Founded in the 1980s by Chicago community leaders and activists, ICE works with urban communities "in crisis" where residents have faced wrenching dispossession and relocation owing to political, social, and/or economic forces seemingly beyond local control. To counteract the democratic deficit typically lying at the root of such communities' problems, ICE provides residents and their organizations with the empowerment tools to stimulate neighborhood vision and planning, to build organizational capacity, and to enact and enforce neighborhood remedies sought by a majority of local residents.

ICE looks to a future when the practice of democracy mirrors the principles of democracy through increased citizen initiative, confidence, and engagement.

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Chicago Coalition's Expanded Mental Health Services Campaign