 9% of Chicago’s population, they generated nearly half of flooding reports after the severe summer storm. On the West Side, storm water needs to travel up to six miles to drain, among the longest distances in the city.
Johnson said it took a while to secure $426 million from the federal government to address remaining flood damage in Austin homes, but combined with $97 million in local funds, West Siders are finally starting to receive money after the city’s action plan was approved in September. While much of the money will fund improvements to maintaining sewer systems and other infrastructure projects on the West Side, Chicago’s Department of Housing is working with a West Side Long Term Recovery Group to connect with those who have experienced water damage from the floods.
Reducing crime
Though Austin has led the city in violent crime over the last five years, violent crime has lessened around the West Side neighborhood.
In 2023, Chicago saw over 35,000 violent crime victimizations, according to the city’s violence reduction dashboard. In 2024, there were over 32,000 victims of violent crime, and last year, that number was down to over 25,000. Violent crime also decreased in Austin. In 2024, there were nearly 2,200 violent crime victimizations, down to over 1,700 last year.
“Some of the greatest declines in violence citywide come out of the Austin community,” Johnson said. “Don’t get me wrong, one act of violence is still one too many,” he added, citing his office’s continued efforts to reduce violent crime on the West Side.
Johnson’s People’s Plan for Community Safety targets root causes of violence like poverty and trauma through career opportunities, youth outreach and community violence intervention. And his office has invested in the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program, where a paid behavioral mental health crisis professional responds to someone having a mental health issue, rather than police. Created in 2021 as a way to improve non-violent, non-medical mental health and substance use response strategies, CARE started operating in a few pilot neighborhoods, including those on the West Side. Johnson’s administration expanded CARE citywide earlier this month.
Johnson also said Austin has had the highest rate of youth employment during his mayoral term.
“It’s going to take all of us to help shift how government responds to communities like Austin, and I’ve been laser focused in ensuring that our young people have opportunities,” Johnson said. “Finally, the way in which I believe we continue to help drive violence down is by investing in our public schools.”
Last year, Johnson released the largest TIF surplus in Chicago history, funneling $500 million into public schools, including those in Austin. Also last year, Austin High School became a sustainable community school, garnering $500,000 annually to offer more student and family services.
“We’re talking about a school that had been that had been disinvested in over the course of multiple administrations, and instead of a conversation about closure, we’re talking about how we can build up our programming there,” Johnson said.
In the last year of his term, Johnson wants to “continue to drive violence down in Austin,” he said. “Not only how do we drive violence down, but how do we ensure that we’re making the necessary investment in our schools and our community-based organizations?”
Johnson said that, though just one of Chicago’s neighborhoods, Austin plays an important role in attracting visitors to the city. Last summer, Chicago saw a record-setting 3.5 million visitors to the city over the summer, generating nearly $950 million in revenue.
“Austin played an incredible role in driving the narrative around how beautiful our city is. We are a city of neighborhoods and, when our airports are doing well, when our downtown is doing well, of course, that’s an indication of the strength of our city,” Johnson said. “But when our neighborhoods are thriving, that’s where we really know that these investments are starting to take root.”