Background
Lillie joined MPC in 2006 to advance public-private partnerships for workforce housing opportunities in metropolitan Chicago. Lillie provides support and technical assistance to the nonprofit housing agencies (REACH partners) that counsel employees participating in employer-assisted housing (EAH) programs. She also is focused on the Charter One Workforce Housing Initiative in the northwest and northern suburbs, and working to expand EAH counseling coverage and employer involvement throughout the region. Lillie works with municipal staff and employers of all industries on developing and launching new EAH initiatives. She supports existing programs by enhancing collaboration among and involving partners in policy discussions for workforce housing.
For four years prior to joining MPC, Lillie was a homeownership consultant for Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago, where she worked directly with Chicago families to help them achieve their homebuying goals. She taught weekly homeownership education courses and presented "buying basics" to hundreds of attendees at special events and homebuyers fairs. Lillie also counseled clients one-on-one, and saw hundreds of buyers through the process of becoming successful homeowners. While at NHS, Lillie managed the EAH Program for the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Medical Center. She counseled 500 employees and helped more than 150 of them purchase homes near work.
Lillie is a native of Arlington, VA. In 2001, she moved to Chicago to join Public Allies Chicago, an AmeriCorps program and became a Chicagoan in a snap. She resides in South Shore with her husband.
Areas of expertise
- Homeownership consultancy
- Homebuyer education
- Employer-assisted housing program management
Education
B.A., Integrative Studies, George Mason University
